As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 17, 2021

Registration No. 333-260431

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 4

TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

GENERATION ASIA I ACQUISITION LIMITED

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands		6770		98-1588665
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

Boundary Hall

Cricket Square

Grand Cayman, KY1-1102

Cayman Islands

Tel: (345) 814-5880

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

 

 

Maples Fiduciary Services (Delaware) Inc.

4001 Kennett Pike, Suite 302

Wilmington, Delaware 19807

Tel: (302) 338-9130

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

 

 

Copies to:

 

Jin Hyuk Park, Esq. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP ICBC Tower – 35th Floor 3 Garden Road, Central Hong Kong, China Tel: +852 2514-7665		Mark A. Brod, Esq. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 425 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10017 Tel: (212) 455-2163		Z. Julie Gao, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP c/o 42/F, Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark 15 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong Tel: +852 3740-4700		Peter X. Huang, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP 30/F, Tower 2, China World Trade Center No. 1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue Beijing, China 100004 Tel: (86-10) 6535-5500

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of Securities To Be Registered		Amount To Be Registered		Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Security(1)		Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)		Amount of Registration Fee
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant(2)		23,000,000 Units		$10.00		$230,000,000		$21,321.00
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(3)		23,000,000 Shares		—		—		—(4)
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)		11,500,000 Warrants		—		—		—(4)
Total						$230,000,000		$21,321.00

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

(2)	Includes 3,000,000 units, consisting of 3,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 1,500,000 redeemable warrants, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriter to cover over-allotments, if any.

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

(4)	No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED DECEMBER 17, 2021

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

Generation Asia I Acquisition Limited

$200,000,000

20,000,000 Units

 

 

Generation Asia I Acquisition Limited is a newly incorporated blank check company, incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will not undertake an initial business combination with any entity with principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and twelve months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. We have also granted the underwriter a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then-outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to herein collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or (i) up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account, (ii) up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we have entered into a definitive agreement during the first 18 months from the closing of this offering, without our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account and, if needed, up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account, or (iii) during any shareholder approved extension period, as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.

Our sponsor, Generation Asia LLC, has committed to purchase an aggregate of 6,800,000 warrants (or 7,700,000 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $6,800,000 in the aggregate (or $7,700,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the private placement warrants.

Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 7,750,000 Class B ordinary shares (which we refer to as “founder shares” as further described herein), up to 750,000 of which may be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised and including 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements described below. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote for the election of, and to remove, directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, which directors will be proposed by the Company’s board of directors following a nomination by the nominating and corporate governance committee. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.

Funds managed by Carnegie Park Capital LLC (which we refer to as “sponsor investor” as further described herein) have purchased membership interests in our sponsor entitling them to an economic interest in certain of the founder shares owned by our sponsor and in certain of the placement units to be purchased by our sponsor. Pursuant to its subscription agreement with our sponsor, the sponsor investor will not be granted any material additional shareholder or other rights, and will only be issued membership interests in our sponsor with no right to control our sponsor or vote or dispose of any founder shares, placement units or underlying securities owned by our sponsor (which will continue to be held by our sponsor until following our initial business combination).

Certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors who are not affiliated with our sponsor or any member of our management, which we refer to collectively as the forward purchasers, entered into forward purchase agreements with us that provide for the purchase by the forward purchasers of an aggregate of 8,000,000 forward purchase units, with each forward purchase unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-quarter of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $80,000,000, or $10.00 per unit, in a private placement to close concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. The forward purchasers may purchase less than 8,000,000 forward purchase units in accordance with the terms of the Forward Purchase Agreements. In addition, the forward purchasers’ commitment under the forward purchase agreements will be subject to their rights to terminate their commitment at any time before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. Accordingly, if any forward purchasers exercise their rights to terminate their commitment, such forward purchaser will not be obligated to purchase any forward purchase securities, and we will not receive any of the amounts committed under such forward purchase agreement. We issued 2,000,000 additional Class B ordinary shares to our sponsor, which represents the adjustment to the ratio applicable to the conversion of its Class B ordinary shares that our sponsor would have been entitled to at the closing of our initial business combination as a result of the issuance of 8,000,000 additional Class A ordinary shares under the forward purchase agreements. As a result, the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares at the closing of our initial business combination will not trigger a further adjustment to this ratio. Further, prior to this offering, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 1,200,000 Class B ordinary shares to the forward purchasers for no cash consideration, which represent 17.14% of the Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). As a result of the foregoing, our sponsor currently owns 6,550,000 Class B ordinary shares, up to 750,000 of which will be surrendered to us by our sponsor for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. The total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding after this offering and the expiration of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, which includes the 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements, will equal 20% of the sum of the total number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding at such time plus the 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements.

Certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors who are not affiliated with our sponsor or any member of our management, which we refer to as the anchor investors, have each expressed to us an interest to purchase up to 9.9%, 7.425% or 4.95%, or 1,980,000, 1,485,000 or 990,000 of the units in this offering, respectively (excluding any units sold if the underwriter exercises the over-allotment option), representing in the aggregate up to approximately 101.475% or 20,295,000 of the units in this offering (or 88.24% of the units in this offering if the underwriter exercises the over-allotment option in full), and we have agreed to direct the underwriter to sell to each of the anchor investors such number of units. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with our anchor investors, see “Summary—The Offering—Expressions of Interest.”

Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on The New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “GAQ.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on NYSE.

We expect the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52^nd day following the date of this prospectus (or the immediately following business day if such 52^nd day is not a business day) unless Nomura Securities International, Inc. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions as described further herein. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on NYSE under the symbols “GAQ” and “GAQWS”, respectively.

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 46 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.

Neither the U.S. 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.

 

		Per Unit				Total
Public offering price		$	10.00			$	200,000,000
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)(2)		$	0.55			$	11,000,000
Proceeds, before expenses, to us		$	9.45			$	189,000,000

 

(1)

$0.20 per unit is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States and released to the underwriter only upon the completion of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriter.

(2)

To the extent certain anchor investors purchase units for which they have indicated an interest in purchasing, the underwriter will not receive any upfront underwriting discounts or commissions received from sales of securities to such anchor investors upon the closing of the offering, and the underwriter shall not be entitled to the deferred underwriting commissions on gross proceeds received from the sales of securities to the sponsor, its controlled affiliates and the directors, officers, team members and investment entities of the sponsor and its controlled affiliates.

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $202,000,000, or $232,300,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $2,020,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $2,620,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $930,000 to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. Such proceeds will only be released from such trust account as described herein. The underwriter is offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter expects to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about                 , 2021.

Sole Book-Running Manager

 

Nomura

        , 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Summary			1
The Offering			15
Risks			42
Summary Financial Data			45
Risk Factors			46
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			93
Use of Proceeds			94
Dividend Policy			100
Dilution			101
Capitalization			104
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			106
Proposed Business			111
Management			147
Principal Shareholders			158
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions			163
Description of Securities			166
Taxation			191
Underwriting			201
Legal Matters			210
Expert			211
Where You Can Find Additional Information			212

We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from or inconsistent with that contained in this prospectus. We are not, and the underwriter is not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

 

1

 

2

 

3

 

4

 

5

 

6

 

7

 

8

 

9

 

10

 

11

 

12

 

13

 

14

 

15

 

16

 

17

 

18

 

19

 

20

 

21

 

22

 

23

 

24

 

25

 

26

 

27

 

28

 

29

 

30

 

31

 

32

 

33

 

34

 

35

 

36

 

37

 

38

 

39

 

40

 

41

 

42

 

43

 

44

 

45

RISK FACTORS

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

Risks Related to Our Business and Financial Position

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

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

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

Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

 

•

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

 

•

acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

 

•

our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;

 

•

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

 

•

our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;

 

•

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

•

limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

•

increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

 

46

•

limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes; and

 

•

other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable), it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or its affiliates to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.

Of the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement warrants and the sale of the forward purchase securities, only $1,850,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, after payment of estimated offering expenses. We believe that, upon closing 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 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business.

In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $930,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $930,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to loan funds to us in such circumstances. Any such loans would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.10 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

We have not selected any specific business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the forward purchase securities. As a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business

 

47

combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—General Risk Factors—If third parties bring claims against us, the funds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

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, 2021, we had $15,035 of cash and a working capital deficit of $860,983. Further, we had incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing 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.

Risks Related to Our Proposed Initial Business Combination

Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a business combination.

We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. In such case, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.

 

48

The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of the founder shares will be significantly greater than the amount our sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares to materially decline.

Our sponsor has committed to invest an aggregate of $6,825,000 in us in connection with this offering, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $6,800,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants (or $7,700,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). Our sponsor has subsequently transferred some of its founder shares to forward purchasers for no consideration pursuant to their forward purchase agreements and will transfer some of its founder shares to anchor investors for a nominal purchase price pursuant to their investment agreements at the closing of this offering. We are offering our units to the public at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, because the sponsor paid only a nominal purchase price of approximately $0.003 per share for the founder shares, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted as a result of the automatic conversion of the founder shares of our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers into Class A ordinary shares upon our completion of an initial business combination.

The following table shows the public shareholders’ and our sponsor’s investment per share and how these compare to the implied value of one Class A ordinary share upon the completion of our initial business combination. The following table assumes that (i) our valuation is $282,000,000 (which is $202,000,000 we would have in the trust account for our initial business combination assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, plus $80,000,000 the forward purchasers will pay to buy Class A ordinary shares in a private placement to close concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination), (ii) no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, (iii) no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and (iv) all founder shares are held by our sponsor upon completion of our initial business combination, and does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the initial business combination such as (i) the value of our public and private placement warrants, (ii) the trading price of our public shares, (iii) the initial business combination transaction costs (including payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions), (iv) any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers, (v) any equity issued to other third party investors, or (vi) the target’s business itself.

