EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1893219
Filing Year: 2024
Filename: 1893219_10-K_2024_0001193125-24-081194.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated in May 2021 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this Annual Report as our initial business combination. Prior to executing the Business Combination Agreement (as defined below), our efforts were limited to organizational activities, completion of our initial public offering and evaluation of possible business combination targets. We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
Company History
In October 2021, the Sponsor purchased 7,187,500 shares of Founder Shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share. Due to the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their overallotment option (discussed below), 3,750 shares were forfeited. In October 2021, the Sponsor transferred 50,000 Founder Shares to each of Ms. Lord, Mr. Kahlon, Mr. Stanwood, Mr. Dove and Mr. Schiano in compensation for their services as independent directors of ours. In January 2022, we effectuated a 1.044-for-1 stock split, resulting in an aggregate of 7,503,750 Founder Shares outstanding. The number of Founder Shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the Founder Shares would represent approximately 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of the ACAB IPO.
On January 19, 2022, we consummated the ACAB IPO of 30,000,000 units (inclusive of the over-allotment units described below), with each unit consisting of one share of Series A common stock and one-half of one public warrant. Each whole public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds to us of $300,000,000. On the date of the ACAB IPO, the underwriters purchased 3,900,000 units (the “over-allotment units”) pursuant to their partial exercise of the over-allotment option, generating gross proceeds of $39,000,000.
Simultaneous with the consummation of the ACAB IPO, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 13,850,000 private placement warrants to the Sponsor at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total proceeds of $13,850,000. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Series A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments. Of the gross proceeds received from the ACAB IPO and the private placement warrants, $306,000,000 was placed in the trust account (the “trust account”).
On March 4, 2022, we announced that, commencing March 7, 2022, holders of the units may elect to separately trade the shares of Series A common stock and the warrants included in the units. Those units not separated continued to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “ACABU” and the shares of Series A common stock and warrants that were separated trade under the symbols “ACAB” and “ACABW,” respectively. No fractional warrants were issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants trade.
On April 18, 2023, in connection with approval of the charter amendment proposal to extend the date by which ACAB must consummate a business combination to December 19, 2023, holders of an aggregate of 26,564,308 shares of Series A common stock exercised, and did not reverse, their right to redeem their shares and as a result, such holders received a payment of approximately $10.41 per share that they redeemed. The funds held in the trust account have been on deposit in a demand deposit bank account, owned and controlled by the trustee since December 29, 2023. In connection with such charter amendment, the Sponsor entered into non-redemption agreements with several unaffiliated third parties and agreed to transfer, after consummation of a business combination, an aggregate of 825,225 shares of Series A common stock to such parties in exchange for them agreeing not to redeem their Series A common stock. On December 15, 2023, in connection with the approval of the charter amendment proposal to further extend the date by which ACAB must consummate a business combination to September 19, 2024 (subject to additional approval by the ACAB Board), holders of an aggregate of 2,768,301 shares of Series A common stock exercised, and did not reverse, their right to redeem their shares, and as a result, such holders received a payment of approximately $10.74 per share redeemed. After such redemptions, and as of December 31, 2023, there was approximately $7.2 million in the trust account.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
On December 15, 2023, the stockholders of ACAB approved the proposal to extend the Completion Window to March 19, 2024 and further provide that the ACAB Board may, without another stockholder vote, further extend the Completion Window on a monthly basis up to six times by an additional one month each time thereafter by resolution of the ACAB Board, if requested by the Sponsor, until September 19, 2024, subject in each case to certain advance notice requirements. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 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 and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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 aforementioned time period.
Voting Restrictions in Connection with the Special Meeting
The Initial Stockholders of record are entitled to vote an aggregate of one (1) share of Series B common stock (held by the Sponsor) prior to consummation of the business combination. The Sponsor has agreed to vote any Founder Shares and any Public Shares held by them as of the ACAB Record Date in favor of each of the proposals presented at the Special Meeting.
On April 18, 2023, the Series B Holders voluntarily converted 7,499,999 shares of Series B common stock of ACAB they held as of such date into 7,499,999 shares of Series A common stock of the Company in accordance with the charter amendment to extend the date by which a business combination must be consummated to December 19, 2023. With respect to shares of Series A common stock that they received as result of the Conversion, the Series B Holders (i) agreed that they would not vote such stock until after the closing of a business combination and (ii) acknowledged that such stock would not be entitled to any distribution from ACAB’s trust account. On December 15, 2023, ACAB held a special meeting of stockholders to approve a charter amendment proposal to further extend the date by which ACAB must consummate a business combination to September 19, 2024 (subject to additional approval by the ACAB Board). In connection with the December 15, 2023 stockholder meeting, holders of an aggregate of 2,768,301 shares of Series A common stock exercised, and did not reverse, their right to redeem their shares, and as a result, such holders received a payment of approximately $10.74 per share redeemed. As a result of the Conversion and the results of the stockholder meetings described above, ACAB has an aggregate of 8,167,390 shares of Series A common stock outstanding and one (1) share of Series B common stock (held by the Sponsor) outstanding.
