EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1830392
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1830392_10-K_2023_0001213900-23-025829.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are 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 Report as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational or incorporation activities as well as activities related to our initial public offering and identifying a business combination target. We have not selected any specific business combination target. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
We believe that we currently stand at an inflection point in the market, wherein selected industrial and technology companies are fundamentally changing the world at an unprecedented pace by applying next-generation technologies to numerous commercial and industrial markets. Companies that stand at the cross-roads of technology and industrials have the unique capability to unlock new markets and opportunities across the industrial value chain. This new wave of high growth, hybrid “industrial and technology” players are in a prime position to reshape the industrial landscape.
We are primarily focused on two types of companies: (i) established high-quality businesses that have sustainable competitive advantages such as differentiated product or manufacturing technologies or unique brand attributes; and (ii) disruptive businesses with unique technologies and solid business models. Established companies are resilient and durable and are able to generate attractive returns on a consistent basis over time. This means companies that are not easily displaced or disrupted. Such businesses often provide mission critical goods and services that are less visible to the market, thus creating opportunities. We believe that our team has good access to these opportunities and the capability to turn them into successful businesses. On the other hand, we believe opportunities exist to invest in businesses that have leveraged recent technological advances to solve pressing industrial problems. Innovation in computing, as well as data science, internet-of-things (“IoT”) and automation, have made it possible to create efficiencies that create much promise for the companies that are able to capitalize on such advances by offering new products and services.
While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we see a significant opportunity for an investment in the industrial and technology sectors given the capital and operational experience required for these companies to reach the next stage of growth and access new end markets and customers globally. We believe companies with differentiated product or manufacturing technologies or unique brand attributes could deliver outsized growth opportunities and allow us to achieve higher returns on invested capital over a long time period. Our management team and advisors have significant experience in the technology and industrials sectors and unique networks on a global basis, as well as deep and rich operational experience to help target companies achieve sustainable and long-term growth. At Pontem, our focus for merger targets will be on companies with a European heritage operating in these areas with a sustainable competitive advantage or unique disruptive capability, but we will also utilize our global networks to assess opportunities in other regions. With our help in the form of access to capital markets and operational expertise, companies reaching this next stage of growth will have the firepower to take significant market share from incumbents, create highly defensible moats and grow sustainably.
We believe that numerous high-quality opportunities exist among family owned businesses, private equity and venture capital portfolio companies, and divisions of large corporations. We believe that our team’s distinguished and long-term track record of sourcing, acquiring and building global industrial companies, along with other investments and operational experience in related industries, will provide us with differentiated insights and sourcing opportunities within the sector.
Our Team
Our executive team, directors and advisors consist of seasoned investors and industry executives with extensive track records of identifying, investing in, building, operating and advising leading businesses. In particular, the team possesses a deep understanding of the technology and industrial sectors, and potential market opportunities. Our collective team has experience in:
● Sourcing, structuring, acquiring, and integrating businesses;
● Developing and growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions;
● Identifying, monitoring and recruiting world-class talent;
● Accessing the capital markets, including financing businesses;
● Fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams;
● Negotiating and executing transactions favorable to investors, in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions.
We believe the team will be able to source superior investment opportunities through an extensive network of individuals from leading private and public global corporations, private equity, venture capital and growth equity investors. Additionally, they will have the operational expertise to drive efficiencies, and, given their extensive experience with public market investors, are well positioned to develop a thoughtful investor relations strategy.
Proposed Business Combination
To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational or incorporation activities as well as activities related to our initial public offering and identifying a business combination target. We have not selected any specific business combination target. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
Our Forward Purchase Agreement
We believe our ability to complete our initial business combination will be enhanced by the additional capital available pursuant to the forward purchase agreement that we expect to enter into with QVIDTVM Management. Under the agreement, QVIDTVM Management will purchase an aggregate of 15,000,000 forward purchase units, at a price of $10.00 per unit. Each forward purchase unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share, or a forward purchase share, and one-third of one warrant to purchase a Class A ordinary share, or a forward purchase warrant, and will be sold in a private placement concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. The number of forward purchase units to be purchased by QVIDTVM Management will be subject to the sole discretion of Mr. Alici, who has investment control over the capital committed to QVIDTVM Management, but in no event will be less than 5,000,000 forward purchase units. The obligations of QVIDTVM Management under the forward purchase agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares held by public shareholders are redeemed by the company.
The terms of the forward purchase shares and forward purchase warrants, respectively, will generally be identical to the terms of the Class A ordinary shares and the redeemable warrants included in the units issued in this Report, except that the forward purchase shares will not be entitled to redemption rights or to vote on our initial business combination, and the forward purchase securities will be issued on a private placement basis at the closing of our initial business combination and will have certain registration rights, as described in this Report.
Executive Team
Mr. Hubertus Muehlhaeuser
Mr. Muehlhaeuser is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He has an impressive track record of more than 20 years as an operator in the global industrials sector, having served as a Chief Executive Officer and senior executive at multiple public and private companies. Mr. Muehlhaeuser has significant experience in the board room as both a Chairman and member of the board of directors of multiple industrial companies. Mr. Muehlhaeuser has a broad functional background, having successfully implemented organic and inorganic transformation strategies across multiple firms and has a proven operational restructuring and turnaround track record. Mr. Muehlhaeuser brings a highly entrepreneurial mindset and a global perspective to the team having lived and worked in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Most recently, Mr. Muehlhaeuser was the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of CNH Industrial NV, which generated revenue of $28 billion in 2019. Mr. Muehlhaeuser helped to strategically reposition CNH by announcing the separation of the company’s on-highway business (IVECO and FPT) from the core off-highway business (Case, New Holland, Steyr) and by focusing on growth and enhancements to the product and technology portfolio while delivering meaningful efficiencies and profit margin improvement. During his tenure, CNH completed seven acquisitions and partnerships with an eye towards identifying and investing in key disruptive technologies and trends impacting the company’s core end markets and products. These next-gen industrial and technology investments included CNH’s strategic growth equity investment in Nikola in September 2019, an EV truck designer and manufacturer, and CNH’s acquisition of AgDNA, a precision agriculture technology company.
Prior to CNH, Mr. Muehlhaeuser was the President & Chief Executive Officer of Welbilt, helping the company successfully complete its spin-off from Manitowoc in March 2016 and acquire and successfully integrate Crem, a leading coffee machine maker. Under Mr. Muehlhaeuser’s leadership, Welbilt improved its adjusted EBITDA margins between 2015 and 2017 by approximately 460 basis points to 19.1%, and generated 80% shareholder returns during his tenure. Prior to Welbilt, Mr. Muehlhaeuser served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of AGCO, during which time he contributed to the firm’s nearly doubling of revenue and tripling in market capitalization.
Mr. Muehlhaeuser started his career at Arthur D. Little, where he was the global leader of Arthur D. Little´s Strategy & Transformation Practice, working with many of the world´s leading industrial companies.
Mr. Muehlhaeuser received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the EBS University for Business and Law.
Ms. Nina Murphy
Ms. Murphy is our Chief Financial Officer. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer of QVIDTVM where she is responsible for all financial management, legal, operations, and administration and tax activities. Prior to QVIDTVM, Ms. Murphy was an Executive Director at MSIM on the Private Credit and Equity platform. She has over 25 years of financial, operational and product development experience having helped launch and manage several hedge funds and alternative investment products. Ms. Murphy’s experience includes chief financial and operating officer positions at KEC ventures (early stage venture fund) and AT Global Capital (global macro hedge fund). Ms. Murphy also ran Investor Services for Christofferson, Robb and Company, a $4.5 billion hedge fund specializing in European structured credit. Previous alternative investment experiences include roles at Tribeca Capital Management (Citibank’s internal multi-strategy hedge fund) and Deutsche Bank’s prime brokerage group.
Ms. Murphy received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College.
Board of Directors
Mr. Burak Alici
Mr. Alici is our Lead Director. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of QVIDTVM, a private investment firm focused on long-term capital appreciation with investments to support the growth of mission-driven entrepreneurs and unique global businesses. QVIDTVM is primarily focused on growth equity investments in the industrial, consumer goods and technology sectors. Mr. Alici is responsible for capital allocation and general management of QVIDTVM. Mr. Alici has approximately 20 years of public and private investing experience.
Prior to launching QVIDTVM, Mr. Alici served as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM), where his career spanned 12 years. At MSIM, Mr. Alici was a senior investor on MSIM’s Growth Team in the Active Fundamental Equity Group. In addition, at MSIM, Mr. Alici was the sole manager of the Global Discovery Fund (MLDIX), delivering annual returns of 15.5%, net of fees, compared to the MSCI All-Country World Index annual returns of 8.8% from the fund’s inception at the end of 2010 through the end of 2017. Mr. Alici took a long-term, fundamental, concentrated and process-driven approach in his investing strategy. The fund invested in various companies across the technology and industrial landscape, many of which provided strong returns on exit via strategic and financial sponsor acquisitions. During Mr. Alici’s tenure with MSIM, the fund made several growth equity investments in notable privately-held technology companies, including Palantir, AirBnB, Blue Bottle, Flipkart, and Dropbox.
Before joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Alici managed a multi-strategy investment partnership in Turkey for high net-worth individuals and began his career developing stock selection models for a market neutral hedge fund in Boston.
Mr. Alici received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia Business School as a member of the Applied Value Investing Program, a Master of Science in Finance from Boston College, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bogazici University.
Mr. James Gentilcore
Mr. Gentilcore is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Gentilcore’s 40-year career includes successful accomplishments in several markets, including technology, industrials and chemicals. Mr. Gentilcore retired in 2018 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PQ Corporation (NYSE: PQG), after leading its successful initial public offering in 2017. He has served as the chief executive officer of two other public companies, and on the board of directors of six public companies, including his current service on the board of Entegris Inc. (Nasdaq: ENTG). Mr. Gentilcore has also worked with private equity investors for over ten years, as both a portfolio chief executive officer and an executive advisor. In addition to his public and private board assignments, Mr. Gentilcore has served on the boards of various industry associations, most recently the American Chemistry Council. Mr. Gentilcore has a BS in Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from Lehigh University.