 

Class A ordinary shares held by public shareholders, anchor investors and forward purchasers			28,000,000 shares
Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers			7,000,000 shares
Total ordinary shares			35,000,000 shares
Total funds at the initial business combination		$	282,000,000.00
Public shareholders’ investment per Class A ordinary share(1)		$	10.00
Our sponsor’s investment per Class B ordinary share(2)		$	1.07
Implied value per Class A ordinary share upon the initial business combination(3)		$	8.06

 

(1)	While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only.

(2)	The sponsor’s total investment in the equity of the company, inclusive of the founder shares and the sponsor’s $6,800,000 investment in the private placement warrants, is $6,825,000. For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the founder shares only.

(3)	All founder shares held by our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers would automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon completion of our initial business combination.

Based on these assumptions, each Class A ordinary share would have an implied value of $8.06 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing a 19.4% decrease from the initial implied value of $10.00 per public share. While the implied value of $8.06 per Class A ordinary share upon completion

 

49

of our initial business combination would represent a dilution to our public shareholders, this would represent a significant increase in value for our sponsor relative to the price it paid for each founder share. At $8.06 per Class A ordinary share, the 7,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that the sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers would own upon completion of our initial business combination (after automatic conversion of their 7,000,000 founder shares) would have an aggregate implied value of $56,420,000. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary share significantly declines, the value of the founder shares held by our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers will be significantly greater than the amount our sponsor paid to purchase such shares. In addition, our sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment in our company even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares after the initial business combination is as low as $1.07 per share. As a result, our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers are likely to earn a substantial profit on their investment in us upon disposition of their Class A ordinary shares that have been converted from their founder shares even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares declines after we complete our initial business combination. Our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor, anchor investors and forward purchasers had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.

Your only opportunity to affect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of such business combination.

At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect your investment decision regarding our initial business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

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

Our initial shareholders will own 20% of the sum of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering and the 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements) and 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements. Our initial shareholders and management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we seek shareholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if it is approved by an ordinary resolution. Our initial shareholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and any public shares they hold, in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 6,500,000, or 32.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised but including 2,000,000 founder shares issued to our sponsor in connection with the forward purchase agreements), or no public shares of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised but including 2,000,000 founder shares issued to our sponsor in connection with the forward purchase agreements) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial shareholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that it is

 

50

approved by an ordinary resolution, being the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.

The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.

We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 upon completion of our initial business combination (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 upon completion of our initial business combination or less than such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption of our public shares and the related business combination, and we may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.

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

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

 

51

The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our Class A ordinary shares could increase the risk that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation of our trust account in order to redeem your shares.

If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the risk that our initial business combination will be unsuccessful would increase. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

Our search for a business combination, and any partner business with which we ultimately complete a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus surfaced which has and is continuing to spread throughout the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential partner business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the partner business’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and complete a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information

 

52

which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to complete a business combination, or the operations of a partner business with which we ultimately complete a business combination, may be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to complete a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 18 months (or up to 24 months, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) before redemption from our trust account.

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), the funds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the funds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Our initial shareholders have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable). We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general economic and market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the pandemic on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more

 

53

than 10 business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “—General Risk Factors—If third parties bring claims against us, the funds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

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

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.

In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available to consummate an initial business combination.

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors or at all.

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

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies

 

54

and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater technical, human and other resources to ours or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and consummating an initial business combination within the required time period. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—General Risk Factors—If third parties bring claims against us, the funds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present within a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.

Although expected to focus on financial services companies, our efforts to identify a prospective initial business combination target will not be limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic region. While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry, sector or location (excluding China,

 

55

Hong Kong and Macau), we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire and operate a business or businesses that can benefit from our management team’s established global relationships and operating experience. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing strategic financial services investments globally. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prohibit us from effectuating a business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.

We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to ascertain or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and, as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have some or all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a

 

56

business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—General Risk Factors—If third parties bring claims against us, the funds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and forward purchase securities, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.

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

 

•

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

 

•

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

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

We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, or delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact the value of our securities, our profitability and results of operations.

 

57

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

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. However, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

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

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an accounting, valuation or appraisal firm that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

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

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

 

58

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

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. In addition, pursuant to a registration and shareholders rights agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor will be entitled to nominate two individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration Rights.”

We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.

We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.

Involvement of members of our management and companies with which they are affiliated in civil disputes and litigation, governmental investigations or negative publicity unrelated to our business affairs could materially impact our ability to consummate an initial business combination.

Our directors and officers and companies with which they are affiliated have been, and in the future will continue to be, involved in a wide variety of business affairs, including transactions, such as sales and purchases of businesses, and ongoing operations. As a result of such involvement, members of our management and companies with which they are affiliated in have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes, litigation, governmental investigations and negative publicity relating to their business affairs. Any such claims, investigations, lawsuits or negative publicity may be detrimental to our reputation and could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination in a material manner and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.

We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the

 

59

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

We may face risks related to financial services businesses.

Business combinations with financial services businesses may involve special considerations and risks. If we complete our initial business combination with a financial services business, we will be subject to the following risks, any of which could be detrimental to us and the business we acquire:

 

•

if the company or business we acquire provides products or services which relate to the facilitation of financial transactions, such as funds or securities settlement system, and such product or service fails or is compromised, we may be subject to claims from both the firms to whom we provide our products and services and the clients they serve;

 

•

if we are unable to keep pace with evolving technology and changes in the financial services industry, our revenues and future prospects may decline;

 

•

our ability to provide financial products and services to customers may be reduced or eliminated by regulatory changes;

 

•

any business or company we acquire could be vulnerable to cyberattack or theft of individual identities or personal data;

 

•

difficulties with any products or services we provide could damage our reputation and business;

 

•

a failure to comply with privacy regulations could adversely affect relations with customers and have a negative impact on business;

 

•

we may not be able to protect our intellectual property and we may be subject to infringement claims.

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to financial services businesses. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.

Risks Related to Our Operations

Past performance by our management team, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.

Information regarding our management team, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance by our management team and the businesses with which they have been associated, is not a guarantee that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination, that we will be able to provide positive returns to our shareholders, or of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical experiences of our management team, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and

 

60

businesses with which they have been associated, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward or as indicative of any other prior investment by any of the members of our management team. The market price of our securities may be influenced by numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, and our shareholders may experience losses on their investment in our securities.

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

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

We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, certain of our officers and directors have time and attention requirements for other employers, and other third parties with which they are affiliated. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.

 

61

Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may complete our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate these risks. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.

 

62

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our officers and directors also serve and may in the future serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management—Officers and Directors.”

Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. To address the matters set out above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any business combination opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or its affiliates have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition our amended and restated articles of association will contain provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to the Company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity.

In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors may invest in other sponsors of, sponsor or form other, special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

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

 

63

Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.

We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation of, or investment or participation in, one or more other blank check companies. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our best interest. If this were the case, and the directors fail to act in accordance with their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law we may have a claim against such individuals. See the section titled “Description of Securities—Certain Differences in Corporate Law—Shareholders’ Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.

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

In the event that the funds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.10 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.

We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a

 

64

business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting, valuation or appraisal firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

Since our sponsor, forward purchasers, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

On March 5, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,187,500 founder shares, par value $0.0001. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the Company by the number of founder shares issued. On August 16, 2021, pursuant to a downsize of this offering, our sponsor surrendered an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, which were cancelled, resulting in an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares outstanding. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender. On August 23, 2021, in connection with entering into forward purchase agreements, (i) our sponsor transferred to forward purchasers an aggregate of 825,000 founder shares for no cash consideration and (ii) the Company issued 1,375,000 founder shares to the Sponsor, resulting in an aggregate of 7,125,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. On October 20, 2021 and October 21, 2021, in connection with entering into an additional forward purchase agreement, (i) the Company issued to a forward purchaser an aggregate of 375,000 founder shares at par value and our Sponsor surrendered to the Company the same number of founder shares for no cash consideration and (ii) the Company issued 625,000 founder shares to the Sponsor, resulting in an aggregate of 7,750,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the sum of the outstanding shares after this offering and 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share sub-division, share dividend or share contribution back to capital, reorganization, recapitalization or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering so that the number of founder shares owned by our initial shareholders equals 20% of our issued and outstanding shares upon consummation of this offering. Up to 750,000 of the founder shares may be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 6,800,000 private placement warrants (or 7,700,000 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) for an aggregate purchase price of $6,800,000 (or $7,700,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.00 per warrant. The private placement warrants will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 18-month anniversary of the closing of this offering (or up to 24-month anniversary of the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.

 

65

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

Upon closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and including the 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements) plus 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will entitle the holders thereof to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. This director election amendment provision of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and other provisions related to pre-business combination activities may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were appointed by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a terms for three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our initial shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. In addition, the Company has agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue certain shares to consummate an initial business combination.

The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares, which will include the 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements, will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders) plus 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements, including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination (including the forward purchase shares and Class A ordinary shares into which the Class B ordinary shares are converted, but not the forward purchase warrants), excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on less than a one-for-one basis.

 

66

Our initial shareholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial shareholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 122.0% (or $12.20 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering of $(2.20) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.

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

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NYSE listing rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such purchases may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.

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

 

67

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

In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management may consider the availability of all of the funds from the sale of the forward purchase shares, which may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If the sale of some or all of the forward purchase shares fails to close, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.

