Exhibit 10.8





 


January [__], 2021


 


G Squared Ascend Management I, LLC


205 N Michigan Ave


Suite 3770


Chicago, IL 60601


 


	Re:	Initial Public Offering




 


Ladies and Gentlemen:


 


This letter (this
 “Letter Agreement”) is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting
Agreement”) entered into by and among G Squared Ascend I Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”),
and UBS Securities LLC (the “Underwriter”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the
 “Public Offering”) of 28,750,000 of the Company’s units (including 3,750,000 units that may be
purchased pursuant to the Underwriter’s option to purchase additional units, the “Units”), each
comprised of one of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”),
and one-third of one redeemable warrant (each whole warrant, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the
holder thereof to purchase one Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The Units will be sold in
the Public Offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”)
filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). Certain capitalized
terms used herein are defined in paragraph 1 hereof.


 


In order to induce
the Company and the Underwriter to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, G Squared Ascend Management I, LLC
(the “Sponsor”) and each of the undersigned (each, an “Insider” and, collectively,
the “Insiders”) hereby agree with the Company as follows:


 


1.                    Definitions.
As used herein, (i) “Business Combination” shall mean a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition,
share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities; (ii)
 “Founder Shares” shall mean the 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001
per share, outstanding prior to the consummation of the Public Offering; (iii) “Private Placement
Warrants” shall mean the warrants that will be acquired by the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of
$7,250,000 (or up to $8,000,000 if the Underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional units in full) in a private
placement that shall close simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering (including the Ordinary Shares
issuable upon exercise of such Private Placement Warrants thereof); (iv) “Public Shareholders”
shall mean the holders of Ordinary Shares included in the Units issued in the Public Offering; (v) “Public
Shares” shall mean the Ordinary Shares included in the Units issued in the Public Offering; (vi)
 “Trust Account” shall mean the trust account into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Public
Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants shall be deposited; (vii) “Transfer” shall
mean the (a) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or
otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent
position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder with
respect to, any security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of
the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such
securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause
(a) or (b); and (viii) “Charter” shall mean the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and
Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time.


 






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		2.	Representations and Warranties.



 


(a)                       The
Sponsor and each Insider, with respect to itself, herself or himself, represent and warrant to the Company that it, she or he
has the full right and power, without violating any agreement to which it, she or he is bound (including, without limitation,
any non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement,
and, as applicable, to serve as an officer of the Company and/or a director on the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”),
as applicable, and each Insider hereby consents to being named in the Prospectus, road show and any other materials as an officer
and/or director of the Company, as applicable.


 


(b)                     
Each Insider represents and warrants, with respect to herself or himself, that such Insider’s biographical information
furnished to the Company (including any such information included in the Prospectus) is true and accurate in all material respects
and does not omit any material information with respect to such Insider’s background. The Insider’s questionnaire furnished
to the Company is true and accurate in all material respects. Each Insider represents and warrants that such Insider is not subject
to or a respondent in any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order or order or stipulation to desist or refrain
from any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction; such Insider has never been convicted of,
or pleaded guilty to, any crime (i) involving fraud, (ii) relating to any financial transaction or handling of funds of another
person, or (iii) pertaining to any dealings in any securities and such Insider is not currently a defendant in any such criminal
proceeding; and such Insider has never been suspended or expelled from membership in any securities or commodities exchange or
association or had a securities or commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked.


 


3.                     Business
Combination Vote. It is acknowledged and agreed that the Company shall not enter into a definitive agreement regarding a proposed
Business Combination without the prior consent of the Sponsor. The Sponsor and each Insider, with respect to itself or herself
or himself, agrees that if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a proposed initial Business Combination, then in connection
with such proposed initial Business Combination, it, she or he, as applicable, shall vote all Founder Shares and any Public Shares
held by it, her or him, as applicable, in favor of such proposed initial Business Combination (including any proposals recommended
by the Board in connection with such Business Combination) and not redeem any Public Shares held by it, her or him, as applicable,
in connection with such shareholder approval.