Business Combination Agreement with Abpro Corporation
On December 11, 2023, we entered into a business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Abpro Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”) and Abpro Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Abpro”) pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Abpro, with Abpro surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACAB (such merger, and the ancillary transactions related thereto, the “Business Combination”). In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, ACAB will change its corporate name to “Abpro Corporation.” The respective boards of directors of ACAB and Abpro have duly approved the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions. The terms of the Business Combination Agreement, which contains customary representations and warranties, covenants, closing conditions, termination provisions and other terms related to the proposed business combination and the other transactions contemplated thereby are summarized in greater detail in the Current Report on Form 8-K we filed with the SEC on December 12, 2023 and in the Registration Statement on Form S-4 we filed with the SEC (the “Registration Statement”) on January 19, 2024.
Upon consummation of the Business Combination (assuming no public shares have been redeemed and no public warrants have been exercised), we will have a total of 48,014,290 shares of Series A common stock outstanding, consisting of (i) 38,846,674 shares issued to holders of shares of common stock of Abpro, (ii) 667,391 shares held by our public stockholders and (iii) 3,541,667 shares held by the Initial Stockholders, (iv) 1,808,558 shares transferred to investors (v) 1,150,000 shares issued to service providers and (vi) 2,000,000 issued to PIPE Investors.
Upon consummation of the Business Combination (assuming that holders of 453,028 public shares exercise their redemption rights (representing the maximum redemptions consistent with satisfying the minimum cash condition at an assumed redemption price of $10.20 per share) and no public warrants have been exercised), we will have a total of 47,561,262 shares of Series A common stock outstanding, consisting of (i) 38,846,674 shares issued to holders of shares of common stock of Abpro, (ii) 214,363 shares held by ACAB’s public stockholders and (iii) 3,541,667 shares held by the Initial Stockholders, (iv) 1,808,558 shares transferred to investors (v) 1,150,000 shares issued to service providers and (vi) 2,000,000 issued to PIPE Investors.
The numbers of shares and percentage interests set forth above are based on a number of assumptions, including that ACAB and Abpro do not issue any additional equity securities prior to the Business Combination. If the actual facts differ from our assumptions, the numbers of shares and percentage interests set forth above will be different.
Merger Consideration
Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, upon the closing of the Business Combination (the “Closing Date”):
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Each outstanding share of Abpro common stock will be cancelled and converted into (i) the right to receive a pro rata share of 72.5 million shares of Series A Common Stock (22.5 million of which shares will be set aside and equally divided among the Sponsor, Abpro and Abpro Bio Co., Ltd. for each such party to use in the PIPE Financing or to obtain capital for ACAB or the Post-Combination Company (such shares, the “Abpro Incentive Shares”). Any of the Abpro Incentive Shares that are not used or allocated by the Sponsor, Abpro or Abpro Bio Co., Ltd. by the Closing shall be deemed forfeited and shall not be issued to any other
party) (ii) the right to receive a pro rata portion of up to 14,500,000 additional shares of Series A common stock (the “Earn-out Shares”), to be earned 1/3 if the volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) of the Post-Combination Company’s stock is above $13.00 for any 20 trading days within any consecutive 30 trading day period; 1/3 if such VWAP is above $15.00; and 1/3 if such VWAP is above $18.00, at any point prior to the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date.
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Each outstanding Abpro option will be converted into an option to purchase a number of shares of Series A Common Stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share) equal to (A) the number of shares of Abpro common stock subject to such option immediately prior to the Effective Time, multiplied by (B) the Exchange Ratio, at an exercise price per share equal to the current exercise price per share for such option divided by the Exchange Ratio (rounded up to the nearest whole cent).
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Each outstanding Abpro RSU (whether vested or unvested) will be converted into restricted shares of Series A Common Stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share) equal to (A) the number of shares of Abpro common stock subject to such RSU immediately prior to the Effective Time, multiplied by (B) the Exchange Ratio.
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Prior to closing, each outstanding share of Abpro preferred stock will be converted into shares of Abpro common stock in accordance with its terms, equal to the number of shares of Abpro common stock obtained by dividing the liquidation preference of such share of Abpro preferred stock by the Exchange Ratio.
Following the Merger, it is contemplated that the Post-Combination Company will have a single class of common stock.
Sponsor Letter Agreement
On December 11, 2023, in connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, Sponsor entered into an agreement with ACAB, Abpro and Abpro Bio International, Inc. (the “Sponsor Letter Agreement”), whereby Sponsor agrees to (i) retain 2.95 million shares of ACAB Series A common stock held by it, (ii) divide 2,458,333 shares of ACAB Series A common stock held by it among the Sponsor, who will be entitled to 491,667 of the shares, Abpro, who will be entitled to 983,333 of the shares, and Abpro Bio International, Inc. who will be entitled to 983,333 of the shares, for such party to use to obtain non-redemption commitments from ACAB stockholders or other capital for ACAB or the Post-Combination Company (with any shares unused for such purpose to be retained by such party) and (iii) forfeit the remainder of any ACAB Series A common stock and ACAB Series B common stock held by it.