We have entered into forward purchase agreements pursuant to which the forward purchasers have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 8,000,000 forward purchase shares plus 2,000,000 redeemable warrants for a purchase price of $10.00 per forward purchase share, or $80,000,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement to close concurrently with our initial business combination. The funds from the sale of forward purchase shares may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in our initial business combination, expenses in connection with our initial business combination or for working capital in the post-transaction company. The obligations under the forward purchase agreements do not depend on whether any public shareholders elect to redeem their shares and provide us with a minimum funding level for the initial business combination. However, the forward purchasers may purchase less than 8,000,000 forward purchase shares in accordance with the terms of the forward purchase agreements. In addition, the forward purchasers’ commitment under the forward purchase agreements will be subject to their rights to terminate their commitment at any time before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. Accordingly, if any forward purchasers exercise their rights to terminate their commitment, such forward purchaser will not be obligated to purchase any forward purchase securities, and we will not receive any of the amounts committed under such forward purchase agreement. If the sale of the forward purchase shares does not close or is for less than 8,000,000 forward purchase shares, for any reason, including by reason of the failure by some or all of the forward purchasers to fund the purchase price for their forward purchase shares, for example, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination. Additionally, the forward purchasers’ obligations to purchase the forward purchase shares are subject to termination prior to the closing of the sale of the forward purchase shares by mutual written consent of the company and each forward purchaser, or, automatically: (i) if this offering is not consummated on or prior to December 31, 2021; (ii) if the gross proceeds from this offering and the forward purchase agreements are less than $150,000,000; (iii) if a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination is not entered into within 24 months from the closing of this offering, unless further extended by the Shareholder Extension Period or such longer period as is mutually agreed between us and a forward purchaser; or (iv) if our sponsor or the Company becomes subject to any voluntary or involuntary petition under the United States federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law, in each case which is not withdrawn within sixty (60) days after being filed, or a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer is appointed by a court for business or property of our sponsor or the company, in each case which is not removed, withdrawn or terminated within sixty (60) days after such appointment. The forward purchasers’ obligations to purchase their forward purchase shares are subject to fulfillment of customary closing conditions, including the following: (i) our initial business combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with, and immediately following, the purchase of forward purchase shares; and (ii) the Company must have delivered to the forward purchasers a certificate evidencing the company’s good standing as a Cayman Islands exempted company, as of a date within ten (10) business days of the closing of the sale of forward purchase shares. In the event of any such failure to fund by a forward purchaser, any obligation is so terminated or any such condition is not satisfied and not waived by a forward purchaser, we may not be able to obtain additional funds to account for such shortfall on terms favorable to us or at all. Any such shortfall would also reduce the amount of funds that we have available for working capital of the post-business combination company. While each forward purchaser has represented to us that it has sufficient funds to satisfy its obligations under the respective forward purchase agreements, we have not obligated the forward purchasers to reserve funds for such obligations, and the forward purchaser may terminate its commitment at any time before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination.

 

68

If the forward purchasers purchase large amounts of public shares in the open market, they may attempt to leverage their redemption rights in order to affect the outcome of a potential business combination.

The forward purchasers have redemption rights with respect to any public shares they own, subject to the limitation that under the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of Exchange Act), is restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the public shares, without the prior consent of the Company. If management proposes an initial business combination that some or all of the forward purchasers are not in favor of, such forward purchasers may decide to purchase public shares in the open market and seek to leverage their redemption rights to influence whether such business combination is consummated. This could result in our having to negotiate for more favorable terms for the forward purchasers, which could jeopardize our ability to successfully consummate an initial business combination. See “—In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management may consider the availability of all of the funds from the sale of the forward purchase shares, which may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If the sale of some or all of the forward purchase shares fails to close, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.”

We employ a mail forwarding service, which may delay or disrupt our ability to receive mail in a timely manner.

Mail addressed to the Company and received at its registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by Company to be dealt with. None of the Company, its directors, officers, advisors or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the Cayman Islands) will bear any responsibility for any delay howsoever caused in mail reaching the forwarding address, which may impair your ability to communicate with us.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Governance and Shareholder Rights

Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, holders of our founder shares are the only shareholders of the Company which will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Therefore, upon the listing of our shares on NYSE, NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of NYSE rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, holders of our founder shares are the only shareholders of the Company which will have the right to vote on the appointment of directions. As a result, NYSE may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a ‘controlled company’ and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:

 

•

we have a board that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under NYSE listing standards;

 

•

we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

•

we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of NYSE, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements.

 

69

We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to appoint directors.

In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on NYSE. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination.

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

In order to effectuate a business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, special purpose acquisition companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires a special resolution, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the then outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments, including our warrant agreement or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

70

The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company (or 65% of our ordinary shares with respect to amendments to the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.

Some other blank check companies have a provision in their memorandum and articles which prohibits certain amendments, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the company’s shares. In those blank check companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires the approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shares. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and including the 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements) plus 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other special purpose acquisition companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.

It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect

 

71

service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.

Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.

Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors contain provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement warrants, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval (although releasing the parties from the restriction not to transfer the founder shares for 185 days following the date of this prospectus will require the prior written consent of the underwriter). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were appointed by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors be appointed in each year.

The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and holders of our private placement warrants may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into prior to the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants. Pursuant to the forward purchase agreements, we have agreed that we will use our reasonable best efforts (i) to file within 30 days after the closing of the initial business combination (and, with respect to clause (ii) below, within 30 days following announcement of the results of the shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination or the results of our offer to shareholders to redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with our initial business combination (whichever is later), which we refer to as the “disclosure date”) a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of (A) the forward purchase securities and Class A ordinary shares underlying the forward purchase warrants and founder shares, and (B) any other Class A ordinary shares or warrants acquired by the forward purchasers, including any time after we complete our initial business combination, (ii) to cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter, but in no event later than 60 days after the closing of the initial business combination or the disclosure date, as the case may be and (iii) to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which the forward purchaser ceases to hold the securities covered thereby and (B) the date all of the securities covered thereby can be sold publicly without restriction or limitation under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, and without the requirement to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) under the Securities Act, subject to certain conditions and limitations set forth in the forward purchase agreements. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders or holders of our private placement warrants or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

72

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

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants; provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants and forward purchase warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants and forward purchase warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants and forward purchase warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants and forward purchase warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

Our warrants are expected to be accounted for as a warrant liability and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

Following the consummation of this offering and the concurrent private placement of warrants, we will have 16,800,000 warrants outstanding (comprised of the 10,000,000 warrants included in the units and the 6,800,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is not exercised). We currently expect to account for these warrants as a warrant liability, which means that we will record them at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets may seek a business combination partner that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

73

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Accordingly, our exclusive forum provision will not relieve us of our duties to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, and holders of our warrants will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with these laws, rules and regulations. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests through the U.S. federal courts, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.

Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose

 

74

courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.

Potential participation in this offering by our anchor investors could reduce the public float for our shares.

Our anchor investors have each expressed to us an interest to purchase up to 9.9%, 7.425% or 4.95%, representing in the aggregate up to approximately 101.475%, of the units in this offering (or up to approximately 88.24% of the units in this offering if the underwriter exercises the over-allotment option in full) at the offering price and we have agreed to direct the underwriter to sell to the anchor investors such amount of units. If our anchor investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed an interest, such purchases would reduce the available public float for our shares. Any such reduction in our available public float may consequently reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our shares relative to what they would have been had such shares been purchased by public investors.

Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

75

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet of the Company demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”

You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering), subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the funds held in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

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

We intend to apply to list our units on NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be separately listed on NYSE. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in NYSE listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, following our initial public offering, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders).

 

76

Additionally, our units will not be traded after the completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on NYSE. For instance, in order for our shares to be listed upon the consummation of our business combination, at such time our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have at least 300 round lot shareholders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500) of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those listing requirements at that time.

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

 

•

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

•

reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

•

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

 

•

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

 

•

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

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on NYSE, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.

If we call the warrants for redemption, we will have the option, in our sole discretion, to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ and Forward Purchase Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $10.00.” If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the Class A ordinary shares have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will

 

77

receive 300 Class A ordinary shares. The holder would have received 875 Class A ordinary shares if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of Class A ordinary shares upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.

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

We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or submit public shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights.”

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, this limitation on redeeming Excess Shares would not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

78

We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained therein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 180,000,000 and 13,000,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriter has not exercised its over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 750,000 Class B ordinary shares) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants and the forward purchase warrants, or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. The Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.

We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:

 

•

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

 

•

may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;

 

•

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

 

•

may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and

 

•

may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.

You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.

If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.

We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time and such registration may not be in place when an investor

 

79

desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement registering the sale, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 90 business days following the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration or redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.

If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis, in which case the number of Class A ordinary shares that the holders of warrants will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum number of shares equal to 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment).

In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.

Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain an effective registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify for sale the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available.

If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the unit. 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 the Class A ordinary shares for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.

 

80

You may only be able to exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis” under certain circumstances, and if you do so, you will receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

The warrant agreement provides that in the following circumstances holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and will, instead, be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act: (i) if the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement; (ii) if we have so elected and the Class A ordinary shares is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “ covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless. Additionally, the exercise price for the warrants is $11.50 per share and the warrants may expire worthless unless the share price is higher than the exercise price during the exercise period.

We have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). Please see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ and Forward Purchase Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $18.00.” If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants as described above could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the Market Value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us pursuant to this redemption right (except as described below under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ and Forward Purchase Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or their permitted transferees.

In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). In such a case, the holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of our Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. Please see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ and Forward Purchase Warrants—Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $10.00.” The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 of our Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.

Finally, the exercise price of the warrants is $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. As a result, the warrants may expire worthless unless the share price reaches that level during the exercise period.

 

81

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

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 6,800,000 private placement warrants (or 7,700,000 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $1.00 per warrant. We will also issue 2,000,000 forward purchase warrants concurrently with the sale of the forward purchase sales. To the extent we issue ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other special purpose acquisition companies.

Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. Only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business 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.