Mr. Robert Bohn
Mr. Bohn is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Bohn is currently serving on the board of directors of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE: MTW) and Carlisle Companies Inc. (NYSE: CSL). Mr. Bohn served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) for 10 years and Chief Executive Officer of Oshkosh Corporation for 13 years. Under Mr. Bohn’s leadership, Oshkosh Corporation significantly expanded its product portfolio and built leading positions in multiple markets. Prior to joining Oshkosh, Mr. Bohn served in various executive positions with Johnson Controls, Inc., and was a previous board member of Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG), Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH) and Menasha Corporation. Mr. Bohn received an undergraduate degree from Ball State University.
Mr. Peter Grosch
Mr. Grosch is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Grosch has over 35 years general management experience in numerous senior roles in the engineering, automotive and aerospace sector. He was until recently Chairman at Innio GmbH and a senior advisor to several private equity firms. Mr. Grosch was previously chairman of Kinolt S.A. and Deputy Chairman of SLM Solution AG, CEO and President of Diehl Aerospace and Defence Systems, Executive Vice President of DaimlerChrysler Off-Highway, served on the board of 3i plc as a non-executive director and Managing Director and Board Member of MTU Friedrichshafen and Executive Chairman of MWM GmbH.
He has been involved as Chairman with a number of businesses which include Global Energy Services and Global Garden Products. He was on the board of Fokker Technologies Holding B.V., Faster SPA and several others. He received a degree in Automotive and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Ulm as Dipl. Ing.
Mr. Luciano Mozzato
Mr. Mozzato is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Mozzato was previously Executive Vice President of the Power Services Applied Technology Solutions group at Siemens. Prior to its acquisition in 2017 by Siemens, Mr. Mozzato was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Services at Dresser-Rand. Before his tenure at Dresser-Rand, Mr. Mozzato was a senior executive at Otis Elevator where he served as CEO of Otis Italy and was previously Vice President of Otis Latin America and Vice President of Global Supply Chain and Logistics Worldwide. Mr. Mozzato’s senior executive experience in the industrials space extends across multiple operational verticals (including sales, manufacturing and services) and geographies (including the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Europe).
Mr. Mozzato received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hartford.
Mr. Hubertus Muehlhaeuser
Mr. Muehlhaeuser is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Please see his biography included above for a discussion of his experience and accomplishments.
Advisory Board
We have established an advisory board for the purpose of assisting our board of directors and management with sourcing and evaluating business combination opportunities and establishing plans and strategies to optimize any business that we acquire.
Unlike our management team, members of our advisory board are not responsible for managing our day-to-day affairs and have no authority to engage in substantive discussions with business combination targets on our behalf. Each member of our advisory board owns 15,000 Class B ordinary shares, and we may reimburse such members for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with the search for business combination targets before or after the consummation of our initial business combination. We have not entered into any formal arrangements or agreements with any member of our advisory board to provide services to us and no member has any fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us.
Our advisory board is comprised of senior executives with experience in a wide range of sub-sectors and functional areas and access to operational expertise and industry networks from which we intend to source and evaluate targets. Our advisory board has experience in:
● Operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting world-class talent;
● Developing and growing companies organically by expanding their product range and geographic footprint;
● Acquiring companies, leading transformational transactions or corporate restructurings and managing corporate integration with success; and
● Developing and maintaining extensive relationships not only with owners and operators of companies, but also with a wide range of financial and legal advisers.
Our advisory board includes:
Mr. Wolfgang Deml
Mr. Deml is a member of our advisory board. Mr. Deml’s successful career has spanned a number of executive roles in the industrials space. For 20 years, until 2008, Mr. Deml was the CEO and President of Baywa Corporation specializing in the agriculture business, building wholesale and retail, oil, renewable energy, farm equipment, with 17,000 employees and revenues around 17 billion euros. Mr. Deml’s former roles include CEO of Union Investment in Frankfurt and Management Consultant with Roland Berger. Mr. Deml has been a member of the supervisory boards of MAN AG, Rentenbank Frankfurt, and VK Mühlen AG and a member of the Advisory Board of Dresdner Bank, DZ Bank, and Allianz AG. Mr. Deml has been a member of the supervisory board of AGCO for 19 years and the non-executive chairman of the supervisory board of Hauck & Aufhäuser AG since 2010.
Mr. Chris Lynch
Mr. Lynch is a member of our advisory board. Mr. Lynch is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AtScale, Inc., a leading provider of intelligent data virtualization solutions, and is a co-founder and Partner at Reverb Advisors. Mr. Lynch is currently serving on the board of directors of DataRobot, a leader in enterprise AI. Prior to Reverb Advisors, Mr. Lynch co-founded Accomplice, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies, and held various leadership roles at Vertica Systems, Acopia Networks Inc. and ArrowPoint Communications Inc. Mr. Lynch received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Suffolk University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University, and an honorary doctor of commercial science degree from Bentley University.
Mr. Jens-Thomas Pietralla
Mr. Pietralla is a member of our advisory board. Mr. Pietralla is the Chief Executive Officer of Advisory Partners in Europe and the Global Head of the Industrial and Natural Resources sector of Russell Reynolds Associates, Inc., and serves on the board of Reimann Investors KGaA. Previously, he served for four years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Navico Holding, a global market leader in marine electronics with 2,500 staff on three continents, and Chief Marketing Officer of Siemens AG. He has also served as chairman of Torqeedo GmbH and Ocivan Invest AS. Mr. Pietralla received a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics and an M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Ulm in Germany.
We believe that the combination of our management team and advisory board creates a differentiated approach to identifying potential high-quality targets which will provide us with unique capabilities to create shareholder value.
Market Opportunity
Over the last decade, simplified access to and decreasing marginal costs in computing power, the proliferation of highly discretized physical compute units (e.g. smart sensors, robotics), and improvements in connectivity have spurred a change in the industrial landscape. Such change is akin to the introduction of electricity and electronic systems in the second and third industrial revolutions. This fourth industrial revolution, which encompasses the IOT and smart manufacturing, marries physical production and operations with digital technology, machine learning/artificial intelligence and big data to create a more holistic and connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management. Industry 4.0 empowers companies to better control and understand every aspect of their operation and allows them to leverage real-time data to instantly boost productivity, improve processes and drive growth.
We expect Industry 4.0 to transform production by driving faster, more flexible and more efficient processes which will be monetized by companies through the production of higher-quality goods at reduced costs. Some of the cornerstone technologies we see driving this revolution in the years and decades to come include: big data and analytics, autonomous robots, simulation, industrial internet-of-things (IIoT), edge computing, cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and augmented / virtual reality. These technologies will enable true cyber-physical systems, where analog operations will be augmented and replaced by digital-first systems that drive costs out of the supply chain and manufacturing processes and enable new fleets of smart, interconnected products and machines that are more easily updated, monitored and managed.
From this marriage of technology and traditional industrial systems spurred by the Industry 4.0 revolution, we see four key themes among the emerging technologies and trends underpinning Industry 4.0 that will cause the most significant disruption within the broader industrials landscape. We see the technology companies who are most versed in these themes as the class of companies best positioned to unlock significant value and experience outsized growth as a result of the impending changes (either as providers of disruptive technologies or manufacturers operationally fluent in these themes or leveraging existing market access channels including strong brand differentiation):
● Digitalization and Connectivity. We see digitalization and connectivity as a fundamental change which will not only increase productivity in the manufacturing and business processes of industrial companies, but also create intelligent machines and equipment that spurs innovation and gains in their customers’ businesses and end markets. As a result, industrial companies who invest in digitalization will realize important gains in two areas: top-line revenue growth through better and more intelligent and differentiated products and services, and bottom-line cost savings through more efficient and effective processes from the digital capabilities of the equipment they use.
● Automation. We believe automation that is enabled through digitalization and connectivity across the supply and services value chain, both for physical (e.g. robotics and controllers) and nonphysical core processes (e.g. data collection and analysis), will dramatically increase site efficiency and safety. Streamlining these core processes and services are becoming more tangible with maturing technologies and lower implementation costs. Additionally, reducing the human interface required in services and processes will mitigate the additional risk caused by human variability and increase the overall efficiency of these processes and services. Companies that risk not investing in this arena early will likely fall behind more forward-looking competitors who will see positive long-term impacts to their businesses from enhanced scalability, employee productivity, manufacturing flexibility, and improvements to their margin profiles from cost savings and top-line throughput gains.
● Artificial Intelligence. We believe enhanced capabilities from the combination of artificial intelligence and digitalization will help industrial companies shift from being reactive and responsive to event and insight driven as the increase in volume of granular data from digitalization and rapid processing capabilities from artificial intelligence will allow companies to drive operational changes and improvements in real-time. Companies will monetize these gains via cost savings from increases in process efficiency.
● Energy Efficiency and Alternative Propulsion. We believe the rise of alternative propulsion solutions (ranging from biogas propulsion to battery and fuel cell electric) and corresponding environmental regulatory changes will force companies to rework their existing products and fleets to utilize alternative propulsion methods. Likewise, as the cost of generating energy from alternative sources continues to come down and become more comparable to other power generation methods, power systems will continue to evolve, driving the need for new investments in equipment, software and services. This will create a large market opportunity for a new alternative propulsion ecosystem consisting of suppliers and OEMs developing and distributing these alternative technologies and end customers who will incorporate these new propulsion systems into their products. Companies who participate in developing enabling technologies will be longer term beneficiaries by achieving accelerated growth potential across the changing energy cycle.
Business Strategy
We believe that many companies operating in the industrial and technology sectors have characteristics that make them attractive targets given the Industry 4.0 revolution and subsequent disruption caused by macrotrends around automation, digitalization, workforce availability, artificial intelligence, energy efficiency and alternative propulsion. We believe the transformation of the broader industrials landscape caused by these macrotrends will place industrial incumbents under pressure as disruptors entering the sector will drive a wave of new technological and subsequent business model changes. We see these companies as strategically well positioned, high-growth players in the coming Industry 4.0 technology revolution.
Given our team’s extensive experience as operators and investors in the global industrials market as both successful incumbents as well as disruptors, we believe our team is uniquely suited to source and identify the next wave of companies for acquisition that are poised to take advantage of the shifting landscape.
Along those lines, we see companies with a European heritage, a strong U.S. connection and global reach as a potentially differentiated investment set that we are well positioned to take advantage of given the team’s background and extensive network in those regions.