Sponsor Support Agreement
In connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, the Sponsor entered into the Sponsor Support Agreement with ACAB and Abpro. Under the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Sponsor agreed to vote, at any meeting of the stockholders of ACAB and in any action by written consent of the stockholders of ACAB, all of its shares of Series B common stock (together with any other equity securities of ACAB that it holds of record or beneficially, as of the date of the Sponsor Support Agreement, or of which it acquires record or beneficial ownership after the date thereof, the “Subject ACAB Equity Securities”) (i) in favor of (a) the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby and (b) the other proposals that ACAB and Abpro agreed in the Business Combination Agreement shall be submitted at such meeting for approval by ACAB’s stockholders (together with the proposal to obtain the ACAB stockholders’ approval for the Business Combination, the “Required Transaction Proposals”) and (ii) against any proposal that conflicts or materially impedes or interferes with any Required Transaction Proposals or that would adversely affect or delay the Business Combination. The Sponsor Support Agreement also prohibits the Sponsor from, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, transferring any Subject ACAB Equity Securities held by the Sponsor or taking any action that would have the effect of preventing or materially delaying the Sponsor from performing its obligations under the Sponsor Support Agreement, until the earlier of the Closing or the termination of the Sponsor Support Agreement according to its terms. In addition, in the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Sponsor agrees to waive, and not to assert or perfect, among other things, any rights to adjustment or other anti-dilution protections with respect to the rate at which the shares of Series B common stock held by the Sponsor convert into shares of Series A common stock in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement. An aggregate of 6,374,774 shares of Series A common stock and 1 share of Series B common stock are subject to the Sponsor Support Agreement.
Abpro Support Agreements
On December 11, 2023, certain Abpro stockholders (the “Abpro Supporting Stockholders”) entered into support agreements with Abpro (the “Abpro Support Agreements”). Under the Abpro Support Agreements, each Abpro Supporting Stockholder agreed, within 48 hours after the date that the Proxy/Information Statement is disseminated by Abpro to its stockholders following the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, to execute and deliver a written consent with respect to all outstanding shares of Abpro common stock and Abpro preferred stock held by such Abpro Supporting Stockholder (the “Subject Abpro Shares”) approving the Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby (including the Business Combination). In addition to the foregoing, each Abpro Supporting Stockholder agreed that, at any meeting of the holders of Abpro capital stock, each such Abpro Supporting Stockholder will appear at the meeting, in person or by proxy, and cause its Subject Abpro Shares to be counted as present thereat for purposes of calculating a quorum and voted (i) to approve and adopt the Business Combination Agreement, the transactions contemplated thereby (including the Business Combination), and any other matters necessary or reasonably requested by Abpro for consummation of the Business Combination, and (ii) against any proposal that conflicts or materially impedes or interferes with, or would adversely affect or delay, the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (including the Business Combination).
The Abpro Support Agreements also prohibits the Abpro Supporting Stockholders from, prior to the Effective Time, among other things, (i) selling, assigning, transferring (including by operation of law), placing a lien on, pledging, disposing of or otherwise encumbering any of the Subject Abpro Shares, except if such transaction is in compliance with applicable securities laws, the governing documents of Abpro and the Business Combination Agreement, and the transferee agrees to be bound by the terms of the Abpro Support Agreement (ii) pledging, encumbering or creating a Lien on any Subject Abpro Shares or entering into any contract, option, commitment or other arrangement or understanding with respect to the foregoing, (iii) granting any proxies or powers of attorney or entering into a voting agreement or other arrangement with respect to any Subject Abpro Shares, or (iv) taking any action in furtherance of the foregoing.
Company Lock-Up Agreements
Prior to closing, certain Abpro stockholders will enter into lock-up agreements (the “Abpro Lock-up Agreements”), pursuant to which Abpro stockholders will agree not to transfer, following the closing, such Abpro stockholder’s shares of common stock of the Post-Combination Company (“ACAB New Common Shares”) constituting such Abpro stockholder’s merger consideration until the earlier of (x) the twelve month anniversary of the date of the closing, (y) if the reported last sale price of the shares of ACAB New Common Shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, right issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period commencing at least one-hundred and fifty (150) days after the closing, and (z) the date after the Closing on which the Post-Combination Company consummates a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction with an unaffiliated third party that results in all of the Post-Combination Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their common stock of the Post-Combination Company for cash, securities or other property.