The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriter. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the representatives of the underwriter, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriter believed it reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

•

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

 

•

prior offerings of those companies;

 

•

our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

 

•

a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;

 

•

our capital structure;

 

•

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

 

•

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

 

•

other factors as were deemed relevant.

 

82

Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering size, price and terms of the units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.

There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

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

The federal proxy rules require that the proxy statement with respect to the vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”) depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe.

Risks Related to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries

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

We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income or otherwise subject it to adverse tax consequences in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident (or in which its members are resident or subject to tax if it is a tax transparent entity). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes, other taxes or other adverse tax consequences with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.

If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.

If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations,

 

83

including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:

 

•

costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;

 

•

rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

 

•

complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

•

laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;

 

•

exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;

 

•

tariffs and trade barriers;

 

•

regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

•

local or regional economic policies and market conditions;

 

•

unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

 

•

challenges in managing and staffing international operations;

 

•

longer payment cycles;

 

•

tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

 

•

currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

•

rates of inflation;

 

•

challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

•

cultural and language differences;

 

•

employment regulations;

 

•

underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;

 

•

corruption;

 

•

protection of intellectual property;

 

•

social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;

 

•

regime changes and political upheaval;

 

•

terrorist attacks and wars; and

 

•

deterioration of political relations with the United States.

We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

84

If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.

Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the Company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.

The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.

Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.

In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.

We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.

 

85

General Risk Factors

We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.

We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.

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

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

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

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other

 

86

things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not exceed $250 million as of June 30^th of the prior year, or (2) our annual revenues did not exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not exceed $700 million as of June 30^th of the prior year. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.

We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception and the timing of our initial business combination (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances, the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year (of which there can be no assurance), we may provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to provide such required information, and in any event, such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants. We urge U.S. investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

 

87

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

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

 

•

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

•

restrictions on the issuance of securities,

each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:

 

•

registration as an investment company with the SEC;

 

•

adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

•

reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations to which we are not currently subject.

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for another exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account 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 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be

 

88

deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—General Risk Factors—If third parties bring claims against us, the funds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, 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, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.

Data privacy and security breaches, including, but not limited to, cyber incidents or attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, computer viruses and/or misplaced or lost data, could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption, reputational harm, criminal liability and/or financial loss.

In searching for targets for our initial business combination, we may depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or privacy or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences and therefore could be liable for privacy and security breaches, including potentially those caused by any of our subcontractors. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents or other incidents that result in a privacy or security breach. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to reputational harm, criminal liability and/or financial loss.

If third parties bring claims against us, the funds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all third parties, vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes

 

89

that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the Company under the circumstances. Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriter of this offering, except with respect to the deferred underwriting commission in the case of liquidation, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them, and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.10 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable; provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.10 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by third parties, vendors and prospective target businesses.

The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust account such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants, in the amount of $202,000,000, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the

 

90

Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may use to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income earned thereon (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

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

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

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

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

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

If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offense and may be liable to a fine of approximately $18,000 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.

 

91

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary shares and the one-half of a warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined below in “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

 

92

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

 

•

our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

 

•

our ability to complete our initial business combination, in particular due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

•

our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;

 

•

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

 

•

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

 

•

the proceeds from the sale of the forward purchase securities being available to us;

 

•

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

 

•

our pool of prospective target businesses;

 

•

the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;

 

•

our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

 

•

the lack of a market for our securities;

 

•

the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;

 

•

the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or

 

•

our financial performance following this offering.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

 

93

USE OF PROCEEDS

We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.

 

		Without Over-allotment Option				Over-allotment Option Exercised
Gross proceeds
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)		$	200,000,000			$	230,000,000
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement		$	6,800,000			$	7,700,000
Total gross proceeds		$	206,800,000			$	237,700,000
Estimated offering expenses(2)
Underwriting commissions (excluding deferred portion)(3)		$	2,020,000			$	2,620,000
Legal fees and expenses			658,120				658,120
Accounting fees and expenses			111,600				111,600
Printing and engraving expenses			22,000				22,000
SEC/FINRA Expenses			43,625				43,625
NYSE listing and filing fees			18,250				18,250
Miscellaneous(4)			76,405				76,405
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions)		$	930,000			$	930,000
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses		$	203,850,000			$	234,150,000
Held in trust account(3)			202,000,000				232,300,000
% of public offering size			101	%			101	%
Not held in trust account		$	1,850,000			$	1,850,000

The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,850,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account:⁽⁵⁾

 

		Amount				% of Total
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6)		$	400,000				21.6	%
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations			160,000				8.6	%
Payment for office space, administrative and support services			240,000				13.0	%
NYSE continued listing fees			113,000				6.1	%
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses and reserves (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income)			937,000				50.6	%
Total		$	1,850,000				100.0	%

 

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

(2)	A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of the date hereof, there were no amounts outstanding under

 

94

the promissory note provided by our sponsor. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $930,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account.

(3)

The underwriter has agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, up to $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriter’s deferred commissions (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriter from the funds held in the trust account. See “Underwriting.” The remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee used to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriter will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. To the extent the anchor investors purchase units for which they have indicated an interest in purchasing, the underwriter will not receive any upfront underwriting discounts or commissions on a portion of the units purchased by the anchor investors, but will receive deferred underwriting commissions with respect to such units.

(4)	Includes organizational and administrative expenses as well as taxes and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates.

(5)

These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. Based on current interest rates, we would expect to earn approximately $202,000 in interest on the funds held in the trust account over the 12 months following the closing of this offering; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. This estimate assumes an interest rate of 0.10% per annum based on current yields of securities in which the trust account may be invested. In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

(6)	Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing.

NYSE listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $202,000,000 (or $232,300,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is

 

95

exercised in full), including $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S.-based trust account, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasuries obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $202,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.10% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, until the earliest of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable) or (B) with respect to other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay taxes.

We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by up to six times, each time by an additional month (for a total of 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 for an additional month, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $666,666, or up to $766,666 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.033 per share in either case), up to an aggregate of $4,000,000, or $0.20 per share, on or prior to the date of the deadline. We will issue a press release announcing each extension at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the time available for us by three additional months (for a total of 21 months to consummate such business combination) without any additional deposit into the trust account. In connection with such extension, public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. We will issue a press release announcing such extension at least three days prior to the commencement of such extension. If we cannot consummate a business combination within the 21 months, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by up to three times, each time by an additional month (for a total of 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor or its affiliates or designees depositing into the trust account $666,666, or up to $766,666 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.033 per share in either case), or up to an aggregate of $2,000,000, or $0.10 per share, on or prior to the date of the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our

 

96

initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time. In addition to the foregoing arrangements, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or the redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. We currently do not have any plan to enter into any backstop arrangement. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.

We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to loan funds to, or otherwise invest in, us.

We will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof up to $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses relating to the organization of the Company and of this offering. As of the date hereof, there were no amounts outstanding under the promissory note provided by our sponsor. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. This loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $930,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.

Prior to this offering, we entered into forward purchase agreements pursuant to which the forward purchasers agreed to purchase an aggregate of 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares plus 2,000,000 redeemable warrants for a purchase price of $10.00 multiplied by the number of Class A ordinary shares, or $80,000,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement to close concurrently with our initial business combination. In connection with entering into these agreements, our sponsor transferred to the forward purchasers an aggregate of 1,200,000 founder shares for no cash consideration. The founder shares transferred to the forward purchasers are subject to similar contractual conditions and restrictions as the founder shares issued to our sponsor. The forward purchasers will have redemption rights with respect to any public shares they own. The forward purchase warrants will have the same terms as our public warrants.

 

97

The forward purchase agreements also provide that the forward purchasers may purchase less than 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares plus 2,000,000 redeemable warrants. In addition, the forward purchasers’ commitment under the forward purchase agreements will be subject to their rights to terminate their commitment at any time before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. Accordingly, if any forward purchasers exercise their rights to terminate their commitment, such forward purchaser will not be obligated to purchase any forward purchase securities, and we will not receive any of the amounts committed under such forward purchase agreement.

The forward purchase agreements also provide that the forward purchasers are entitled to registration rights with respect to (A) the forward purchase securities and Class A ordinary shares underlying the forward purchase warrants and founder shares, and (B) any other Class A ordinary shares or warrants acquired by the forward purchasers including any time after we complete our initial business combination.

The proceeds from the sale of the forward purchase shares may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination, expenses in connection with our initial business combination or for working capital in the post-transaction company. These purchases are intended to provide us with minimum funding level for our initial business combination.

In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire shares. The price per share paid in any such purchase or other transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. If they engage in such transaction, such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.

We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, if applicable, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not

 

98

proceed with such redemption and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as described elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe.

 

99

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a share sub-division, share dividend or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares held by our initial shareholders, which includes 2,000,000 founder shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements, at 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering plus 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements.

 

100

DILUTION

The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.

At September 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $860,983, or approximately $(0.11) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at September 30, 2021 would have been $(15,410,375), or $(2.20) per share ($(17,924,375) or $(2.31) per share if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book deficit (as decreased by the value of the approximately 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash, or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(2.09) per share (or $(2.20) per share if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial shareholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution to public shareholders from this offering of $10.00 per share. Total dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $12.20 per share, or 122.0% (or $12.31 or 123.1%, if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full).

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

 

		No exercise of over- allotment option				Exercise of over- allotment option in full
Public offering price		$	10.00			$	10.00
Net tangible book deficit before this offering			(0.11	)			(0.11	)
Decrease attributable to public shareholders			(2.09	)			(2.20	)
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants			(2.20	)			(2.31	)
Dilution to public shareholders		$	12.20			$	12.31
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders			122.0	%			123.1	%

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) by $202,000,000 because holders of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or general meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes), divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.