Our acquisition strategy is to target companies with significant growth potential and higher returns of invested capital over a long time period:
● Early stage disruptive companies with transformative technologies. These include standalone businesses that need access to capital to continue to grow or can be merged with incumbents to disrupt sectors.
● Established high-quality family and founder owned businesses. Our executive management team, directors and advisory board have an extensive network with high quality family owned businesses that we believe would benefit from broader capital markets access to fulfill their overall potential.
● Businesses with promising next-gen technology facing idiosyncratic performance or succession challenges. These include businesses trailing peers on margin or cash conversion, facing succession planning challenges due to generational shifts or where management would benefit from an enhanced global network through us.
● Divisions of large corporations. These includes divisions of large corporations where there can be an opportunity to drive incremental growth and value creation by partnering with us.
Competitive Advantages
● Expertise in operating industrial businesses. Our team has a track record of building industry-leading companies and proven ability to deliver shareholder value over an extended time period. As a public entity, we believe we can offer a wide range of advantages to stakeholders. These include, but are not limited to, utilizing our team’s collective skills and experience to catalyze accelerated and profitable growth, broader access to debt and equity capital providers, liquidity alternatives for employees and investors, public currency for potential acquisitions, and improved branding in the marketplace. Having spent decades leading successful public and private industrial companies, our team has acquired a wealth of information and best practices that can drive shareholder value.
● Investing experience. We believe that our team’s extensive track record of identifying and sourcing transactions positions us well to appropriately evaluate potential business combinations and select one that will be well received by the public markets.
● Proprietary sourcing network. Our selection process will leverage our team’s network of industry, private equity sponsor, growth equity investor and lending community relationships as well as relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, consultants, advisors, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We believe that our network within the industrials space is exceptionally deep and that our team is well positioned to identify attractive acquisition opportunities within the sector.
● Execution and structuring capability. Our team’s combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we can generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk/reward profiles based on their valuations and structural characteristics.
Our Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We are using these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet all of these criteria and guidelines. We are seeking to identify and acquire high-quality companies that have the following characteristics:
● Industrial and technology focus. We seek companies with exposure to the industrial and technology sectors with a differentiated product or manufacturing expertise in software, advanced materials, highly engineered components, sub-systems and systems or that have unique market channel access including but not limited to strong brand differentiation.
● Geographic focus and reach. Given our team’s experience and established network of relationships, we will predominantly target companies with a European heritage, a strong connection to the U.S. and global expansion potential with an eye towards maximizing addressable market reach.
● Companies at an inflection point. We seek companies that require additional management expertise, access to capital, innovation to develop new products or services, improvement of financial performance, owner and generational transitions or growth through a business combination.
● Companies that have the ability to deliver significant operating leverage and future profitability whether they may or may not be profitable currently. We seek to acquire businesses that, through their business model or technology, have the ability to improve margins and, by addressing a large market, have the opportunity to drive significant future profitability when fully scaled.
● Attractive valuation. We seek companies at an attractive valuation relative to their long-term intrinsic value.
● Positioned to benefit from public currency. We seek companies that demonstrate public readiness and will use access to public equity markets to pursue accretive acquisitions, high-return capital projects, strengthen their balance sheet and recruit and retain key employees.
● Strong management and governance. We seek companies that have trustworthy, talented, and experienced management teams. These companies may be led by entrepreneurs who are looking for a partner with our expertise to execute on the next stage of their growth. For target companies that require new management, we will leverage our team’s experience in identifying and recruiting top talent.
● Has the potential to grow through further acquisition opportunities. We seek to acquire a business that has the potential to grow inorganically through additional acquisitions.
These criteria and guidelines 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 team 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 Report, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
Initial Business Combination
In accordance with the rules of the NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects.
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, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (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. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80% of assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our Sponsor. If our securities are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a 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 that is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team, board of directors and advisory board will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this Report and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to at least one other entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our Sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses, 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 underwriters’ 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 our initial public 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 $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th, 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 the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30.
Financial Position and Recent Developments
As of December 31, 2022, we had funds available for a business combination in the amount of approximately $671,743,000 after payment of $24,150,000 of deferred underwriting fees, and approximately $2,787,000 for deferred legal fees.
On January 13, 2023, we held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the “Extraordinary General Meeting”) to vote on the Extension Amendment Proposal, the Trust Amendment Proposal, and an adjournment proposal, each as described in the definitive proxy statement of our Company relating to the Extraordinary General Meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 16, 2022. At the Extraordinary General Meeting, our shareholders approved a proposal (the “Trust Amendment Proposal”) to amend our Company’s investment management trust agreement, dated as of January 12, 2021 (the “IMTA”), by and between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), to extend the date by which we have to consummate a business combination from January 15, 2023 to July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by our board of directors (the “Board”) to be in the best interests of the Company (the “Extension”). Following such approval by our shareholders, our Company and CST entered into the Amendment No. 1 to the IMTA on January 13, 2023 (the “IMTA Amendment”).
In connection with the vote to approve the Extension Amendment Proposal and the Trust Amendment Proposal, the holders of 43,652,840 Class A ordinary shares of our Company properly exercised their right to redeem their shares for cash at a redemption price of approximately $10.16 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $443,355,210. As of January 13, 2023, after redemptions, approximately $257,435,609 remained in the Trust Account, exclusive of any initial Contribution to be made to the Trust Account.
As of January 13, 2023, we instructed Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to cease holding securities in the Trust Account, to liquidate the securities held in the Trust Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash (i.e., in one or more bank accounts) until the earlier of consummation of a Business Combination and liquidation of the Company. Accordingly, the Trust Account has ceased to be invested or otherwise to earn more than minimal interest, if any. This means that the amount available for redemption will not meaningfully increase in the future, if at all.
In connection with our shareholders’ approval of the Extension, Pontem LLC, our Sponsor, and HSM-Invest have notified us of their intention to effect a monthly deposit into the Trust Account of $833,333 (up to $5.0 million for six months) as loans to our Company (each, a “Contribution”) on or prior to the 15th of each month during the Extension, unless the Board otherwise determines to liquidate our Company earlier. The initial Contribution was made on January 13, 2023.
On January 13, 2023, we issued unsecured promissory notes (the “Notes”) each in the principal amount of up to $2.5 million to our Sponsor and HSM-Invest. The Notes are repayable in full upon the date of the initial Business Combination. If we do not complete an initial Business Combination, the Notes will not be repaid, and all amounts owed under them will be forgiven except to the extent that we have funds available outside of its Trust Account. The Notes are subject to customary events of default, including cross-default of each Note, the occurrence of which automatically triggers the unpaid principal balance of the Notes and all other sums payable with regard to the Notes becoming immediately due and payable. The Notes were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
We offer a target business a variety of options, such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following our initial public offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, 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 entered into a non-binding letter of intent that sets forth the preliminary terms and conditions of a potential business combination with an established target company (the “Target”). The initial exclusivity period contemplated by the non-binding letter of intent expired and the parties are no longer actively engaged in discussions regarding the potential initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination with the Target, we may also pursue a target in any industry. We intend to focus our search on global and regional industrial technology businesses. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors 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 the initial public 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 forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of the initial public offering. Other than the forward purchase agreement, we are not currently a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this Report and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the track record and business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. Except for the payment to an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer of $5,000 per month for consulting services provided to us, our Sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, will not 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, we will pay our Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team. We may also elect to make payment of customary fees to members of our board of directors for director service. 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 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 from completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with 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 or a 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 incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
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. Except for the payment to an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer of $5,000 per month for consulting services provided to us, 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. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our Sponsor.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
● 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 a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under the NYSE’s listing rules, shareholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
● we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) ordinary shares that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding;
● any of our directors, officers 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 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 applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and other reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) 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; (ii) the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; (iii) the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; (iv) other time and budget constraints of the company; and (v) 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 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 in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the 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 non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
In the event that our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A 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 $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members 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.
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 the initial public offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
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), as described above under the heading “- Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination.” Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the 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 are contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on the NYSE. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who 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 receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of the majority of the shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of a majority of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members, in their capacity as members of the company, will count toward this quorum, and, pursuant to the letter agreement, they have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after the initial public offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 25,591,316, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 4,265,220 or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 68,243,509 public shares sold in the initial public offering 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 whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
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 initially 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 initially 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.
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 or 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 the initial public offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
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 seeking redemption rights 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 management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the initial public offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our Sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in the initial public 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 initially 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 initially 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 initially 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 by July 15, 2023.
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 until July 15, 2023, or such earlier date as is determined by the board to be in the best interest of the Company, to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of 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. 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 24-month time period.
Our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members 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 by July 15, 2023. However, if our Sponsor, management team or advisory board members acquire public shares in or after the initial public 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 24-month time period.
Our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by our Board to be in the best interest of the Company or (B) with respect to any other material 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 $1,000,000 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 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 the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will 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 LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of our initial public offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable; provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the initial public 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 $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable; and our Sponsor 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 $10.00 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our Sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our Sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,000,000 from the proceeds of the initial public 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 $1,000,000, 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 $1,000,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy 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 $10.00 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company; (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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company or (B) with respect to any other material 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.
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 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 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 space at 2170 Buckthorne Place, Suite 320, The Woodlands, Texas, 77380 from an affiliate of our Sponsor as our executive offices. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters, but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the then-current stage of the business combination process. 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 have registered 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 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 time frame. 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, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we 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.
We have filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law (2020 Revision) 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 the initial public 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 $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 2170 Buckthorne Place, Suite 320, The Woodlands, Texas, 77380, and our telephone number is 212-457-9077. We maintain a corporate website at pontemcorp.com. We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law (2020 Revision) 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.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. 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 Report, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
We are a 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 incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results. 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.
As of December 31, 2022, we have approximately $150,000 in our operating bank account and a working capital deficit of approximately 570,000. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. On September 30, 2021, we entered into an amended and restated promissory note with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to which we may borrow up to $4,000,000 from our Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to our business and the consummation of any business combination by us. Management’s plans to address this need for capital are discussed under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful.
Past performance by our management team and their affiliates, 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 and their affiliates, 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 their affiliates 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 and their affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or as indicative of every prior investment by each of the members of our management team or their affiliates. 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 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 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 “Item 1. Business - Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of 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 effect 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 owned 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of the initial public offering.