Our directors and officers are as follows:
Shahraab Ahmad has been our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2021. Mr. Ahmad also served as Chief Executive Officer of ACA I from December 2020 until October 2023 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACA since December 2020. Prior to this, he most recently served as the Chief Investment Officer for Decca Capital Ltd, a fund founded by Mr. Ahmad that invested across capital structures in the U.S. and Europe from April 2015 until December 2018. Prior to his tenure at Decca Capital Ltd, Mr. Ahmad served as a portfolio manager for Hutchin Hill Capital, LP from 2008 to 2013 and Sailfish Capital Partners, LLC from 2005 to 2008 and J.P. Morgan from 1999 to 2004, where he last co-headed the High Yield Credit trading group. At J.P. Morgan, Mr. Ahmad managed credit portfolios across the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Ahmad holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Wesleyan University and studied corporate finance at the London School of Economics. We believe Mr. Ahmad’s eight years of experience investing in private technology companies and 20 years of investment experience as an investor across capital structures and hedge fund manager make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Anthony D. Eisenberg serves as our Chief Strategy Officer and has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Eisenberg also served as Chief Strategy Officer and a director of ACA I from February 2021 to October 2023. Since 2013, Mr. Eisenberg has managed Tappan Street, a multi-strategy family office with expertise in environmental, social and corporate governance principles and private market investments. Since March 2020, Mr. Eisenberg has also served on the board of advisors of Komma, a mobility company targeting the urban mobility vehicle market. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Eisenberg served on the board of advisors of Michigan Income Principal-Protected Growth Fund, an impact investing fund in partnership with the State of Michigan and the US Department of Treasury and led the firm’s development activities. Mr. Eisenberg began his career in politics working in the Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Patton Boggs and the D.C. based research group Marwood Group, prior to his principal investing career, which began at the hedge fund Christofferson Robb & Company. Mr. Eisenberg holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University-The McDonough School of Business, a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.B.A. in Finance and Political Science from the University of Miami. We believe Mr. Eisenberg’s experience in public policy and expertise in private market investments makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Jason Chryssicas has been our Chief Financial Officer and has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Chryssicas also served as Chief Financial Officer of ACA I from April 2022 to October 2023. Over the course of his career, Mr. Chryssicas has served in a variety of leadership positions within financial services and capital markets, including Investor Relations, Investment Banking, Corporate Development and Strategy. Mr. Chryssicas has served in various roles at Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners Inc. since 2013 including his current role as Head of Investor Relations at both firms. Prior to this, Mr. Chryssicas held positions at Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young. Mr. Chryssicas holds a B.A. in Accounting from Western Washington University. We believe Mr. Chryssicas’ experience in financial services, capital markets and investor relations makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Burt Jordan has been our president since November 2021 and has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Jordan also served as president and a director of ACA I from December 2020 to October 2023. Mr. Jordan was an executive at Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) (“Ford”) from July 1999 until July 2020, where he most recently served as vice president of Global Purchasing Operations and Supply Chain Sustainability. At Ford, Mr. Jordan was responsible for Ford’s commodity-related and Indirect Purchasing and Supplier Sourcing program around the world for the past 10 years. In June 2020, Mr. Jordan was named the 2020 CPO of the Year by the National Minority Supplier
Development Council, which recognized his impactful leadership within Ford and the larger supplier-diversity community. Mr. Jordan holds a B.B.A. in Business Administration from Alma College. We believe Mr. Jordan’s extensive experience as a senior executive of a major automobile corporation and his demonstrated leadership skills make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Joanna Lord has served as a director since January 2022. Ms. Lord also served as a director of ACA I from December 2020 to October 2023. Since June 2021, Ms. Lord has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Reforge Inc. Prior to joining Reforge, Ms. Lord served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Skyscanner LTD from January 2019 until December 2020 and ClassPass from 2016 to 2019 and the Vice President of Marketing at Porch from 2014 to 2016. Ms. Lord received her M.A. in Communications from Pepperdine University and B.A. in Journalism/Communications from St. Michaels College. We believe Ms. Lord’s 15 years of marketing leadership experience in technology companies makes her well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Bryan Dove has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Dove also served as a director of ACA I from February 2021 to October 2023. Since April 2021, Mr. Dove has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CommerceHub. Additionally, since September 2020, Mr. Dove has served as the Chairperson of Travalyst. Prior to this, Mr. Dove was an executive at Skyscanner LTD from June 2015 until June 2020, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dove was also a director at Skyscanner LTD from 2018 to 2020. Prior to joining Skyscanner, Mr. Dove held several senior leadership positions within the technology industry at Amazon (2014 to 2015), Microsoft (2009 to 2014), and Eclipsys Corporation (2004 to 2009). Bryan also served as a board director at a privately held artificial intelligence company specializing in the real estate and financial sectors (July 2020 to April 2021). We believe Mr. Dove’s experience as a CEO and senior executive leading and scaling high-growth companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Curtis Collar has served as a director since November 2023. Mr. Collar has served as Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Nanotech Energy since April 2022. Before joining Nanotech Energy, Mr. Collar served as DuPont’s Global Technology Manager - Electric Vehicles from January 2020 to April 2022. He and his global teams identified, developed, and commercialized new technologies that created competitive advantages, aiming to improve the range, efficiency, and safety of EVs, and developed collaborations with some of the sector’s biggest names. Previous roles had seen him responsible for building, developing, and leading the inaugural technical roadmap and technical teams for electric vehicles at SABIC from 2015 to 2020. Prior to those roles he spent time at several smaller companies building and executing business plans, delivering robust business pipelines from the ground up in various material technologies including plastics, coatings, adhesives and textiles, and subsequent applications. Mr. Collar received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University. We believe Mr. Collar’s experience as a senior executive and his technical expertise makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Darren Stanwood has served as a director since January 2022. Since October 2015, Mr. Stanwood has served as the managing member of Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC, a private investment and retail advisory firm focused on the global consumer and retail sectors. Mr. Stanwood received his B.S.B.A. in Marketing/Economics from the Suffolk University-Sawyer School of Management. We believe Mr. Stanwood’s experience in investing in the global consumer and retail industries makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Dominick J. Schiano has served as a director