 

101

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

 

		Shares Purchased								Total Consideration								Average Price Per Share
		Number				Percentage				Amount				Percentage
Initial Shareholders(1)(2)			7,000,000				25.93	%		$	25,000				0.01	%		$	0.004
Public Shareholders(3)			20,000,000				74.07	%		$	200,000,000				99.99	%		$	10.00
			27,000,000				100	%		$	200,025,000				100.0	%

 

(1)

Includes the 1,200,000 founder shares transferred to the forward purchasers prior to this offering in connection with the forward purchase agreements. Assumes that 750,000 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering in the event the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option. The total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding after this offering and the expiration of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, which includes the 2,000,000 Class B ordinary shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements, will equal 20% of the sum of the total number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares at such time plus 8,000,000 Class A ordinary shares to be sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements.

(2)

Assumes conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public shareholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion.

(3)	Assumes no exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriter.

The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering is calculated as follows:

 

		Without Over- allotment				With Over- allotment
Numerator:
Net tangible book deficit before this offering		$	(860,983	)		$	(860,983	)
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants(1)			203,850,000				234,150,000
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value			848,608				848,608
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions			(7,000,000	)			(8,050,000	)
Less: Warrant liability(2)			(10,248,000	)			(11,712,000	)
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(3)			(202,000,000	)			(232,300,000	)
		$	(15,410,375	)		$	(17,924,375	)
Denominator:
Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering			7,750,000				7,750,000
Class B ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised(4)			(750,000	)			—
Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered			20,000,000				23,000,000
Less: Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption			(20,000,000	)			(23,000,000	)
			7,000,000				7,750,000

 

(1)

Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $930,000 (not including $600,000 director & officer liability insurance premiums, which is operating expenses and should not be capitalized) and underwriting commissions of $2,020,000 (or $2,620,000 if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full (excluding deferred underwriting fees)). See “Use of Proceeds.”

(2)

The Company will account for the 16,800,000 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (the 10,000,000 Public Warrants and the 6,800,000 Private Placement Warrants assuming the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in

 

102

ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.

(3)

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”

(4)	Assumes that 750,000 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration, if the over-allotment is not exercised.

 

103

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 20,000,000 units in this offering for $20,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 6,800,000 private placement warrants for $6,800,000 (or $1.00 per warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option:

 

		September 30, 2021
		Actual				As Adjusted(2)
Notes payable(1)		$	93,725			$	—
Warrant liability(3)			—				10,248,000
Deferred underwriting commissions			—				7,000,000
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; -0-and 20,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4)			—				202,000,000
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted			—				—
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted			—				—
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 7,750,000 and 7,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(5)			775				700
Additional paid-in capital(6)			24,225				—
Accumulated deficit			(37,375	)			(15,411,075	)
Total shareholders’ equity		$	(12,375	)		$	(15,410,375	)
Total capitalization		$	81,350			$	203,837,625

 

(1)	Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of September 30, 2021, we had borrowed $93,725 under the promissory note.

(2)

Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination.

(3)

The Company will account for the 16,800,000 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (the 10,000,000 Public Warrants and the 6,800,000 Private Placement Warrants assuming the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.

(4)

Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), subject to the limitations described herein whereby redemptions cannot cause our Class A Ordinary shares to become a “penny share” and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination.

 

104

(5)	Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor, and “as adjusted” share amount assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Includes 2,000,000 founder shares issued in connection with the forward purchase agreements.

(6)	Additional paid-in capital as adjusted is calculated as the additional paid-in capital as of September 30, 2021 less the immediate accretion of the carry value of ordinary shares subject to redemption-to-redemption value to reduce additional paid-in capital to zero.

 

105

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

We are a blank check company incorporated on March 3, 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will not undertake an initial business combination with any entity with principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we intend to focus our search on companies in the financial services sector. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to backstop agreements which we currently have no plan of entering into but may enter into following the consummation of this offering or forward purchase agreements or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.

The issuance of additional shares in connection with a business combination, including the issuance of forward purchase securities, to the owners of the target or other investors:

 

•

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

 

•

may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;

 

•

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

 

•

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

 

•

may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:

 

•

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

 

•

acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants, including those that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

 

•

our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;

 

•

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

 

•

our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;

 

•

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

106

•

limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

•

increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and

 

•

limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at September 30, 2021, we had $15,035 in cash and deferred offering costs of $848,608. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination, at the earliest. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of a $25,000 capital contribution from our sponsor in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares to our sponsor and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor.

We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the units in this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $206,800,000 (or $237,700,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), after deducting offering expenses of approximately $930,000 and underwriting commissions of $2,020,000 (or $2,620,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000, or $8,050,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $203,850,000 (or $234,150,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). $202,000,000 (or $232,300,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining approximately $1,850,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $930,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $930,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our taxes, if any. Our annual income tax obligations will

 

107

depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $1,850,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, after payment of estimated offering expenses. We will use these funds to primarily identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $400,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $160,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $113,000 for NYSE and other regulatory fees; up to $240,000 for office space, utilities, administrative and support services payments; and approximately $937,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves. We will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof up to $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative services.

These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.

Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the funds held in our trust account or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business

 

108

combination. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to backstop agreements which we currently have no plan of entering into but may enter into following the consummation of this offering or forward purchase agreements. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

Controls and Procedures

We are not currently required to certify the effectiveness of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.

Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

 

•

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 expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.

 

109

Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results

As of September 30, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.

JOBS Act

The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under Dodd Frank, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the report of the independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation-related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

 

110

PROPOSED BUSINESS

We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We will not undertake an initial business combination with any entity with principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).

While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geography (excluding China, Hong Kong and Macau), we intend to focus our search on a target that is at least partially owned by a financial sponsor(s) with operations or prospective operations in the technology, media & telecommunications (“TMT”), business services, or consumer sectors, which we refer to as the “Target Sectors”, across Asia, in particular North Asia and Southeast Asia. We believe there is a large universe of growth companies and/or companies with stable growth and cash flows that could benefit from a public listing, and that we will be able to offer a differentiated and compelling value proposition to them.

Our management and investment team is comprised of 11 veteran investors and operators with over 50 years of combined investment experience, and has had significant success sourcing, acquiring, growing and monetizing these types of companies. Moreover, our directors and advisors have over 100 years of combined operating experience. Given our proven track record, we believe our team has the required investment, transactional and operational expertise to effect a business combination with an attractive target and to position it for long-term success in the public markets.

Our sponsor is Generation Asia LLC.

Our Market Opportunity

While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geography (excluding China, Hong Kong and Macau), we intend to focus our search on a target owned by a financial sponsor(s) with operations or prospective operations in our Target Sectors across Asia. These could include growth companies and/or companies with stable growth with cash flows. North Asia (including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) and Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) have strong synergies with our deal flows, network, and operating and technical expertise. We will not undertake an initial business combination with any entity with principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau).

We believe that there is substantial pent-up demand for private equity exits in this region, which will result in opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns from our initial business combination. According to the Asia-Pacific Private Equity Report 2020 by Bain & Company, there is a growing number of unrealized private equity investments in Asia and these unrealized investments have reached a new high of $806 billion as of June 2019. While there are several macroeconomic drivers that have contributed to private equity exits declining to a 10-year low, we believe that it is also attributable to certain systemic factors which we outline in the following paragraphs. For each factor, we also discuss why a US listing via a combination with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (“SPAC”) may be a possible solution and provides a superior alternative.

 

•

Long Listing Process: Traditional public listings on Asia stock exchanges are lengthy and cumbersome. Depending on the local stock exchange, each listing process is often subjective and could take as long as two years from start to finish and sometimes requires extensive discussions with and multiple approvals from local authorities. Moreover, additional restrictions in the form of minimum

 

111

quantitative thresholds (e.g., revenue and profit) and operating record would also be imposed for listing candidates. In contrast, a US listing via a combination with a SPAC is conducted under a highly condensed timeline and can be completed as quickly as within four to six months with lesser listing requirements. We believe this reduces a major barrier to exit via public markets, as listing via combination with a SPAC will allow financial sponsors with public market-ready portfolio companies to benefit from shorter execution windows and time their exits to maximize investment returns.

 

•

Valuation Gap: There is a persistent valuation gap between Asia-listed companies and US-listed companies. According to data from Bloomberg as of March 12, 2021, over the past year, the average forward price-to-earnings ratio of the S&P500 is 23.9x, higher than other Asia markets such as MSCI Japan at 19.4x, and MSCI ASEAN at 17.9x. The US has the largest equities market in the world supported by a large and highly sophisticated international investor base with deep understanding across all sectors. Additionally, a US listing via a combination with a SPAC allows for a more open sharing of future expectations, which may also positively impact valuation. We believe that this makes a US listing, in particular via a combination with a SPAC, a more attractive option for financial sponsors with public market-ready portfolio companies to achieve higher valuations at exit.

 

•

Low Liquidity: Asian markets have relatively lower liquidity than the US market. The US has undisputedly one of the most active markets globally. According to data from Bloomberg, trading liquidity, measured by the trading turnover for the three months ended March 14, 2021 as a percentage of total market capitalization, is highest in the US (59%), which is more than double than that of Japan (24%) and more than triple than that of Southeast Asia (16%). Higher trading liquidity better facilitates price discovery and results in share prices that more accurately reflect the intrinsic value of businesses. Post-listing, higher trading liquidity also provides financial sponsors with greater flexibility for subsequent sell-downs of their stakes in portfolio companies without incurring excessive friction costs or adversely impacting share price.

We believe that the value created in private markets is a leading indicator of future investment opportunities for the public markets. Many growth companies and/or companies with stable growth and cash flows owned by financial sponsors have remained private for the aforementioned reasons. However, financial sponsors could be incentivized to explore a public listing of their portfolio companies in the US, in particular via a combination with a SPAC, since it could present a more efficient option to exit their positions and monetize their investments at more attractive valuation levels.