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 we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of the majority of the shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, including the founder shares. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 25,591,315, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 4,265,220, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 68,243,509 public shares sold in the initial public offering 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 we will receive an ordinary resolution, being the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management will rely on the availability of all of the funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities to be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If the sale of the forward purchase securities does not close, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.
Prior to the consummation of the initial public offering, we entered into a forward purchase agreement with QVIDTVM Management providing for the purchase of 15,000,000 forward purchase units, at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. However, if the sale of the forward purchase securities does not close, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination. The number of forward purchase units to be purchased by QVIDTVM Management will be subject to the sole discretion of Mr. Alici, who has investment control over the capital committed to QVIDTVM Management, but in no event will be less than 5,000,000 forward purchase units. The obligation to purchase the forward purchase units is subject to customary closing conditions, including that our initial business combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with, and immediately following, the purchase of forward purchase securities. The obligations of QVIDTVM Management under the forward purchase agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares held by public shareholders are redeemed by the company.
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 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. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If 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 underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the 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.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets.
On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted, and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that adversely affects the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. While vaccines for COVID-19 are being, and have been developed, there is no guarantee that any such vaccine will be durable and effective consistent with current expectations. In addition, if any treatment of vaccine for COVID-19 is ineffective or underutilized, any impact on our business may be prolonged. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
Our letter agreement with HSM-Invest, our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with HSM-Invest, our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members 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. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, 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.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination by July 15, 2023, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination by July 15, 2023. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 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 than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of 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.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our 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 initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. 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 the 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. 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 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, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
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.
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 initially 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 initially 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 Report entitled “Proposed Business - Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights.”
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public 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 submitted 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company, 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 proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of the initial public 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 have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the completion of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our securities 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 the initial public 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.
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 competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we 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.
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 including between the U.S. and China and between Russia and Ukraine, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
If the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate until at least July 15, 2023, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we have depended on loans from our Sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of the initial public offering, only $1,000,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of the initial public offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate until at least July 15, 2023; 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.
If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our Sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our Sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor 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 $10.00 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will 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 who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value 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.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public 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 that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the initial public offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we are 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 a letter agreement, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable; provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the initial public 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 $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 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 $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable; and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy his obligations or that he 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 $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. 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.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy 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 offence and may be liable to a fine of $18,293 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to appoint directors.
In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the 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 with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of 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.
Although we have entered into a nonbinding letter of intent with a Target, because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we entered into a business combination agreement with any target businesses, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
Although we have entered into a non-binding letter of intent with a Target, 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 or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify and acquire 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 investments globally and has done so successfully in a number of sectors, including the industrial, consumer goods, and technology sectors. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prohibits us from effectuating a business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet negotiated the acquisition of a 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 the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value 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 securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in our securities 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 Report 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 and have entered into a non-binding letter of intent with a Target, 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 and have entered into a non-binding letter of intent with a Target, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, 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.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from a 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 a 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 are 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.
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 include 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 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“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 statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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, 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.
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 period from October 15, 2020 through 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, and no longer qualify as emerging growth company, will we not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
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. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our Sponsor, officers, directors, 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.
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 have amended our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and cannot assure you that we will not seek to further 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. We recently amended our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Further amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, 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 requires 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company or (B) with respect to any other material 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 the registration statement of which this Report forms a part, 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 or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated 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 further 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.
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 the initial public 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, under Cayman Islands law being the affirmative vote of a majority of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, 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 collectively beneficially owned 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of the initial public offering (assuming they did not purchase any units in the initial public offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to further 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company or (B) with respect to any other material 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.
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 the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. 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 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.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any 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.
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 Report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following the initial public 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; and
● limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from the initial public offering and the private placement of warrants provided us with $665,850,000 that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $24,150,000 of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account).
In addition, prior to the consummation of the initial public offering, we entered into a forward purchase agreement with QVIDTVM Management providing for the purchase of 15,000,000 forward purchase units, at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit, in private placements to occur concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. The forward purchase securities will be issued only in connection with the closing of the initial business combination. The proceeds from the sale of forward purchase securities 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 obligation to purchase the forward purchase units is subject to customary closing conditions, including that our initial business combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with, and immediately following, the purchase of forward purchase securities. The number of forward purchase units to be purchased by QVIDTVM Management will be subject to the sole discretion of Mr. Alici, who has investment control over the capital committed to QVIDTVM Management, but in no event will be less than 5,000,000 forward purchase units. The obligations of QVIDTVM Management under the forward purchase agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares held by public shareholders are redeemed by the company. There can be no assurance that the forward purchase will close.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
● solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
● dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence 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 our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. 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.
Risks Relating to our Securities
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 such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
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 Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. 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, net of income taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest 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 $10.00 per share.
Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued the Statement, which focused on certain settlement terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the warrant agreement governing our warrants. As a result of the SEC Statement, we reevaluated the accounting treatment of our 23,000,000 public warrants and 10,533,333 private placement warrants and determined to classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.
As a result, included on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 contained elsewhere in this Annual Report are derivative liabilities related to embedded features contained within our warrants. Accounting Standards Codification 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”), provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, based on factors, which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
● restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
● restrictions on the issuance of securities,
● each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
● registration as an investment company;
● adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
● reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business is 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 principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. An investment in our securities 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 submitted 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 by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we 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.
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 seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the initial public offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are currently listed on the NYSE. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, share price and distribution levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, our securities will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination, and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with NYSE initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, in order for our Class A ordinary shares to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our global market capitalization would be required to be at least $200,000,000, the aggregate market value of publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $100,000,000 and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot holders. We may not be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
● 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 our units and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants are listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred 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 750,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 100,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share. As of the date of this Report, there are 681,000,000 and 82,750,000 authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance (which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares). 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. There are no preferred shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred 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 preferred shares:
● may significantly dilute the equity interest of our investors;
● may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preferred 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; and
● may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.
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, including pursuant to the forward purchase agreement.
The founder shares are automatically convertible 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 will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion, 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, 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, any private placement warrants issued to our Sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans and the forward purchase securities; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
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. 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 best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current Report relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the Report of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
If our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of 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 to correct any defective provision or 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 Report, (ii) adjusting the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants; provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder of public warrants if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrant agreement designates 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 provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant; provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption to the warrants holders and provided certain other conditions are met. We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had been able to exercise their warrants at a later time at which the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as described herein) so long as they are held by the Sponsor, HSM-Invest or their permitted transferees.
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 issued warrants to purchase 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered in the initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of such offering, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 10,533,333 warrants, at $1.50 per warrant. We may also issue 5,000,000 forward purchase warrants pursuant to the forward purchase agreement. In addition, if the Sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,000,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant.
Our initial shareholders currently owns an aggregate of 17,250,000 founder shares that were acquired for a nominal price. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. We expect that if our Sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into private placement warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Our public warrants are also redeemable by us for our Class A ordinary shares.
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-third 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-third 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. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-third 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 merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities, other than the forward purchase 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, 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 $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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.
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 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 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; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption. If you exercise your public warrants on a cashless basis, you would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
Our warrants and units committed to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement are accounted for as a derivative liability and are recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
We account for our warrants and the units committed to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement as a derivative liability and will record them at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from an independent third party valuation firm. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants or units that are accounted for as a derivative liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Our warrants are accounted for as a derivative liability and are recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
We account for our warrants as a derivative liability and will record them at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from an independent third party valuation firm. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a derivative liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination with a target business.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants and the purchasers of the forward purchase securities 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 the registration and shareholder rights agreement, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register 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 private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of securities that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such units, shares, warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. Pursuant to the forward purchase agreement, we have agreed to use our reasonable best efforts (i) to file within 30 days after the closing of the initial business combination a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of the forward purchase shares and the forward purchase warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares), (ii) to cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter but in no event later than 60 days after the initial filing, and (iii) to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which the holders of the forward purchase securities or their assignees cease 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. After such registration statement is declared effective, the holders of the forward purchase securities may cause us to conduct firm commitment underwritten offerings, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the forward purchase agreement provides for certain “piggy-back” registration rights to the holders of forward purchase securities to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. 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, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs and the rights of shareholders are 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 are also subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder, 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.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination by July 15, 2023, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond July 15, 2023 before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination by July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company, the proceeds 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 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 July 15, 2023 before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we 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.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
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 a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
● costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
● rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
● complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
● laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
● exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
● tariffs and trade barriers;
● regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
● local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
● unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
● 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.
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.
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.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
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.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. In addition, pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in the initial public offering, our Sponsor, upon consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for appointment to our board of directors, as long as the Sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of 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.
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 other business endeavors for which he 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 independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. See “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance - Conflicts of Interest.”
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.
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 entities. 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, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
In addition, our Sponsor and our officers and directors may Sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. 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 “Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, officers, 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 directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our Sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business - Effecting Our Initial Business Combination - Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or a 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, officers, directors and advisory board members 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 the initial public offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On October 19, 2020, our Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 14,375,000 founder shares. On December 23, 2020, January 8, 2021 and January 12, 2021, we effected share capitalizations resulting in our initial shareholders holding 17,250,000 founder shares. Following certain transfers of founder shares by our Sponsor to HSM-Invest, each of our independent directors and each of our advisory board members, each of our Sponsor and HSM-Invest currently owns 8,535,000 founder shares, each of our independent directors currently owns 30,000 founder shares, and each member of our advisory board currently owns 15,000 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. 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. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our Sponsor and HSM-Invest purchased an aggregate of 10,533,333 warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $15,800,000, or $1.50 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 officers, directors and advisory board members 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 24-month anniversary of the closing of the initial public offering nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
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 the initial public offering, our initial shareholders owned 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in the initial public offering). 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. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in the initial public 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 Report. 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 is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term for three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual or extraordinary 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. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our Sponsor.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our 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-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new 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.
Members of our management team and their affiliated companies have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business.
Members of our management team have been involved in a wide variety of businesses. Such involvement has, and may lead to, media coverage and public awareness. As a result, members of our management team and their affiliated companies have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business. Any such claims or investigations may be detrimental to our reputation and could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
General Risk Factors
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to stringent privacy laws, information security laws, regulations and policies related to data privacy and security.