since January 2022. Since July 2007, Mr. Schiano has served as the President and Co-Founding Partner of Evergreen. Evergreen supports private equity sponsors by sourcing investment opportunities, and providing strategic, operational, and financial guidance with respect to portfolio company investments in the industrial sector. Mr. Schiano is a Senior Advisor to The Gores Group LLC and past President of Gores Holdings II, Inc. (NASDAQ: GSHTU) that successfully merged with Verra Mobility Corp. (NASDQ: VRRM) in 2017. Evergreen has also previously been engaged by TowerBrook Capital Partners where Mr. Schiano was a member of the Management Advisory Board and by DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse where he served as Vice Chairman-Global Industrial Partners. Mr. Schiano has also served on numerous local government, private company, joint venture and public company boards, including STR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: STRI) where he served on the Audit and Special Transaction Committees and Material Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MASC) where he served on the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees and led the Special Committee responsible for its sale in 2013. Prior to forming Evergreen, Mr. Schiano served as a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee of Questor Partners Funds. Previously, Mr. Schiano served in various senior executive roles at Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), TRW Inc, Wickes Companies Inc., and its predecessor, Gulf+Western Industries Inc. Mr. Schiano attended Long Island University, majoring in Finance, and has completed the University of Pennsylvania-Wharton School Management Development Program and the Northwestern University-Kellogg School Mergers and Acquisitions Program. We believe Mr. Schiano’s experience in providing investment advisory services and co-investing with private equity sponsors makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
In addition to our management team, we are supported by the following special advisor:
Apeiron Investment Group is the family office and merchant banking business of Christian Angermayer. Apeiron Investment Group provides strategic and operational support for a variety of investment initiatives and entrepreneurial pursuits. The firm invests across all phases of a company’s life cycle with an emphasis on early-stage opportunities. Apeiron has investment expertise in financial services, deep technology, life sciences, media & entertainment and real estate technology. Apeiron has several significant portfolio investments, including: ATAI Life Sciences AG, CRYPTOLOGY Asset Group PLC, Rejuveron Life Sciences AG, Presight Capital, Elevate Capital and Apeiron Advisory LTD, which serve specific mandates as part of Apeiron Investment Group’s broader strategy. Apeiron Investment Group also serves as a special advisor to ACA I.
We filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or 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.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
None of our founders, executive officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of Series A common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination , although they are under no obligation to do so. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. There is no limit on the number of shares or warrants such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions.
In the event our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases of public shares at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. If any of our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We cannot currently determine whether any of our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as that would be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to the timing and size of any such purchase. Depending on the circumstances, any of our insiders may decide to make purchases of our securities pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or may determine that acting pursuant to such a plan is not required under the Exchange Act.
Our founders, executive officers, directors and their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom they may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our founders, executive officers, directors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination.
We do not currently anticipate that purchases of our public shares or public warrants by any of our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of our founders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will purchase shares of our common stock if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption Rights
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares of common stock without voting and, if they do vote, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid (which taxes may be paid only from the interest earned on the funds in the trust account). Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of Series A common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.
We may also require public stockholders seeking redemption, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery
must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.
Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder will have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his redemption rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.
The foregoing is different from the procedures historically used by some blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect redemption rights in connection with a blank check company’s business combination, the company would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him to deliver his certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the consummation of the business combination during which he could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he could sell his shares in the open market before actually delivering his shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become a “continuing” right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to redeem his shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Amy request to redeem such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their redemption and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the proposed business combination not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).
If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.
Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only until September 19, 2024 to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to the Corporation to pay taxes (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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 15 month time period.
Our founders, executive officers and directors have agreed (pursuant to a written letter agreement with us filed as an exhibit to the registration statement filed in connection with our initial public offering) that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would stop our public stockholders from redeeming their shares of Series A common stock in connection with a business combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination prior to September 19, 2024 unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Series A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our founders, any executive officer or director, or any other person.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our
outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business combination within the prescribed time frame, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 15 month anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering, and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the DGCL, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.
We are required to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after our initial public offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact as there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Our underwriters and auditor are the only third parties we are currently aware of that may not execute a waiver. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes, 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 and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in certain instances. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.20 per share.