 


		4.	Failure to Consummate a Business Combination; Trust Account Waiver.



 


(a)                      The
Sponsor and each Insider hereby agree, with respect to itself, herself or himself, that in the event that the Company fails
to consummate its initial Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter, the Sponsor and each Insider
shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii)
as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Public Shares, at a
per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest
earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay income taxes (less up to
$100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption
will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further
liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the
approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Board, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses
(ii) and (iii) to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all
cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor and each Insider agree not to propose any amendment to
the Charter (i) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide holders of the Public
Shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the
Public Shares if the Company does not complete an initial Business Combination within the required time period set forth in
the Charter or (ii) with respect to any provision relating to the rights of holders of Public Shares unless the Company
provides its 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 the Company to pay income taxes, if any, divided
by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares.


 






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(b)                     
The Sponsor and each Insider, with respect to itself, herself or himself, acknowledges that it, she or he has no right,
title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or any other asset of the Company as a result
of any liquidation of the Company with respect to the Founder Shares held by it, her or him, if any. The Sponsor and each Insider
hereby further waives, with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it, her or him, as applicable, any redemption
rights it, she or he may have in connection with (x) the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, and (y)
a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Charter (i) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s
obligation to provide holders of the Public Shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with an initial Business
Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within the
time period set forth in the Charter or (ii) with respect to any provision relating to the rights of holders of Public Shares (although
the Sponsor and the Insiders shall be entitled to liquidation rights with respect to any Public Shares they hold if the Company
fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in the Charter).


 


		5.	Lock-up; Transfer Restrictions.



 


(a)                      The
Sponsor and the Insiders agree that they shall not Transfer any Founder Shares (the “Founder Shares Lock-up”)
until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination and (B) the date following
the completion of an initial Business Combination on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization
or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares
for cash, securities or other property (the “Founder Shares Lock-up Period”). Notwithstanding the foregoing,
if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the closing price of the Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted
for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within
any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Founder Shares
shall be released from the Founder Shares Lock-up.


 


(b)                      Subject
to the provisions set forth in paragraph 5(c), the Sponsor and Insiders agree that they shall not effectuate any Transfer
of Private Placement Warrants or the Ordinary Shares underlying such Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion
of an initial Business Combination.


 






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(c)                      Notwithstanding
the provisions set forth in paragraphs 5(a) and (b), Transfers of the Founder Shares, Private Placement
Warrants or Ordinary Shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants are permitted (a) to the Company’s officers or
directors, any affiliates or family member of any of the Company’s officers or directors, any members or partners of
the Sponsor or their affiliates, any affiliates of the Sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an
individual, by gift to a member of one of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is
a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the
case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an
individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the
consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the Founder Shares, Private Placement
Warrants or Ordinary Shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants, as applicable, were originally purchased; (f) by
virtue of the Sponsor’s organizational documents upon liquidation or dissolution of the Sponsor; (g) to the Company for
no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of its initial Business Combination; (h) in the event of the
Company’s liquidation prior to the completion of its initial Business Combination; or (i) in the event of completion of
a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s Public
Shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the
completion of an initial Business Combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f)
these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.


 


(d)                      During
the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and ending 180 days after such date, the Sponsor and
each Insider shall not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, Transfer any Units, Ordinary Shares, Warrants
or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, Ordinary Shares held by it, her or him, as applicable,
subject to certain exceptions enumerated in Section 5(c) of this Agreement and Section 5(h) of the Underwriting Agreement.


 


6.                      Remedies.
The Sponsor and each of the Insiders hereby agree and acknowledge that (i) the Underwriter and the Company would be irreparably
injured in the event of a breach by the Sponsor or such Insider of its, her or his obligations, as applicable under paragraphs
3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 11, (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach
and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may
have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.


 


7.                     
Payments by the Company. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, neither the Sponsor nor any affiliate of the Sponsor
nor any director or officer of the Company nor any affiliate of the directors and officers shall receive from the Company any finder’s
fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation prior to, or in connection
with any services rendered in order to effectuate the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination (regardless
of the type of transaction that it is).