We are subject to data privacy and protection laws and regulations that apply to the collection, transmission, storage and use of proprietary information and personally-identifying information, which among other things, imposes certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of certain individually identifiable information. These laws continue to change and evolve and are increasing in breadth and impact. Failure to comply with any of these laws and regulations could result in enforcement action against us, including fines, imprisonment of company officials and public censure, claims for damages by affected individuals, damage to our reputation and loss of goodwill.
Various foreign countries in which we intend operate also have, or are developing, laws that govern the collection, use, disclosure, security and cross-border transmission of personal information. The legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data protection continues to evolve, and there has been an increasing focus on privacy and data protection issues that have the potential to affect our business. For example, privacy requirements in the European Union (the “EU”) govern the transfer of personal information from the European Economic Area to the United States. In the EU and the United Kingdom, the collection and use of personal data is governed by the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), in addition to other applicable laws and regulations. The GDPR came into effect in May 2018, repealing and replacing the European Union Data Protection Directive, and imposing revised data privacy and security requirements on companies in relation to the processing of personal data of EU and United Kingdom data subjects. The GDPR, together with national legislation, regulations and guidelines of EU member states and the United Kingdom governing the processing of personal data, impose strict obligations with respect to, and restrictions on, the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and processing of personal data. The GDPR authorizes fines for certain violations of up to 4% of a company’s total global annual turnover for the preceding financial year or €20 million, whichever is greater. Such fines are in addition to any civil litigation claims by data subjects. Brexit may also lead to further legislative and regulatory changes and increase our compliance costs. The United Kingdom has transposed the GDPR into domestic law, with a United Kingdom version of the GDPR taking effect in January 2021, after the end of the Brexit transitional period. This could have the result of exposing us to two parallel data privacy regimes in Europe, each of which potentially authorizes significant fines for certain violations. Other jurisdictions outside the EU are similarly introducing or enhancing privacy and data security laws, rules and regulations, which could increase our compliance costs and the risks associated with noncompliance. We cannot guarantee that we are, or will be, in compliance with all applicable international regulations as they are enforced now or as they evolve.
It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices and our efforts to comply with the evolving data protection rules may be unsuccessful. We must devote significant resources to understanding and complying with this changing landscape. Failure to comply with laws regarding privacy and security of personal information could expose us to penalties under such laws, orders requiring that we change our practices, claims for damages or other liabilities, regulatory investigations and enforcement action, litigation and significant costs for remediation, any of which could adversely affect our business.
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 of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. 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, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed discussion of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of the Company’s prospectus captioned “Taxation - United States Federal Income Tax Considerations - U.S. Holders - Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
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 $700,000,000 as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th. 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.
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 the 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.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties
Our executive offices are located at 2170 Buckthorne Place, Suite 320, The Woodlands, Texas, 77380, and our telephone number is (212) 457-9077. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee we will pay to an affiliate of our Sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
To the knowledge of our management, there is no litigation currently pending or contemplated against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
(a) Market Information
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are each traded on the NYSE under the symbol “PNTM.U”, “PNTM” and “PNTM WS” respectively. Our units began trading on January 15, 2021 and our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 (the “Class A ordinary share”) and warrants began trading on March 8, 2021.
(b) Holders
As of February 1, 2023, there was 1 holder of record for our units, 1 holder of record for our Class A ordinary shares, 11 holders of our Class B ordinary shares and 15 holders of our warrants.
(c) Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial conditions subsequent to completion of an initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
(d) Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
(e) Performance Graph
Not applicable.
(f) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings
Unregistered Sales and Use of Proceeds
On October 19, 2020, our Sponsor, paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. On December 23, 2020, January 8, 2021 and January 12, 2021, we effected share capitalizations resulting in our initial shareholders holding 17,250,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after the initial public offering.
On January 15, 2021, we completed our initial public offering of 69,000,000 units, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 9,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, generating gross proceeds of $690,000,000.
Concurrently with the completion of our initial public offering, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,533,333 private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant, or $15,800,000 in the aggregate. The purchase price of the private placement warrants was added to the net proceeds of our initial public offering and placed in the trust account such that the trust account held $705.8 million at the time of closing of our initial public offering. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one (1) share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
In connection with the initial public offering, we incurred offering costs of approximately $24.2 million (including underwriting commissions of $13.8 million and deferred underwriting commissions of approximately $10.4 million). Other incurred offering costs consisted principally preparation fees related to the initial public offering. After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions (excluding the deferred portion, which amount will be payable upon consummation of the initial business combination, if consummated) and the initial public offering expenses, $690 million of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and certain of the proceeds from the private placement of the private placement warrants (or $10.00 per unit sold in the initial public offering) was placed in the trust account. The net proceeds of the initial public offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants are held in the trust account and invested as described elsewhere in this Report.
There has been no material change in the planned use of the proceeds from the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants as is described in our final prospectus related to the initial public offering.
(g) Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]
Not applicable.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Pontem Corporation. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, those described in our other SEC filings.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on October 15, 2020 for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we intend to focus our search on global and regional industrial technology businesses.
We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement of the Private Placement Warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, equity and debt.
The issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
● may significantly dilute the equity interest of our existing investors, 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 or otherwise incur significant debt, it could result in:
● default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
● acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
● our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
● our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
● our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;
● using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
● limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
● increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
● limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
Our Sponsor is Pontem LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The registration statement for our initial public offering became effective on January 12, 2021. On January 15, 2021, we consummated the initial public offering of 69,000,000 units, which includes 9,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, at $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $690.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $38.9 million, of which approximately $24.2 million and approximately $213,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions and deferred legal fees, respectively.
Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of 10,533,333 private placement warrants, at a price of $1.50 per private placement warrant with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, a Switzerland simple partnership, generating gross proceeds of $15.8 million.
Upon the closing of the initial public offering and the private placement, $690.0 million ($10.00 per unit) of the net proceeds of the initial public offering and certain of the proceeds of the private placement were placed in a trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or 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, as determined by us, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the trust account as described below.
If we are unable to complete a Business Combination by July 15, 2023, or such earlier date as determined by our board of directors (taking account into the extension described below), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the 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.
Extension, Redemptions, Trust Deposits and Promissory Notes
On January 13, 2023, our Company held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the “Extraordinary General Meeting”) to vote on the Extension Amendment Proposal, the Trust Amendment Proposal, and an adjournment proposal, each as described in the definitive proxy statement of our Company relating to the Extraordinary General Meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 16, 2022. At the Extraordinary General Meeting, our shareholders approved a proposal (the “Trust Amendment Proposal”) to amend the our investment management trust agreement, dated as of January 12, 2021 (the “IMTA”), by and between our Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), to extend the date by which we have to consummate a business combination from January 15, 2023 to July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the our board of directors (the “Board”) to be in the best interests of our Company (the “Extension”). Following such approval by our Company’s shareholders, our Company and CST entered into the Amendment No. 1 to the IMTA on January 13, 2023 (the “IMTA Amendment”).
In connection with the vote to approve the Extension Amendment Proposal and the Trust Amendment Proposal, the holders of 43,652,840 Class A ordinary shares of our Company properly exercised their right to redeem their shares for cash at a redemption price of approximately $10.16 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $443,355,210. As of January 13, 2023, approximately $257,435,609 remained in the Trust Account, exclusive of any initial Contribution to be made to the Trust Account.
In connection with the shareholders’ approval of the Extension, Pontem LLC, our Sponsor, and HSM-Invest have notified us of their intention to effect a monthly deposit into the Trust Account of $833,333 (up to $5.0 million for six months) as loans to us (each, a “Contribution”) on or prior to the 15th of each month during the Extension, unless the Board otherwise determines to liquidate our Company earlier. The initial Contribution was made on January 13, 2023.
On January 13, 2023, we issued unsecured promissory notes (the “Notes”) each in the principal amount of up to $2.5 million to our Sponsor and HSM-Invest. The Notes are repayable in full upon the date of our initial Business Combination. If we do not complete an initial business combination, the Notes will not be repaid, and all amounts owed under them will be forgiven except to the extent that the Company has funds available to it outside of its Trust Account. The Notes are subject to customary events of default, including cross-default of each Note, the occurrence of which automatically triggers the unpaid principal balance of the Notes and all other sums payable with regard to the Notes becoming immediately due and payable. The Notes were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
Results of Operations
Our entire activity since inception up December 31, 2022 was in preparation for our formation and the initial public offering and after the IPO searching for a target. We will not be generating any operating revenues until the closing and completion of our initial Business Combination.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had net income of approximately $34.8 million, which consisted of a change in fair value of derivative liabilities of approximately $27.2 million, investment income on the Trust Account of approximately $10.0 million, and a change in fair value of Working Capital Loans of approximately $1.1 million, partially offset by a change in the fair value of the Forward Purchase Agreement of approximately $306,000, general and administrative expenses of approximately $2.9 million and general and administrative expenses - related party of approximately $180,000.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we had net income of approximately $9.8 million, which consisted of change in fair value of derivative liabilities of approximately $16.3 million and investment income on the trust account of approximately $76,000, partially offset by change in fair value of the forward purchase agreement of approximately $0.4 million, general and administrative expenses of approximately $4.3 million, general and administrative expenses - related party of $170,000, change in fair value of working capital loans of approximately $8,000 and financing costs related to derivative warrant liabilities of approximately $1.8 million.
Liquidity and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2022, we have approximately $150,000 in our operating bank account and a working capital deficit of approximately $570,000, excluding the balance of the working capital note outstanding with a fair value of approximately $709,000.
Prior to the Initial Public Offering, our liquidity needs to date have been satisfied through a contribution of $25,000 from our Sponsor to cover certain expenses in exchange for our issuance of the Founder Shares, a loan of up to approximately $300,000 from our Sponsor pursuant to a promissory note, of which approximately $227,000 was outstanding just prior to repayment. We repaid the promissory note in full on January 18, 2021.
Subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, the Company’s liquidity needs have been satisfied with the proceeds of $2.0 million from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account, as well as the proceeds from the Working Capital Loans. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors have the ability and intent to provide us Working Capital Loans.