We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than ten business days to effectuate such distribution. Our founders have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that we are permitted to withdraw to pay such expenses.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of our initial public offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.20. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period or if the stockholders seek to redeem their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our charter documents as described elsewhere herein. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our founders will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to founder shares. Additionally, any loans made by our officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates for working capital needs will be forgiven and not repaid if we are unable to complete an initial business combination.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.20 per share.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after fifteen months from the closing of our initial public offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to our initial public offering that apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions, including provisions regarding the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least 65% of our common stock. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would stop our public stockholders from redeeming or selling their shares to us in connection with a business combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination prior to September 19, 2024, we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our founders, any executive officer or director, or any other person. Our founders, executive officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any common stock held by them, and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
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we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the
aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
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we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted at a stockholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination;
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if our initial business combination is not consummated prior to September 19, 2024, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve the Company;
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we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and
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prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the Series A common stock sold in our initial public offering on any matter.
Human Capital/Employees
We are a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to our initial public offering. We have not yet implemented any material human capital management objectives or human resources programs.
We currently have 4 executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the Company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements
We have registered our units, Series A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.
We may be required to have our internal control procedures audited for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

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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 carefully consider all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Company
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenue, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check company with no operating results, and we just recently commenced operations following the closing of our initial public offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses.
Past performance by our management team or Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in our company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team or ACA I is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in our company or the returns our company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
In addition, certain of our executive officers and directors previously served as executive officers and directors of ACA I, which went public in March 2021. In December 2021, ACA I announced a definitive agreement for a business combination with Essentium, Inc., a leading innovator of industrial additive manufacturing solutions. Such definitive agreement was subsequently terminated on February 9, 2022.
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 the 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, and instead be required to liquidate. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including registration as an investment company with the SEC, adoption of a specific form of corporate structure and reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule3a-1 promulgated under 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 consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.64 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
To mitigate the risk of us being deemed to have been operating as an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act), on December 29, 2023, we instructed the Trustee with respect to the Trust Account, to liquidate the U.S. government securities or money market funds held in the Trust Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash (which may include demand deposit accounts) until the earlier of the consummation of our business combination or liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of securities in the Trust Account we will receive minimal interest on the funds held in the Trust Account, which would reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of ACAB. Because the funds in the Trust Account were previously held in such U.S. government securities or money market funds for a period of almost 24 months, there is a greater risk that ACAB will be deemed to be an unregistered investment company under the Investment Company Act.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including restrictions on the nature of our investments and restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including registration as an investment company with the SEC, adoption of a specific form of corporate structure and reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule3a-1 promulgated under 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 consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.64 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
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. Due to the political uncertainty involving Russia and Ukraine and the Middle East, there is an increased likelihood that escalation of tensions could result in cyber attacks that could either directly or indirectly impact 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 the business, investments and results of our operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we are 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 the business, investments and results of our operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
The SEC has recently issued final rules relating to certain activities of SPACs. Certain of the procedures that we, a potential business combination target or others may determine to undertake in connection with such proposals may increase our costs and the time needed to complete our initial business combination and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination. The need for compliance with the SPAC Final Rules (defined below) may cause us to liquidate the funds in the Trust Account or liquidate the Company at an earlier time than we might otherwise choose.
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules (the “SPAC Proposed Rules”) relating to, among other items, enhancing disclosures in business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; amending the financial statement requirements applicable to transactions involving shell companies; effectively eliminating the safe harbor relating to the use of projections in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increasing the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, including a proposed rule that would provide SPACs a safe harbor from treatment as an investment company if they satisfy certain conditions that limit a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose, and activities. On January 24, 2024, the SEC announced final rules substantially similar to the SPAC Proposed Rules (the “SPAC Final Rules”), which will become effective on July 1, 2024. These rules may materially increase the costs and time needed to complete the business combination or impair our ability to complete the business combination.
There has been and may in the future be diversity in the capital structure, financial accounting policies, and resultant financial reporting by SPACs, which may have a material effect on our financial results.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued a statement related to warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies, which resulted in the warrants issued by many special purpose acquisition companies being classified as liabilities rather than equity as previously reported. While we are accounting for our warrants as equity, further statements by the SEC relating to accepted accounting of special purpose acquisition companies could result in the correction of accounting errors in previously issued financial statements, restatements of previously issued audited financial statements, the filing of notices that previously issued financial statements may not be relied upon and findings of material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting.
We have identified a material weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures that, if unsuccessfully remediated, could adversely affect our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis and to consummate an initial business combination.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures contained a material weakness as of September 30, 2023 which remains unremedied as of December 31, 2023 due to the Company not filing timely tax returns, utilizing cash withdrawn from the trust account for tax obligations for operating purposes and over-accrual of expenses. Failure to achieve and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures could adversely affect our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis and to consummate an initial business combination. If we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses, as described in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed December 15, 2023.
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, and any persons who may become officers or directors prior to an initial business combination will agree, 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 (a) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (b) we consummate an Initial Business Combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
The Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase Public Shares from public stockholders, which may influence the vote on the Business Combination Proposal and reduce the public “float” of our Series A common stock.
The Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase Public Shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of the Business Combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of Public Shares the Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are in excess of the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase Public Shares in such transactions. None of the Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller of such Public Shares or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase could include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of such Public Shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights, and could include a contractual provision that directs such stockholder to vote such shares in a manner directed by the purchaser.
In the event that the Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares.
The purpose of any such purchases of Public Shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the Business Combination or to satisfy a closing condition in the Business Combination Agreement, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our Public Shares may result in the completion of the 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 the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Series A common stock 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. See the section entitled “The Business Combination - Potential Purchases of Public Shares” for a description of how the Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will select which stockholders or warrantholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, 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 the ACAB board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of ACAB board of directors to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, 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 stockholders 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 all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing it and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, 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 stockholders and the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Termination of the Business Combination Agreement could negatively impact ACAB.
If the Business Combination is not completed for any reason, including as a result of Abpro stockholders declining to adopt the Business Combination Agreement or ACAB stockholders declining to approve the proposals required to effect the Business Combination, the ongoing business of ACAB may be adversely impacted and, without realizing any of the anticipated benefits of completing the Business Combination, ACAB would be subject to a number of risks, including the following:
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ACAB may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on its stock price (including to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the Business Combination will be completed);
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ACAB may experience negative reactions from its vendors and employees;
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ACAB will have incurred substantial expenses and will be required to pay certain costs relating to the Business Combination, whether or not the Business Combination is completed; and
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Since the Business Combination Agreement restricts the conduct of ACAB’s business prior to completion of the Business Combination, ACAB may not have been able to take certain actions during the pendency of the Business Combination that would have benefitted it as an independent company, and the opportunity to take such actions may no longer be available.
If the Business Combination Agreement is terminated and the ACAB Board seeks another merger or business combination, ACAB stockholders cannot be certain that ACAB will be able to find another acquisition target that would constitute a business combination or that such other merger or business combination will be completed.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination on or prior to March 19, 2024 (or September 19, 2024, subject to approval by the ACAB Board), our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account (or less than $10.20 per share in certain circumstances where a third party brings a claim against us that the Sponsor is unable to indemnify), and our warrants will expire worthless.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination on or prior to March 19, 2024 (or September 19, 2024, subject to approval by the ACAB Board), our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account (or less than $10.20 per share in certain circumstances where a third party brings a claim against us that the Sponsor is unable to indemnify (as described below)), and our warrants will expire worthless. On December 15, 2023, the stockholders of ACAB approved the proposal to extend the Completion Window to March 19, 2024 and further provide that the ACAB Board may, without another stockholder vote, further extend the Completion Window on a monthly basis up to six times by an additional one month each time thereafter by resolution of the ACAB Board, if requested by the Sponsor, until September 19, 2024, subject in each case to certain advance notice requirements.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in our trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. Although no third parties have
refused to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account to date, if any third party refuses to execute such an agreement in the future, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue if the Business Combination is not consummated.
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 Business Combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our Business Combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.20 per Public Share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a 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 (a) $10.20 per Public Share and (b) the actual amount per Public Share held in the trust account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, in each case including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, 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 against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the 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 an initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20 per Public Share. In such event, we may not be able to complete an 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.
Legal proceedings in connection with the Business Combination, the outcomes of which are uncertain, could delay or prevent the completion of the Business Combination.
Lawsuits may be filed against ACAB or its directors and officers in connection with the Business Combination, or the equity holders of Abpro may make an application for relief under Delaware law. Defending such additional lawsuits could require ACAB to incur significant costs and draw the attention of ACAB’s management team away from the Business Combination. Further, the defense or settlement of any lawsuit or claim that remains unresolved at the time the Business Combination is consummated may adversely affect ACAB’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Such legal proceedings could also delay or prevent the Business Combination from becoming effective within the completed timeframe.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of the Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (a) $10.20 per Public Share and (b) 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 $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, less taxes payable, and the Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against the Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against the Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share. As of December 29, 2023, the funds held in the trust account have been on deposit in a demand deposit bank account, owned and controlled by the trustee.
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 the warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Series A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without a holder’s approval.
Our warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Series A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We cannot assure you that our securities will be listed on Nasdaq after the Business Combination. In connection with the Business Combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, and we will be required to have a minimum of 400 unrestricted round lot holders (with at least 50% of such holders holding unrestricted securities). We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. Our continued eligibility for listing may depend on, among other things, the number of our shares that are redeemed.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our Series A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Series A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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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 pre-empts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Series A common stock and public warrants are listed on Nasdaq, our units, Series A common stock and public warrants qualify as covered securities. Although the states are pre-empted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the state of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
As a result of the additional funds that could be available to public stockholders upon redemption of public shares, public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination.
As a result of the additional funds that could be available to public stockholders upon redemption of public shares, our public stockholders may be more incentivized to redeem their public shares and not to hold those shares of Series A common stock through our initial business combination. A higher percentage of redemptions by our public stockholders could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from stockholders, in which case they may influence a vote in favor of a proposed business combination that you do not support.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules), our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates are permitted to purchase shares of our common stock in privately negotiated transactions or in the open
market either prior to or following the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such purchase would be required to include a contractual acknowledgement that the selling stockholder, although he may still be the record holder of the shares being sold, would, upon consummation of such sale, no longer be the beneficial owner of such shares and would agree not to exercise the redemption rights applicable to such shares. In the event that our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase shares of common stock in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, any such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares of Series A common stock prior to the consummation of the transaction.