 


8.                     
Director and Officer Liability Insurance. The Company will maintain an insurance policy or policies providing directors’
and officers’ liability insurance, and the Insiders shall be covered by such policy or policies, in accordance with its or
their terms, to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any of the Company’s directors or officers.


 


9.                      Termination.
This Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period and (ii) the liquidation
of the Company; provided, however, that this Letter Agreement shall terminate in the event that the Public Offering
is not consummated and closed by December 31, 2021; provided further that paragraph 10 of this Letter Agreement
shall survive such liquidation.


 






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10.                    Indemnification.
In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account upon the failure of the Company to consummate its initial Business
Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter, the Sponsor (the “Indemnitor”) agrees
to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever
(including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or
defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened) to which the Company may become subject as a result of any
claim by (i) any third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company (except for the Company’s
independent auditors) or (ii) any prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a
transaction agreement (a “Target”); provided, however, that such indemnification of
the Company by the Indemnitor (x) shall apply only to the extent necessary to ensure that such claims by a third party for
services rendered or products sold to the Company or a Target do not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below
the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the
date of the liquidation of the Trust Account if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust
assets, in each case net of interest that may be withdrawn to pay the Company’s tax obligations, (y) shall not apply to
any claims by a third party or Target who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account
(whether or not such waiver is enforceable) and (z) shall not apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the
Underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Indemnitor
shall have the right to defend against any such claim with counsel of its choice reasonably satisfactory to the Company if,
within 15 days following written receipt of notice of the claim to the Indemnitor, the Indemnitor notifies the Company in
writing that it shall undertake such defense.


 


11.                   
Forfeiture of Founder Shares. To the extent that the Underwriter does not exercise its option to purchase additional
Units within 45 days from the date of the Prospectus in full (as further described in the Prospectus), the Sponsor agrees to automatically
surrender to the Company for no consideration, for cancellation at no cost, an aggregate number of Founder Shares so that the number
of Founder Shares will equal of 20% of the sum of the total number of Ordinary Shares and Founder Shares outstanding at such time.
The Sponsor and Insiders further agree that to the extent that the size of the Public Offering is increased or decreased, the Company
will effect a share capitalization or a share repurchase, as applicable, with respect to the Founder Shares immediately prior to
the consummation of the Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the number of Founder Shares at 20% of the sum of the total
number of Ordinary Shares and Founder Shares outstanding at such time.


 


12.                   
Entire Agreement. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto
in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the
parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated
hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as
to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by (1) each Insider that is the subject of any such change,
amendment, modification or waiver and (2) the Sponsor.


 


13.                   
Assignment. No party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations
hereunder without the prior written consent of the other parties. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall
be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Letter
Agreement shall be binding on the Sponsor, each of the Insiders and each of their respective successors, heirs, personal representatives
and assigns and permitted transferees.


 


14.                   
Counterparts. This Letter Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts, and each
of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but
one and the same instrument.


 






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15.                   
Effect of Headings. The paragraph headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Letter Agreement
and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.


 


16.                   
Severability. This Letter Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term
or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Letter Agreement or of any other term or provision
hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall
be added as a part of this Letter Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be
possible and be valid and enforceable.


 


17.                   
Governing Law. This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws
of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive
laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or dispute arising out of, or
relating in any way to, this Letter Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York City, in the State of New
York, and irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be exclusive, and (ii) waive any
objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.


 


18.                   
Notices. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Letter
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt
requested), by hand delivery or facsimile or other electronic transmission.


 


[Signature Page Follows]


 






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	 	Sincerely,	 
	 	 	 
	 	G Squared Ascend Management I, LLC
	 	 	 
	 	By: 	 
	 	Name: 	Ward Davis
	 	Title: 	Manager
	 	 	 


 





Acknowledged and Agreed:


 


	G Squared Ascend I Inc.	 
	 	 	 
	By: 	 	 
	Name: 	Ward Davis	 
	Title: 	Chief Executive Officer