As more fully described in the Notes to our financial statements included herein as Item 1, on April 30, 2021, we entered into a working capital loan agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to which we may borrow up to $1.2 million from our Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to our business and the consummation of the Business Combination. All unpaid principal under the working capital promissory note will be due and payable in full on the effective date of the Business Combination. On September 30, 2021, we entered into an Amended and Restated Agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, that amended the amount we can borrow to be up to $4.0 million. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the principal amount of approximately $1.85 million and $600,000, respectively, was borrowed and outstanding under the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans are presented at fair value on the accompanying balance sheets and were approximately $709,000 and $600,000 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. At December 31, 2022, there was $2.15 million remaining of borrowing capacity under the Working Capital Loans. We believe we may need additional loans from our Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors to meet our needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or the end of the Combination Period.
Over this time period, we would be using the funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Management intends to complete the Business Combination prior to the liquidation date. In connection with management’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the Company’s projected cash needs and mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after the end of the then current Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine and the surrounding region on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that these risks and uncertainties could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On October 19, 2020, we issued 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares to our Sponsor in exchange for the payment of $25,000 from our Sponsor to cover certain expenses on our behalf. Shares and the associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the shares capitalizations on December 23, 2020, January 8, 2021 and January 15, 2021, resulting in an aggregate of 17,250,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. The holders of the founder shares agreed to surrender and cancel up to an aggregate of 2,250,000 founder shares, on a pro rata basis, to the extent that the option to purchase additional units was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the founder shares would represent approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after the initial public offering. On January 15, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised the over-allotment option; thus, these 2,250,000 founder shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
The Initial Shareholders agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) three years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or (ii) the date following the completion of the initial Business Combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 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 one year after the initial Business Combination, the founder shares will be released from the lockup.
Related Party Loans
On October 16, 2020, our Sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 pursuant to a promissory note. The promissory note was non-interest bearing, unsecured and due upon the closing of the initial public offering. We borrowed approximately $227,000 prior to the initial public offering under the Note. We repaid the Note in full on January 18, 2021.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our Sponsor, members of our founding team or any of our affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we will repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
On April 30, 2021, we entered into the Agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to which we may borrow up to $1.2 million from the Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to the business of us and the consummation of the Business Combination. On April 30, 2021, pursuant to the Agreement, we issued a Working Capital Promissory Note for the principal amount of $600,000 to the Sponsor and HSM-Invest, respectively. The Working Capital Promissory Note does not bear any interest. All unpaid principal under the Working Capital Promissory Note will be due and payable in full on the Maturity Date. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, we were not required to repay the Working Capital Promissory Note if it fails to complete the Business Combination. The Sponsor and HSM-Invest would have the option, at any time on or prior to the Maturity Date, to convert up to $1.5 million under the Working Capital Promissory Note into warrants to purchase our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, at a conversion price of $1.50 per warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the same adjustments applicable to the Private Placement Warrants sold concurrently with our Initial Public Offering.
On September 30, 2021, we entered into the Amended and Restated Agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to increase the amount we may borrow up to $4.0 million in the aggregate from the Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to the business of us and the consummation of any business combination by us. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement, we issued restated promissory notes (the “Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes”)in the principal amount of $2.0 million to each of the Sponsor and HSM-Invest. The promissory notes do not bear any interest. All unpaid principal under the Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes will be due and payable in full on the Maturity Date. Pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Agreement, we are not required to repay the Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes if we fail to complete the Business Combination. The Sponsor and HSM-Invest will have the option, at any time on or prior to the Maturity Date, to convert up to $1.5 million under the Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes into warrants to purchase our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, at a conversion price of $1.50 per warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the same adjustments applicable to the Private Placement Warrants sold concurrently with our Initial Public Offering.
In the year ended December 31, 2022, we borrowed an additional $1.25 million under the Working Capital Loans. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, approximately $1.85 million and $600,000 in principal balance, respectively, was drawn under the Working Capital Loans, presented at the estimated fair value of approximately $709,000 and $592,000, respectively, on the accompanying balance sheets. At December 31, 2022, there was $2.15 million remaining of borrowing capacity under these Working Capital Loans.
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing on the date that our securities were first listed on NYSE through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and the liquidation, we agreed to pay our Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of the management team. The Company incurred $120,000 in such fees included as general and administrative expenses to related party on the accompanying statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was no balance due.
In addition, our Sponsor, officers and directors, or our respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial Business Combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account.
Consulting Agreement
On October 15, 2020, we entered into an agreement to obtain consulting services from an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to which we agreed to pay such affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer $5,000 per month. Consulting expenses resulting from such agreement were included within general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statement of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we incurred $60,000 in consulting expenses. In addition, we prepaid $5,000 of such costs, presented as prepaid expenses on the balance sheet.
Forward Purchase Agreement
On January 12, 2021, we entered into a Forward Purchase Agreement with QVIDTVM Management LLC providing for the purchase of up to 15,000,000 Forward Purchase Units, with each unit consisting of one Forward Purchase Share and one Forward Purchase Warrant, in a Private Placement to occur concurrently with the closing of the initial Business Combination. The number of Forward Purchase Units to be purchased by QVIDTVM Management LLC will be subject to the sole discretion of Mr. Alici, who has investment control over the capital committed to such entity, but in no event will be less than 5,000,000 Forward Purchase Units. The obligations under the Forward Purchase Agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares held by Public Shareholders are redeemed by us. The obligation to purchase the Forward Purchase Units is subject to customary closing conditions, including that the initial Business Combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with, and immediately following, the purchase of Forward Purchase Units. The Forward Purchase Shares and Forward Purchase Warrants will be issued only in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination. The proceeds from the sale of forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial Business Combination, expenses in connection with the initial Business Combination or for working capital in the post-transaction company. The Forward Purchase Agreement is accounted for as an asset or liability measured at fair value with changes in fair value reported each period in earnings.
Contractual Obligations
Registration and Shareholder Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans) were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement signed upon the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The holders of these securities were entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we registered such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Pursuant to the forward purchase agreement, we agreed to use our reasonable best efforts (i) to file within 30 days after the closing of a Business Combination a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of the forward purchase shares and the forward purchase warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares), (ii) to cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the initial filing, (iii) to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which our Sponsor or our assignees cease 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 (iv) after such registration statement is declared effective, cause us to conduct firm commitment underwritten offerings, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the forward purchase agreement provides that these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us.
Underwriting Agreement
We granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the prospectus relating to the initial public offering to purchase up to 9,000,000 additional units at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On January 15, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised the over-allotment option.
The underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $13.8 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per unit, or approximately $24.2 million in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Non-binding Letter of Intent
We have entered into a non-binding letter of intent that sets forth the preliminary terms and conditions of a potential business combination with a Target operating a multinational industrial technology business that serves diversified end markets. The Target, which has been in operation for almost forty years, has a blue-chip customer base and is supported by strong shareholders. The Target had approximately $1 billion in revenues in 2021. In addition, the Company has teamed up with an affiliate of a premier alternative asset manager to support the transaction, which the Company expects will increase transaction certainty. The initial exclusivity period contemplated by the non-binding letter of intent expired and the parties are no longer actively engaged in discussions regarding the potential initial business combination.
Completion of the transaction is subject to, among other things, the negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement providing for the transaction, satisfaction of the closing conditions included therein and approval of the transaction by the Company’s shareholders. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be entered into or that the proposed transaction will be consummated.
Deferred Legal Fees
We engaged a legal counsel firm for legal advisory services, and the legal counsel agreed to defer their fees in excess of $350,000. The deferred fee will become payable in the event that we complete a Business Combination. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had deferred legal fees of approximately $4.1 million and $2.8 million in connection with such services on the accompanying balance sheet, respectively.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. A summary of our significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 to our condensed financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report. Certain of our accounting policies are considered critical, as these policies are the most important to the depiction of our financial statements and require significant, difficult or complex judgments, often employing the use of estimates about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain. We believe that our critical accounting policies and estimates have a higher degree of inherent uncertainty and require our most significant judgments. In addition, had we used to estimate different from any of these, our financial statements could have been materially different from those presented. Such policies are summarized below:
Derivative instruments
We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of our financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants and forward purchase agreements, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as assets, liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
We are committed to issue forward purchase units, which are recognized as derivative assets or liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, we recognize forward purchase agreement instruments as assets or liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The assets or liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the statement of operations. The fair value of the units associated with the forward purchase agreement have been estimated utilizing a forward pricing model.
The public warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering and the private placement warrants are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, we recognize the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations. The fair value of the public warrants issued in connection with the Public Offering and private placement warrants were initially measured at fair value using a Monte Carlo simulation model and subsequently, the fair value of the private placement warrants has been estimated using a Modified Black-Scholes model each measurement date. The fair value of public warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering have subsequently been measured based on the listed market price of such warrants. As the transfer of private placement warrants to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the private placement warrants having substantially the same terms as the public warrants, we determined that the fair value of each private placement warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant. The fair value of the Warrants as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 is based on observable listed prices for such warrants. The determination of the fair value of the warrant liability may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly. Derivative warrant liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the initial public offering that were directly related to the initial public offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the initial public offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with warrant liabilities are expensed as incurred, presented as non-operating expenses in the statement of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares were included in temporary equity along with accretion of the Class A ordinary shares. Of the total offering costs of the initial public offering, approximately $1.8 million is included in financing cost - derivative warrant liabilities in the statements of operations. The Company classified deferred underwriting commissions as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, 69,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the balance sheet.
We recognize changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Effective with the closing of the initial public offering, we recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Net Income (Loss) per Ordinary Shares
We comply with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” We have two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted-average shares of ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period.
The calculation of diluted net income (loss) per ordinary share does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering and the private placement to purchase an aggregate of 33,533,333 shares of ordinary shares in the calculation of diluted income (loss) per ordinary share, because their exercise is contingent upon future events. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A ordinary shares is excluded from earnings per ordinary share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions”. The ASU amends ASC 820 to clarify that a contractual sales restriction is not considered in measuring an equity security at fair value and to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value. The ASU applies to both holders and issuers of equity and equity-linked securities measured at fair value. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. The Company is considering the impact of this pronouncement on the financial statements.
Our management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards updates, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act and are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We elected 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.