Our People

Our objective is to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns and create value for our shareholders. To achieve this, we have assembled a group of seasoned investors and industry veterans with deep experience and relationships in private equity and an established track record of identifying, investing, operating, and advising leading businesses. Our approach is underpinned by deep investment fundamentals combined with an intense focus on sectors and geographies where we have differentiated insights. Our team is led by Roy Kuan (Chief Executive Officer), Norimitsu Niwa (Chief Operating Officer) and Catherine Kwok (Chief Financial Officer). Our team members collectively have over 50 years of investment experience, deploying $4.5 billion in 28 investments, and effecting 12 IPOs. We will also leverage the complementary experiences and networks of our directors and advisors to deliver unique and actionable investment opportunities. None of our directors, officers and advisors are based in China (including Hong Kong and Macau), except our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are based in Hong Kong. None of our directors, officers and advisors are citizens of China (including Hong Kong or Macau), except our Chief Financial Officer is a citizen of Hong Kong.

Management and Investment Team

Roy Kuan serves as our Chief Executive Officer and has 25 years of private equity experience in Asia. Mr. Kuan currently is a private investor across a variety of asset classes and serves on the boards or advisory

 

112

boards of several private and public companies across the TMT, consumer, and industrial sectors in Asia. Mr. Kuan previously served as a Managing Partner at CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”), a global private equity firm from 1999 to 2020. He was a Co-Founder of CVC’s Asian private equity business, served on the firm’s Asian Investment and Portfolio Committees, and was also a member of CVC’s Board of Directors. Prior to CVC, Mr. Kuan was an Investment Director at Citigroup’s Asian private equity investment division from 1996 to 1999. During his private equity career, Mr. Kuan participated in 23 investments across the Target Sectors, with a total equity investment amount of $3.1 billion and achieved $7.9 billion in total realized value. Mr. Kuan has also been involved in 10 IPOs in the region. Mr. Kuan’s selected investments in the Target Sectors include TechnoPro Holdings (R&D staffing, Japan), Hong Kong Broadband Network (broadband services, Hong Kong), Arteria Networks (enterprise data communications, Japan), Infastech (technology components, Asia), Haitai Confectionery (snack products, South Korea), CJ CGV (cinemas, South Korea) and 39 Home Shopping (media commerce, Korea). Mr. Kuan currently serves as a director or advisory board member of several other companies in the Target Sectors, including eBroker (online wealth management, China), Food Union Enterprises (dairy products, Asia and Europe) and Point Avenue (education technology, Southeast Asia). Mr. Kuan received his MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He earned his B.A. degree from Georgetown University, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar. Mr. Kuan is based in Hong Kong.

Norimitsu Niwa serves as our Chief Operating Officer and has 19 years of private equity and principal investments experience. Previously, Mr. Niwa was the Head of Strategic Investments at Prored Partners from 2019 to 2020, where he founded and developed the principal investment arm of a TSE-listed consulting firm. Prior to Prored Partners, Mr. Niwa was a Senior Managing Director at CVC in Japan from 2007 to 2017. During the course of his investment career, he has completed 6 investments with a total equity investment amount of $1.6 billion and 5 add-on acquisitions. Mr. Niwa was also involved in 3 IPOs in Japan. Mr. Niwa was a deal team member in the following deals in the Target Sectors in Japan, including BellSystem24 (contact centers), Nikko Asset Management (financial services), Genesis Technology (semiconductor testing) TechnoPro Holdings, Arteria Networks and HITOWA Holdings (senior care, nursery and household cleaning services). Mr. Niwa received an MBA with Distinction from London Business School and a B.A. from Hitotsubashi University. Mr. Niwa is based in Japan.

Catherine Kwok serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Kwok previously worked in Maples Fund Services (Asia) and Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong) as Finance Manager and Finance Director, respectively. Prior to these companies, she worked in KPMG in their audit practice. Ms. Kwok received a BBA in Accountancy from the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Ms. Kwok is based in Hong Kong.

Yonghi Li serves as our Investment Advisor and has 14 years of investment and strategy consulting experience in Asia. Mr. Li is currently Chief Strategy Officer at LILI SG, a technology company focusing on local women’s fashion in Southeast Asia. Prior to this, Mr. Li was a Director at CVC in Korea and Singapore from 2011 to 2020. During the course of his career, Mr. Li has completed 3 investments with a total equity investment amount of $0.7 billion. Mr. Li was also involved in 2 IPOs in the region. Mr. Li was a deal team member in the following deals in the Target Sectors across Korea and Southeast Asia, including SPi Global (business process outsourcing, the Philippines), Siloam International (hospitals, Indonesia), and Matahari (department stores, Indonesia). Mr. Li worked at McKinsey and Credit Suisse before joining CVC. Mr. Li received a B.A. from Seoul National University. Mr. Li is based in Singapore.

Edward Chen serves as our SPAC Advisor and has 13 years of investment experience in the SPAC market. Mr. Chen is the Founder and Managing Partner of Carnegie Park Capital LLC, a firm whose team has invested in SPACs since 2008. Previously, Mr. Chen was a Portfolio Manager at Water Island Capital LLC from 2013 to 2021. Prior to joining Water Island Capital, Mr. Chen was at Jefferies & Company, where in his last role as Managing Director within the firm’s Global Event Driven Strategies group, he was responsible for conducting research due diligence of announced mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, tenders and bankruptcy exits while managing a proprietary portfolio of event-driven investments. Mr. Chen worked at Citigroup Global Markets before joining Jefferies. Mr. Chen received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chen is based in the United States.

 

113

Independent Director

Gary Chan serves as our independent director. Mr. Chan is an Asian financial markets veteran and brings an exceptional track record of originating proprietary transactions. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sangyo Sosei Advisory, a TMT-focused independent boutique investment bank in Japan. Sangyo Sosei Advisory was the merger & acquisition advisor to CVC on its investment in Arteria Networks. Prior to co-founding Sangyo Sosei Advisory in 2009, Mr. Chan was a Managing Director at UBS Japan from 1995 to 2009, where he held various leadership roles including the Head of Japan Telecommunications Investment Banking, Head of Japan Financial Sponsors Coverage, and Head of Japan General Industry Group. Prior to investment banking, he was an Institutional Investors-ranked research analyst and served as the Head of Asia Telecommunications Research as well as the Head of Hong Kong and China Research. Mr. Chan received a B.A. from UC Berkeley. Mr. Chan is based in Japan.

Operating Advisors

We have formed a group of highly experienced and reputable operating advisors who will assist our management team following the consummation of this offering in sourcing suitable business combination targets, assessing their viability, and subsequently driving value creation in the business that we acquire. Our operating advisors are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Danny Hwang has 12 years of operating experience, primarily as an entrepreneur in the education sector. Mr. Hwang is currently the Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Point Avenue since 2018, a private education technology company offering K-12 educational services in Southeast Asia. Prior to co-founding Point Avenue, Mr. Hwang was a Managing Director at EIC Education from 2014 to 2017, a leading provider of overseas educational services in China. EIC Education was a CVC portfolio company that realized an MOIC of 2.0x and an internal rate of return (“IRR”) of approximately 33%⁷. Mr. Hwang was the Co-Founder and COO of New Pathway Education & Technology Group, an education company in China from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Hwang received a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Mr. Hwang is based in Vietnam.

Samuel Hwang has 12 years of operating experience, primarily as an entrepreneur in the education technology sector. Mr. Hwang is currently the Co-Founder and the Chief Technology Officer of Point Avenue since 2018. Prior to co-founding Point Avenue, Mr. Hwang was the Chief Technology Officer of EIC Education from 2014 to 2017, a leading provider of overseas educational counselling services in China. EIC Education was a CVC portfolio company that realized an MOIC of 2.0x and an IRR of approximately 33%⁸. Mr. Hwang co-founded New Pathway Education & Technology Group and was the Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Hwang received a B.S. and an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Hwang is based in South Korea.

Jun Kawakami has 33 years of operating experience, particularly in the technology and healthcare sectors. Mr. Kawakami is currently a Senior Advisor to the Carlyle Group. Prior to that, Mr. Kawakami served as the CEO and President of Arteria Networks from 2017 to 2020. Arteria Networks was a CVC portfolio company that realized an MOIC of 2.4x and an IRR of approximately 28%⁹. He also formerly served as CEO and President of General Electric Healthcare Japan from 2011 to 2016. He also held other senior management roles during his time at General Electric. Prior to that, Mr. Kawakami was also previously a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton. Mr. Kawakami received a B.A. from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Mr. Kawakami is based in Japan.

Maulik Parekh has 25 years of operating experience, particularly as a senior executive in the technology sector. Mr. Parekh is currently an Advisor to Inspiro, an outsourcing specialist based in the Philippines, and

 

7	MOIC and IRR are calculated in United States Dollar .

8	MOIC and IRR are calculated in United States Dollar.

9	MOIC and IRR of Arteria Networks are calculated in Japanese Yen.

 

114

previously was CEO from 2016 to 2020. Prior to Inspiro, Mr. Parekh served as a board member of SPi Global Holdings from 2016 to 2017, a leading provider of content outsourcing services based in the Philippines, and held the role of CEO and President from 2009 to 2016. SPi Global was a CVC portfolio company that realized an MOIC of 2.6x and an IRR of approximately 36%¹⁰. Mr. Parekh was also Executive Vice President of TeleTech from 2006 to 2009, and Director of Outsourcing and Offshoring Customer Service at Dish Network from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Parekh received an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Mr. Parekh is based in Singapore and the Philippines.