As an “emerging growth company”, we are not required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Reference is made to Pages through comprising a portion of this Report.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Our management evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our certifying officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2022.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
(1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company,
(2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and
(3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that our internal controls over financial reporting were effective as of December 31, 2022.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of internal controls from our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Directors and Executive Officers
As of the date of this Report, our directors and officers are as follows:
Name
Age
Position
Hubertus Muehlhaeuser
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Burak Alici
Lead Director
Nina Murphy
Chief Financial Officer
James Gentilcore
Director
Robert Bohn
Director
Peter Grosch
Director
Luciano Mozzato
Director
Hubertus Muehlhaeuser is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Muehlhaeuser was the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of CNH from September 2018 to March 2020, which generated revenue of $28 billion in 2019. Mr. Muehlhaeuser helped to strategically reposition CNH by announcing the separation of the company’s on-highway business (IVECO and FPT) from the core off-highway business (Case, New Holland, Steyr) and by focusing on growth and enhancements to the product and technology portfolio while delivering meaningful efficiencies and profit margin improvement. From 2015 to September 2018, Mr. Muehlhaeuser was the President & Chief Executive Officer of Welbilt, helping the company successfully complete its spin-off from Manitowoc in 2016 and acquire and successfully integrate Crem, a leading coffee machine maker. Prior to Welbilt, Mr. Muehlhaeuser served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of AGCO, during which time he contributed to the firm’s nearly doubling of revenue and tripling in market capitalization. Mr. Muehlhaeuser started his career at Arthur D. Little, where he was the global leader of Arthur D. Little´s Strategy & Transformation Practice, working with many of the world´s leading industrial companies. Mr. Muehlhaeuser received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the EBS University for Business and Law.
We believe Mr. Muehlhaeuser’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Burak Alici serves as our Lead Director. He is the Chief Executive Officer of QVIDTVM, a private investment firm focused on long-term capital appreciation with investments to support the growth of mission-driven entrepreneurs and unique global businesses, which he founded in April 2019. Prior to founding QVIDTVM, Mr. Alici served as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where his career spanned 12 years and where he managed the Global Discovery Fund, the number one fund in the Morningstar World Stock category. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Alici managed a multi-strategy investment partnership in Turkey for high net-worth individuals and began his career developing stock selection models for a market neutral hedge fund in Boston. Mr. Alici received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia Business School as a member of the Applied Value Investing Program, a Master of Science in Finance from Boston College, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bogazici University.
We believe Mr. Alici’s extensive experience in business management and investing make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Nina Murphy serves as our Chief Financial Officer. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer of QVIDTVM where she is responsible for all financial management, legal, operations, administration and tax activities, since April 2019. From September 2018 to April 2019, Ms. Murphy was an Executive Director at MSIM on the Private Credit and Equity platform. From 2013 to September 2018, Ms. Murphy was the Chief Financial Officer of KEC Ventures, an early stage venture fund. She has over 25 years of financial, operational and product development experience having helped launch and manage several hedge funds and alternative investment products. In addition to the above, Ms. Murphy’s experience includes serving in chief financial and operating officer at AT Global Capital, a global macro hedge fund. Ms. Murphy received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College.
James Gentilcore is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Gentilcore’s 40-year career includes successful accomplishments in several markets, including technology, industrials and chemicals. Mr. Gentilcore retired in 2018 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PQ Corporation (NYSE: PQG), after leading its successful initial public offering in 2017. He has served as the chief executive officer of two other public companies, and on the board of directors of six public companies, including his current service on the board of Entegris Inc. (Nasdaq: ENTG). Mr. Gentilcore has also worked with private equity investors for over ten years, as both a portfolio chief executive officer and an executive advisor. In addition to his public and private board assignments, Mr. Gentilcore has served on the boards of various industry associations, most recently the American Chemistry Council. Mr. Gentilcore has a BS in Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from Lehigh University.
We believe Mr. Gentilcore’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Robert Bohn is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Bohn is currently serving on the board of directors of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE: MTW) and Carlisle Companies Inc. (NYSE: CSL). Mr. Bohn served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Senior Executive of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) from 1997 until 2010 and as its Chair of the board of directors from 2000 to 2011. Mr. Bohn joined Oshkosh Corporation in 1992 as Group Vice President, and also served as its President from 1994 to 2007 and as its Chief Operating Officer from 1994 to 1997. Prior to joining Oshkosh Corporation, he held various executive positions with Johnson Controls, Inc. from 1985 to 1992 and was a previous board member of Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG), Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH) and Menasha Corporation. Mr. Bohn received an undergraduate degree from Ball State University.
We believe Mr. Bohn’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Peter Grosch is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Grosch is also the Chairman at Innio AG. He served on the board of 3i plc as a nonexecutive director. He was previously a senior advisor to CAPVIS and the Deputy Chairman of SLM Solution AG, Chief Executive Officer and President of Diehl Aerospace and Defence Systems, Executive Vice President of DaimlerChrysler Off-Highway and Managing Director and Board Member of MTU Friedrichhafen (now Rolls Royce Power Systems). Mr. Grosch received an undergraduate degree in Applied Sciences from Ulm University.
We believe Mr. Grosch’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Luciano Mozzato is a member of our board of directors. Mr. Mozzato was previously Executive Vice President of the Power Services Applied Technology Solutions group at Siemens. Prior to its acquisition in 2017 by Siemens, Mr. Mozzato was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Services at Dresser-Rand. Before his tenure at Dresser-Rand, Mr. Mozzato was a senior executive at Otis Elevator where he served as CEO of Otis Italy and was previously Vice President of Otis Latin America and Vice President of Global Supply Chain and Logistics Worldwide. Mr. Mozzato’s senior executive experience in the industrials space extends across multiple operational verticals (including sales, manufacturing and services) and geographies (including the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Europe). Mr. Mozzato received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hartford.
We believe Mr. Mozzato’s extensive experience in business and managing public companies make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of five members and is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on NYSE. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Mr. Grosch, will expire at the 2023 annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Mr. Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, and Mr. Mozzato, will expire at the 2024 general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Mr. Muehlhaeuser and Mr. Alici, will expire at the 2025 annual general meeting.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, the company may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Ordinary Shares appoint any person to be a director of the company. In addition, prior to the closing of an initial business combination, the company by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Ordinary Shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in the initial public offering, our Sponsor, upon consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for appointment to our board of directors, as long as the Sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Director Independence
The NYSE listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the NYSE and Rule 10A of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. Mr. Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato serve as the members of the audit committee, and Mr. Gentilcore chairs the audit committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Mr. Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate, and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Mozzato and Mr. Grosch qualify as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
● assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
● pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the firm has with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
● setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
● meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
● reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Mr. Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato serve as the members of the compensation committee, and Mr. Mozzato chairs the compensation committee. Pursuant to NYSE listing standards, each of Mr. Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
● reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our chief executive officer’s based on such evaluation;
● reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;
● reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
● implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
● assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
● approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
● producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
● reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the payment to an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer of $5,000 per month for consulting services provided to us, the payment of customary fees we may elect to make to members of our board of directors for director service and payment to an affiliate of our Sponsor of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We established a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance committees are Mr.Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato, and Mr. Grosch serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Pursuant to NYSE listing standards, each of Mr.Gentilcore, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Grosch and Mr. Mozzato meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards.
The primary purposes of our nominating and corporate governance committee is to assist the board in:
● identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;
● developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;
● coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and
● reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.
The charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon written request to our principal executive offices. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
Our board of directors has adopted corporate governance guidelines in accordance with the corporate governance rules of the NYSE that serve as a flexible framework within which our board of directors and its committees operate. These guidelines cover a number of areas including board membership criteria and director qualifications, director responsibilities, board agenda, roles of the chairman of the board, chief executive officer and presiding director, meetings of independent directors, committee responsibilities and assignments, board member access to management and independent advisors, director communications with third parties, director compensation, director orientation and continuing education, evaluation of senior management and management succession planning. A copy of our corporate governance guidelines is posted on our website.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
(i) duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
(ii) duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
(iii) directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
(iv) duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
(v) duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
(vi) duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to at least one other entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then- current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individuals
Entity
Entity’s Business
Affiliation
Hubertus
Muehlhaeuser
Tyrol Partners Ltd.
Consulting and Investment Management
Managing Partner
Ballard Power Systems Inc.
Fuel Cell Technology Provider
Director and Member of the Board
Kelvion Holding GmbH
Manufacturer of Heat Exchange Solutions
Chairman of the Board / Shareholder Committee
Black Bruin Oy
Hydraulics Component Manufacturing
Director
Mühlhäuser Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG
Real Estate Investment
Managing Partner
Fläkt Group Holding GmbH
Manufacturer of Indoor Climate Solutions
Chairman of the Board/Shareholder Committee
Burak Alici
QVIDTVM
Investment management
Chief Executive Officer
Ditta Artigianale SRL
Coffee Roaster and Cafes
Director
Roti Restuarants, Inc
Restaurant Chain
Director
Nexxiott AG
SaaS IoT platform for rail industry
Director
Nina Murphy
QVIDTVM
Investment Management
Chief Operating Officer
James
Gentilcore
Entegris Inc.
Specialty Materials and Chemistry for Technology and Life Sciences
Independent Director
Robert Bohn
Carlisle Companies, Inc. (NYSE: CSL)
Diversified Manufacturing
Director
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE: MTW)
Engineering Products and Manufacturing
Director
Peter Grosch
Innio GmbH
Power Generation Equipment
Advisor
Luciano
Mozzato
Caltagirone SpA Italy
Manufacturing
Independent Director
In addition, our Sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
● 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 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 initial shareholders purchased founder shares prior to the date of this Report and purchased private placement warrants in a transaction that will close simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering. HSM-Invest, our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members 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 public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, HSM-Invest, 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 time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) three years after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 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 one year after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lockup. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our officers and directors will own ordinary shares or warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
● Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
● the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
● the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
● it would not be fair to our company and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.
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 completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with 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 or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Furthermore, except for the payment to an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer of $5,000 per month for consulting services provided to us, our Sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will not be paid by the company any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. Further, commencing on the date our securities are first listed on the NYSE, we will also pay our Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team.
We cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, and they and the other members of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and any shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock and other equity securities. These executive officers, directors, and greater than 10% beneficial owners are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms filed by such reporting persons.
Based solely upon our review of the Section 16(a) filings that have been furnished to us and representations by our directors and executive officers (where applicable), we believe that all filings required to be made under Section 16(a) during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 were timely made.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
Officer and Director Compensation
The following disclosure concerns the compensation of our executive officers and directors for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the year ended December 31, 2021.
On October 15, 2020, we entered into an agreement to obtain consulting services from an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to which we agreed to pay $5,000 per month. With the exception of this agreement, none of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Beginning on the date that our securities were first listed on the NYSE through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we paid and will pay our Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team. We may elect to make payment of customary fees to members of our board of directors for director service. In addition, our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation.
Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related shareholder Matters
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of February 1, 2023, based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of shares of our ordinary shares, by:
● each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
● each of our officers and directors;
● each of our advisory board members; and
● all our officers and directors as a group.
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 24,989,662 Class A ordinary shares and 17,250,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding as of February 1, 2023. Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of our ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.
Class B ordinary shares
Class A ordinary shares
Name of Beneficial Owners(1) Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned Approximate
Percentage
of Class
Before
Offering Approximate
Percentage
of Ordinary
Shares Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned Approximate
Percentage
of Class
Pontem LLC (our Sponsor)(2) 8,535,000 49.5 % 20.2 % - -
HSM-Invest 8,535,000 49.5 % 20.2 % - -
Hubertus Muehlhaeuser(3) 8,535,000 49.5 % 20.2 % - -
Burak Alici - - - - -
Nina Murphy - - - - -
Luciano Mozzato 30,000 * * - -
Peter Grosch 30,000 * * - -
Robert Bohn 15,000 * * - -
James Gentilcore 15,000 * * - -
Chris Lynch 15,000 * * - -
Jens-Thomas Pietralla 15,000 * * - -
Wolfgang Deml 15,000 * * - -
Adage Capital Partners, L.P.(4) - - 12.8 % 5,400,000 21.6 %
Adage Capital Partners GP, L.L.C.(4) - - 12.8 % 5,400,000 21.6 %
Adage Capital Advisors, L.L.C.(4) - - 12.8 % 5,400,000 21.6 %
Robert Atchinson(4) - - 12.8 % 5,400,000 21.6 %
Philip Gross(4) - - 12.8 % 5,400,000 21.6 %
Glazer Capital, LLC (5) - - 16.3 % 6,869,900 27.5 %
Paul J. Glazer (5)
16.3 % 6,869,900 27.5 %
* Less than one percent.
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our shareholders is 2170 Buckthorne Place, Suite 320, The Woodlands, TX 77380.
(2) The Sponsor is the record holder of such shares. Our Sponsor is managed by a board of managers comprised of Mr. Alici, Ms. Murphy and Mr. Muehlhaeuser. Each manager has one vote, and the approval of a majority is required to approve an action of our Sponsor. Accordingly, each manager disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities except to the extent of his or her pecuniary interest therein.
(3) Hubertus Muehlhaeuser controls HSM-Invest, and, as such, has voting and investment discretion with respect to the securities held by HSM-Invest. Accordingly, Hubertus Muehlhaeuser may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the securities held directly by HSM-Invest. Hubertus Muehlhaeuser disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
(4) Based solely on the Schedule 13G filed jointly by Adage Capital Partners, L.P. (“Adage Capital”), Adage Capital Partners GP, L.L.C. (“Adage GP”), Adage Capital Advisors, L.L.C. (“Adage Advisors”), Robert Atchinson (“Mr. Atchinson”) and Philip Gross (“Mr. Gross”), with the SEC on January 25, 2021 (i) Adage Capital, a Delaware limited partnership, beneficially owned 5,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares; (ii) Adage GP, a Delaware limited liability company, beneficially owned 5,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares; (iii) Adage Advisors, a Delaware limited liability company, beneficially owned 5,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares; (iv) Mr. Gross beneficially owned 5,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares; and (v) Mr. Atchinson beneficially owned 5,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares. Adage Capital has the power to dispose of and the power to vote the Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by it, which power may be exercised by its general partner, Adage GP. Adage Advisors, as managing member of Adage GP, directs Adage GP’s operations. Neither Adage GP nor Adage Advisors directly own any Class A Ordinary Shares. By reason of the provisions of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act, Adage GP and Adage Capital may be deemed to beneficially own the shares owned by Adage Capital. Messrs. Atchinson and Gross, as managing members of Adage Capital, have shared power to vote the Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by Adage Capital. Neither Mr. Atchinson nor Mr. Gross directly own any Class A Ordinary Shares. By reason of the provisions of Rule 13d-3 of the Act, each may be deemed to beneficially own the shares beneficially owned by Adage Capital. The business address of each of Adage Capital, Adage GP, Adage Advisors, Mr. Atchinson and Mr. Gross is 200 Clarendon Street, 52nd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.
(5) Based solely on the Schedule 13G/A filed jointly by Glazer Capital, LLC a Delaware limited liability company (“Glazer Capital”), with the SEC on February 14, 2023 (i) Glazer Capital directly owns 6,869,900 Class A Ordinary Shares; (ii) Mr. Glazer, who serves as the Managing Member of Glazer Capital, with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares directly held by Glazer Capital, beneficially owns 6,869,900 Class A Ordinary Shares. The business address of each Glazer Capital and Mr. Glazer is 250 West 55th Street, Suite 30A, New York, New York 10019.
Changes in Control
None.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
On October 19, 2020, our Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 14,375,000 founder shares. On December 23, 2020, January 8, 2021 and January 12, 2021, we effected share capitalizations resulting in our initial shareholders holding 17,250,000 founder shares. Following certain transfers of founder shares by our Sponsor to HSM-Invest, each of our independent directors and each of our advisory board members, each of our Sponsor and HSM-Invest currently owns 8,535,000 founder shares, each of our independent directors currently owns 30,000 founder shares, and each member of our advisory board currently owns 15,000 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after the initial public offering.
Our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,533,333 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.50 per warrant, or $15,799,999 in the aggregate in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in the initial public offering except that the private placement warrants, so long as they are held by our Sponsor, HSM-Invest or their permitted transferees, (i) will not be redeemable by us, except as described herein (ii) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) will be entitled to registration rights. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Prior to the consummation of the initial public offering, entered into a forward purchase agreement with QVIDTVM Management providing for the purchase of 15,000,000 forward purchase units, at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the closing of our initial business combination. The number of forward purchase units to be purchased by QVIDTVM Management will be subject to the sole discretion of Mr. Alici, who has investment control over QVIDTVM Management, but in no event will be less than 5,000,000 forward purchase units. The obligation to purchase the forward purchase units is subject to customary closing conditions, including that our initial business combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with, and immediately following, the purchase of forward purchase securities. The proceeds from the sale of forward purchase securities 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.
We currently utilize office space at 2170 Buckthorne Place, Suite 320, The Woodlands, Texas, 77380 from an affiliate our Sponsor as our executive offices. We pay our Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
On October 15, 2020, the company entered into an agreement to obtain consulting services from an affiliate of its Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to which the company agreed to pay such affiliate of its Chief Financial Officer $5,000 per month. The company accrued $5,000 in connection with such services as reflected in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statement of operations and in accrued expenses in the accompanying balance sheet.
Except as described above, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
Prior to the closing of the initial public offering, our Sponsor loaned us funds to be used for a portion of the expenses of the initial public offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of March 31, 2021 or of the closing date of the prior offering. The loan was repaid upon the closing of the offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor 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.
Any of the foregoing payments to our Sponsor, repayments of loans from our Sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration and shareholder rights agreement with respect to the founder shares and private placement warrants, which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders - Registration and Shareholder Rights.”
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors has adopted a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the company’s total assets at year end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy will include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or officers; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee will consider (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party; (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction; (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our code of ethics or other policies; (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders; and (v) the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy will not permit any director or officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Pre-Approval Policy
The following is a summary of fees paid to Marcum LLP, for services rendered.
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements, reviews of our quarterly financial statements and services that are normally provided by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum LLP for audit fees, inclusive of required filings with the SEC for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and of services rendered in connection with our initial public offering, totaled $91,000 and $97,000, respectively.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit of our year-end financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultation concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Marcum LLP any audit-related fees for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Tax Fees. Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. We did not pay Marcum LLP any tax fees for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
All Other Fees. All other fees consist of fees billed for all other services. We did not pay Marcum LLP any other fees for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statements Schedules
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K:
(1) Financial Statements:
Page No.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Financial Statements:
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021
Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Statements of Changes in Shareholder’s Deficit for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Notes to Financial Statements
(2) Financial Statement Schedules:
None.
(3) Exhibits
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Exhibit No.
Description
3.1
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.(2)
3.2
Amendment to Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association(6)
4.1
Form of Specimen Unit Certificate.(3)
4.2
Form of Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate.(3)
4.3
Form of Specimen Warrant Certificate.(3)
4.4
Description of Registrant’s Securities.(5)
10.1
Warrant Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company.(2)
10.2
Letter Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, among the Company, HSM-Invest, the Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors.(2)
10.3
Investment Management Trust Account Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company.(2)
10.4
Amendment No. 1 to Investment Management Trust Account Agreement, dated as of January 13, 2023, by and between the Company and CST(6)
10.5
Registration and Shareholder Rights Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, among the Company, HSM-Invest, the Sponsor, certain directors of the Company and members of the advisory board of the Company.(2)
Exhibit No.
Description
10.6
Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, between the Company, HSM-Invest and the Sponsor.(2)
10.7
Administrative Services Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, between the Company and the Sponsor. (2)
10.8
Forward Purchase Agreement, dated January 12, 2021, between the Company and QVIDTVM Management LLC.(2)
10.9
Amended and Restated Working Capital Loan Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2021, among the Company, the Sponsor and HSM-Invest.(4)
10.10
Second Amended and Restated Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of January 8, 2021, between the Sponsor and the Company.(1)
10.11
Consulting Agreement, dated as of October 15, 2020, between Islander LLC and the Company.(3)
31.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a).*
31.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a).*
32.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and 18 U.S.C. 1350**
32.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and 18 U.S.C. 1350**
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
(1) Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement, filed with the SEC on January 11, 2021.
(2) Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 19, 2021.
(3) Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement, filed with the SEC on January 6, 2021.
(4) Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on October 4, 2021.
(5) Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2022.
(6) Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 13, 2023.