Randy Teo has 23 years of operating experience, primarily in investments and strategy. Mr. Teo is currently the Managing Partner at T3each Global Ventures, a family office focusing on impact investing within the health and education sectors. Prior to this, Mr. Teo was the Co-Head of Platinum Equity’s team in Singapore from 2013 to 2017 where he was responsible for establishing the firm’s Asia practice, sourcing and executing private equity investments. Mr. Teo also has a wealth of operating and business development experience and previously held numerous senior executive roles at Stanley Black & Decker (President of Global Industrial), Infastech (CEO and President), Acument Global Technologies (President of Asia Pacific) and Textron Asia (President of Asia Pacific). Infastech was a CVC portfolio company that realized an MOIC of 2.8x and an IRR of approximately 47%¹¹. Mr. Teo received an MBA from the University of Hull. Mr. Teo is based in Singapore.

The past performance of our directors, executive officers and advisors is not a guarantee of either (i) success with respect to a business combination that may be consummated or (ii) the ability to successfully identify and execute an initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of management as indicative of future performance. Additionally, certain individuals amongst our directors, officers and advisors presently have, and in the future are expected to have, additional fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities, including a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We may modify or expand our roster of advisors as we source potential business combination targets or create value in businesses that we may combine with.

Our Business Strategy and Competitive Advantages

Our business strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, further accelerate the growth of the company in the public markets. We intend to focus on growth companies and/or companies with stable growth and cash flows that we believe can benefit from our relationships, knowledge and experience as catalysts to transforming and augmenting their business performance. Our selection process will leverage our team’s broad and deep network of relationships, industry expertise and proven deal-sourcing capabilities, providing us with a strong pipeline of potential targets. Specifically, we believe the following competitive advantages will enable us to identify a suitable business combination target and consummate a successful transaction:

 

•

Deep Expertise in our Target Industries and Geographies: We have a multi-decade history of investing in our target industries and geographies, enabling us to build deep domain expertise and to develop a long-term view on industry cycles. Our team combines global industry knowledge with deep on-the-ground presence in our target markets. We maintain a database of potential business combination targets, which is continuously updated and refined. We believe that many of these targets could be actionable after the completion of this offering.

 

•

Strong Investment Track Record of Outsized Returns: Over the last 25 years, our management and investment team has invested in 38 companies across a broad range of sectors, deploying around $5.8 billion across Asia. We believe that our team’s investment track record will aid us in identifying, closing, and monitoring an attractive target for our initial business combination.

 

 

10	MOIC and IRR are calculated in United States Dollar.

11	MOIC and IRR are calculated in United States Dollar.

 

115

•

Proprietary Sourcing Network and Leading Industry Relationships: Our team has a rich and long track record as investors and operators, and has developed a large and deep network across Asia, including strong relationships with many leading founders, executives and investors. Additionally, we will tap into an extensive pool of well-established external relationships with agents, consultants and investment banks. We believe this approach will provide us with a robust pipeline of attractive and actionable business combination opportunities that would be difficult for other investors to replicate.

 

•

Proven Operating Capabilities to Drive Value Creation: Our team has historically worked closely with, or as members of, management teams and boards to drive value creation. Together with our directors and advisors, we are adept at working with companies to develop organic growth strategies, implement cost and working capital efficiencies, build stronger businesses through acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, and/or selective divestments, and identify and recruit exceptional management teams.

 

•

Deep Knowledge in Execution and Structuring: We believe that our team’s expertise and long track record in effecting complex transactions will allow us to successfully source and structure transactions with certain attributes that are otherwise challenging for other investors to execute. These types of transactions require creativity, deep industry knowledge, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations. We believe that these unique and complex opportunities often have more attractive risk-reward profiles. Following the business combination, we also have substantial experience in executing transactions across expansionary and recessionary market cycles utilizing a variety of transaction structures that we believe will help us to minimize risk and to position the company for long-term success.

Business Combination Criteria

Consistent with our business strategy, we have defined the following criteria and guidelines in evaluating prospective targets for our potential business combination. By applying a systematic target filtering process to identify and partner with high-quality companies in Asia, we estimate there may be around 35 companies out of over 150 companies backed by private equity firms in target sectors and geographies that potentially fit our criteria and guidelines. Although we expect to adhere to these criteria and guidelines when evaluating business combination opportunities, we may decide to enter into a business combination with a target that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to focus on businesses with the following characteristics:

 

•

Suitable for an NYSE listing and U.S. Investor Base: We seek to merge or acquire companies that can benefit from the global branding opportunity brought by NYSE listing to facilitate international growth plans after public listing. In order to secure long-term capital partners, we intend to target companies that have identifiable trading peers with similar business or revenue model among the US listed securities and are situated in industries where international investors have strong sector expertise in.

 

•

Large Addressable Markets: We intend to invest in companies that address a large and growing market, which creates opportunities for attractive long-term growth either in core markets or by expanding into high potential adjacent categories that have not been substantially penetrated to date.

 

•

Established Market Leadership: We seek to merge or acquire companies that have a leading presence across an industry or segment and have built a unique product or service and offer long-term sustainable competitive differentiation. These could include superior branding, market-leading product or service offering, and/or proprietary technologies.

 

•

Strong Management and Culture: We seek to partner with leading executives who have strategic vision, are results-driven and aligned with our goal to drive meaningful shareholder value. We will evaluate a company’s leadership through their track record of growth, ability to build a defensible competitive advantage, quality of strategic decision-making, and establishment of a corporate culture anchored in strong values.

 

116

•

Attractive Growth Prospects: We seek to identify companies that have concrete and visible opportunities to execute organic growth initiatives. In addition, we intend to target companies that can serve as a broader platform for future accretive acquisitions and can benefit from the public currency and improved access to capital markets afforded by being a listed company.

 

•

Superior Unit Economics: We seek to merge or acquire companies with a demonstrated ability to be profitable or headed towards a clear path to profitability. We intend to spend significant time evaluating a company’s unit economics and capability in generating consistent and high levels of cash flow over time as the business grows, even if it chooses to use that cash to re-invest back into the business in the near term.

 

•

Benefit from our Sponsorship: We intend to merge or acquire companies that operate within our fields of expertise which we believe will benefit from our strategic, operating, and financial value-add. This could be in the form of, but not limited to, capital structure solutions, creative and complex transaction structuring, and connectivity to our wide and global professional network to drive operational and financial efficiency improvements.

 

•

Attractive Risk-adjusted Return to our Shareholders: We have a deep understanding of various valuation methodologies and frameworks across various industries, and will aim to negotiate commercial terms that will provide significant upside potential while limiting downside risk.

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we find an opportunity that has characteristics more compelling to us than the characteristics described above, we may pursue such opportunity.

Our Business Combination Process

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.

Our acquisition criteria, due diligence processes and value creation methods are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.

Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets

We believe that the operational and transactional experience of our management team, board of directors and advisors, and the relationships they have developed as a result of such experience, will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. We have at least one member of our team present in each of our target markets and these individuals and entities have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world and particularly in Asia. This network has grown through sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses and maintaining relationships with potential sellers, financing sources and target management teams. We have significant experience in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. We believe that these networks of relationships and this experience will provide us with important sources of investment opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may

 

117

be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest noncore assets or divisions.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our officers, directors, or advisors (or their respective affiliates or related entities) or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our officers, directors or advisors (or their respective affiliates or related entities). In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our officers or directors (or their respective affiliates or related entities), we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers, directors or advisors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our officers, directors, and advisors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

Other Acquisition Considerations

In addition to our sponsor, members of our management team, directors, and advisors may directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers, directors, and advisors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers, directors, and advisors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers, directors, and advisors presently has, and in the future any of our officers, directors, and advisors may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer, director, or advisor is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, if any of our officers, directors, or advisors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, no officer, director, or advisor shall be disqualified or prevented from contracting with the company nor shall any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the company in which he or she shall have an interest be liable to be avoided. A director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of such interest shall be disclosed at or prior to its consideration or any vote thereon by the board of directors. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers, directors, or advisors would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination. Our officers, directors, and advisors may become an officer, director, or advisor of another special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act even before we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination.

Initial Business Combination

The rules of the NYSE require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net

 

118

of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust). We refer to this as the “80% of net assets test.” If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Additionally, pursuant to NYSE rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by up to six times, each time by an additional month (for a total of 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 for an additional month, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $666,666, or up to $766,666 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.033 per share in either case), up to an aggregate of $4,000,000, or $0.20 per share, on or prior to the date of the deadline. We will issue a press release announcing each extension at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the time available for us by three additional months (for a total of 21 months to consummate such business combination) without any additional deposit into the trust account. In connection with such extension, public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. We will issue a press release announcing such extension at least three days prior to the commencement of such extension. If we cannot consummate a business combination within 21 months, we will, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by up to three times, each time by an additional month (for a total of 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor or its affiliates or designees depositing into the trust account $666,666, or up to $766,666 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.033 per share in either case), or up to an aggregate of $2,000,000, or $0.10 per share, on or prior to the date of the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time. In addition to the foregoing arrangements, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be

 

119

disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and 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 shareholders 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 issued and outstanding capital stock, shares and/or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. If our securities are not listed on the NYSE after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% requirement. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% requirement even if our securities are not listed on the NYSE at the time of our initial business combination.

Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.

To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information made available to us. Additionally, members of our management team, board of directors and advisors have significant executive management and public company experience, and accordingly have developed a deep network of contacts and relationships that will provide us with an important source of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that opportunities will be brought to our attention by various unaffiliated sources, including investment banks, private equity groups, consultants, accounting firms and other investment market participants.

Corporate Information

We are an exempted company incorporated with limited liability in the Cayman Islands. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have

 

120

applied for and obtained a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the Market Value (as defined below) of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates does not equal or exceed $250.0 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not equal or exceed $700.0 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Status as a Public Company

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer

 

121

period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses, market and other uncertainties in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.

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

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

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not exceed $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues did not exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not exceed $700 million as of the prior June 30.

Financial Position

With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $193,000,000 (assuming no redemptions and which includes amounts to be received pursuant to the forward purchase agreements), after payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $221,950,000 (assuming no redemptions) after payment of $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.

 

122

Effecting Our Initial Business Combination

General

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants and the sale of the forward purchase shares, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to backstop agreements which we currently have no plan of entering into but we may enter into following the consummation of this offering), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will not undertake an initial business combination with any entity with principal business operations in China (including Hong Kong and Macau). While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we intend to focus our search on companies in the financial services sector. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.

Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.

We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to backstop agreements which we currently have no plan of entering into but we may enter into following consummation of this offering or forward purchase agreements. Other than the forward purchase agreements, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise. None

 

123

of our sponsor, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.

Sources of Target Businesses

We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or other communications. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors and advisors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the track record and business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors or our advisors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the Company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). In addition, commencing on the date of this prospectus, we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof up to $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services. Any such payments prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than the foregoing, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our advisors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or our advisors, or from completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors or our advisors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from an accounting, valuation or appraisal firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.

 

124

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.

Lack of Business Diversification

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

 

•

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

 

•

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

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination

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

 

125

Under NYSE listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:

 

•

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

 

•

any of our officers, directors or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise, and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in issued and outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 1% or more (or 5% or more if the related party involved is classified as such solely because such person is a substantial security holder); or

 

•

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

The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by law or applicable stock exchange rule will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

 

•

the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the Company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the Company;

 

•

the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote;

 

•

the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;

 

•

other time and budget constraints of the Company; and

 

•

additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders.

Permitted Purchases of Our Securities

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase or on the price they may pay in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NYSE rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

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

 

126

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

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

Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on a negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.10 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. In addition, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or with respect to other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.

 

127

Limitations on Redemptions

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements. We currently do not have any plan to enter into any backstop arrangement.

Manner of Conducting Redemptions

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on NYSE, we will be required to comply with NYSE’s shareholder approval rules.

The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on NYSE. Such provisions may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who, being entitled to do so, attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company, so long as we offer redemption in connection with such amendment.

If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a general meeting, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:

 

•

conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and

 

•

file proxy materials with the SEC.

In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.

If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of holders of a

 

128

majority of ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and each member of our management team above agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 6,500,000, or 32.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised but including 2,000,000 founder shares issued to our sponsor in connection with the forward purchase agreements), or no public shares of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised but including 2,000,000 founder shares issued to our sponsor in connection with the forward purchase agreements) to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreement of our sponsor, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. These quorum and voting thresholds and the letter agreement may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will:

 

•

conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and

 

•

file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.

In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.

Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.

We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.

 

129

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements. We currently do not have any plan to enter into any backstop arrangement.

Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.

However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights

As described above, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly

 

130

redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the broker submitting or tendering shares a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to submit or tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.

Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.

If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.

If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable).

Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation If No Initial Business Combination

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable). If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 18-month period (or up to 24-month period, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our

 

131

warrants will expire worthless. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time period (or up to 24 month-period, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable).

Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable). However, if our sponsor or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 18-month time period (or up to 24-month time period, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable).

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.

We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,850,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the forward purchase securities, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.10. The funds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.10. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.

Although we will seek to have all third parties, vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including, but not limited, to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the

 

132

waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the Company under the circumstances. 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. Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriter of this offering, except with respect to the deferred underwriting commission in the case of liquidation, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them, and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.10 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable; provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.10 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by third parties, vendors and prospective target businesses.

In the event that the funds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.10 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.10 per share.

We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all third parties, vendors, service providers (other than our

 

133

independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,850,000 from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $930,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $930,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the funds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.10 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.

Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and If We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination

The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not completed our

 

134

initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable).

 

		Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination		Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates		Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination
Calculation of redemption price		Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.10 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including, but not limited, to cash requirements) agreed to		If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase our Class A ordinary shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going- private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of		If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.10 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

 

135

		Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination		Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates		Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination
		in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination.		any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
Impact to remaining shareholder		The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account).		If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us.		The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions.

Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriter will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.

 

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Escrow of offering proceeds		$202,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.		Approximately $171,801,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.
Investment of net proceeds		$202,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in		Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting

 

136

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.		conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds		Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation.		Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination.
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business		We must complete our business combinations with one or more businesses or assets with an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement to enter into the initial business combination.		The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
Trading of securities issued		The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or the immediately		No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.

 

137

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		following business day if such 52nd day is not a business day) unless Nomura Securities International, Inc. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet of the Company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly, and no later than four business days, after the closing of this offering. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option.
Exercise of the warrants		The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and twelve months from the closing of this offering.		The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.
Election to remain an investor		We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per-share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the		A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the Company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a

 

138

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law or applicable stock exchange listing requirements and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the holders of the ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each		post-effective amendment to the Company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the Company or require the return of such holder’s investment. If the Company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued.

 

139

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
Business combination deadline		If we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any),		If an acquisition has not been completed within 24 months after the effective date of the Company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.

 

140

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Release of funds		Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, if any, none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), subject to applicable law, (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended		The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

141

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering) or (B) with respect to any other specified provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iv) redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering, or as may be extended by the Shareholder Extension Period, as applicable), subject to applicable law and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses.
Delivering share certificates in connection with the exercise of redemption rights		We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the		Many blank check companies provide that a shareholder can vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating that such shareholder is seeking to exercise its redemption rights. After the business combination is approved, the Company would contact such shareholder to arrange for delivery of its share certificates to verify ownership.

 

142

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights.
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote		If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of		Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination.

 

143

		Terms of Our Offering		Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
		association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. However, this limitation on redeeming Excess Shares would not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other special purpose acquisition companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public or private companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess similar or greater financial, technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our issued and outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.

Facilities

We currently utilize office spaces at Boundary Hall, Cricket Square, Grand Cayman, KY1-1102, Cayman Islands and Suite 3102, Two Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong, China, leased from our sponsor and the members of our management team as our executive offices. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

Employees

We currently have three officers: our Chief Executive Officer, Roy Kuan, our Chief Operating Officer, Norimitsu Niwa, and our Chief Financial Officer, Catherine Kwok. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will

 

144

devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.

Prior to the listing of our units for trading on NYSE, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.

 

145

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

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

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

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates does not equal or exceed $250.0 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not equal or exceed $700.0 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Legal Proceedings

There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.

 

146

MANAGEMENT

Officers and Directors

Our officers and directors are as follows:

 

Name		Age		Position
Roy Kuan		54		Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board
Norimitsu Niwa		50		Chief Operating Officer, Director
Catherine Kwok		38		Chief Financial Officer
Gary Chan		53		Independent Director

Roy Kuan, 54, serves as our Chief Executive Officer and has 25 years of private equity experience in Asia. Mr. Kuan currently is a private investor across a variety of asset classes and serves on the boards or advisory boards of several private and public companies across the TMT, consumer, and industrial sectors in Asia. Mr. Kuan previously served as a Managing Partner at CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”), a global private equity firm from 1999 to 2020. He was a Co-Founder of CVC’s Asian private equity business, served on the firm’s Asian Investment and Portfolio Committees, and was also a member of CVC’s Board of Directors. Prior to CVC, Mr. Kuan was an Investment Director at Citigroup’s Asian private equity investment division from 1996 to 1999. During his private equity career, Mr. Kuan participated in 23 investments across the Target Sectors, with a total equity investment amount of $3.1 billion and achieved $7.9 billion in total realized value. Mr. Kuan has also been involved in 10 IPOs in the region. Mr. Kuan’s selected investments in the Target Sectors include TechnoPro Holdings (R&D staffing, Japan), Hong Kong Broadband Network (broadband services, Hong Kong), Arteria Networks (enterprise data communications, Japan), Infastech (technology components, Asia), Haitai Confectionery (snack products, South Korea), CJ CGV (cinemas, South Korea) and 39 Home Shopping (media commerce, Korea). Mr. Kuan currently serves as a director or advisory board member of several other companies in the Target Sectors, including eBroker (online wealth management, China), Food Union Enterprises (dairy products, Asia and Europe) and Point Avenue (education technology, Southeast Asia). Mr. Kuan received his MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He earned his B.A. degree from Georgetown University, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar. Mr. Kuan is based in Hong Kong.

Norimitsu Niwa, 50, serves as our Chief Operating Officer and has 19 years of private equity and principal investments experience. Previously, Mr. Niwa was the Head of Strategic Investments at Prored Partners from 2019 to 2020, where he founded and developed the principal investment arm of a TSE-listed consulting firm. Prior to Prored Partners, Mr. Niwa was a Senior Managing Director at CVC in Japan from 2007 to 2017. During the course of his investment career, he has completed 6 investments with a total equity investment amount of $1.6 billion and 5 add-on acquisitions. Mr. Niwa was also involved in 3 IPOs in Japan. Mr. Niwa was a deal team member in the following deals in the Target Sectors in Japan, including BellSystem24 (contact centers), Nikko Asset Management (financial services), Genesis Technology (semiconductor testing) TechnoPro Holdings, Arteria Networks and HITOWA Holdings (senior care, nursery and household cleaning services). Mr. Niwa received an MBA with Distinction from London Business School and a B.A. from Hitotsubashi University. Mr. Niwa is based in Japan.

Catherine Kwok, 38, serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Kwok previously worked in Maples Fund Services (Asia) and Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong) as Finance Manager and Finance Director, respectively. Prior to these companies, she worked in KPMG in their audit practice. Ms. Kwok received a BBA in Accountancy from the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Ms. Kwok is based in Hong Kong.

Gary Chan, 53, serves as our independent director. Mr. Chan is an Asian financial markets veteran and brings an exceptional track record of originating proprietary transactions. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sangyo Sosei Advisory, a TMT-focused independent boutique investment bank in Japan. Sangyo Sosei Advisory was the merger & acquisition advisor to CVC on its investment in Arteria Networks. Prior to

 

147