The purpose of such purchases could be to (1) increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or (2) 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 the business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the consummation of an initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
Purchases of shares of our Series A common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions by our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may make it difficult for us to maintain the listing of our Series A common stock on Nasdaq following the consummation of an initial business combination.
If our founders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares of our Series A common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, the public “float” of our Series A common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities would both be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain the listing or trading of our securities on Nasdaq following consummation of the initial business combination.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate their investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your securities, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of a redemption to public stockholders prior to any winding up in the event we do not consummate our initial business combination or our liquidation, (ii) if they redeem their shares in connection with an initial business combination that we consummate or, (iii) if they redeem their shares in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination prior to September 19, 2024 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to our pre-business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to the funds in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your securities, potentially at a loss.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amount in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of our initial public offering are intended to be used to complete our initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 and have 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 units were 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, offerings subject to Rule 419 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 consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriters from our initial public offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Such underwriters are entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after our initial public offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriters from our initial public offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s-length negotiation. As of the date of this Annual Report, no such agreement has been entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no related fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates. Such underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives tied to the consummation of an initial business combination may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after our initial public offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), and if a stockholder or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding shares of our Series A common stock, the stockholders will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding shares of our Series A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, individually or together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), would be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares of Series A common stock sold in our initial public offering without our prior written consent. Your inability to redeem an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares of Series A common stock sold in our initial public offering will reduce your influence over our ability to consummate our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell such excess shares in open market transactions. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, you would be required to sell your shares in open market transaction, potentially at a loss.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate until September 19, 2024, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account, plus the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be available to us, may not be sufficient to allow us to operate until September 19, 2024, assuming that our initial business combination is not consummated prior to that date.
Subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, or we may be subject to restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our Series A common stock, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct thorough due diligence on a target business with which we combine, this diligence may not surface all material issues that may be present with a particular target business. Factors outside of the target business and outside of our control may, at any time, arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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 any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements
they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. 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.
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 we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.20 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such 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 $10.20 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 indemnification obligations against our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine on our behalf 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 our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations on our behalf, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
To mitigate the risk of us being deemed to have been operating as an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act), on December 29, 2023, we instructed the Trustee with respect to the Trust Account, to liquidate the U.S. government securities or money market funds held in the Trust Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash (which may include demand deposit accounts) until the earlier of the consummation of our business combination or liquidation. As a result, we will receive minimal interest on the funds held in the Trust Account, which would reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of ACAB. Because the funds in the Trust Account were previously held in such U.S. government securities or money market funds for a period of almost 24 months, there is a greater risk that ACAB will be deemed to be an unregistered investment company under the Investment Company Act.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including restrictions on the nature of our investments and restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including registration as an investment company with the SEC, adoption of a specific form of corporate structure and reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule3a-1 promulgated under 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 consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.64 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our search for a target business or businesses, with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by geopolitical conflicts and the status of debt and equity markets.
Our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by events resulting from increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. The uncertain nature, magnitude, and duration of hostilities stemming from military conflicts such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, including the potential effects of sanctions and retaliatory cyber-attacks on the world economy and markets, have contributed to increased market volatility and uncertainty, and such geopolitical risks could have an adverse impact on macroeconomic factors.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will continue in existence only until September 19, 2024. As promptly as reasonably possible following the redemptions we are required to make to our public stockholders in such event, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board of Directors, we would dissolve and liquidate, subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
The grant of registration rights to our founders, executive officers and directors 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 Series A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our initial public offering, our founders, executive officers and directors, and their respective permitted transferees, can demand that we register for resale an aggregate of 7,500,000 founder and 13,850,000 private placement warrants and the underlying securities.
We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders 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 securities that is expected when the securities owned by our founders, executive officers and directors, or their respective permitted transferees, are registered for resale.
Because we are not limited to any particular business or specific geographic location or any specific target business, industry or sector with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations, and there may be additional risks associated with the target business we select for our initial business combination.
Except for the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) and that we are not permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to our initial 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 consummate 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. An investment in our units may not ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in an acquisition target. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose not to redeem their shares and to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares.
Although we identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we consummate our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria or 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 our initial business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders 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 stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or the rules of Nasdaq, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder 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 stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with our management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.
Subject to the Nasdaq listing rules requirement that our initial business combination occur with one or more target businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Investors will be relying on management’s ability to identify business combinations, evaluate their merits, conduct or monitor diligence and conduct negotiations. Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm, and consequently, an independent source may not confirm that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we consummate our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our Board of Directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Our Board of Directors will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target acquisition. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants,
attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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:
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costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
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complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
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exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
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tariffs and trade barriers;
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
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local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
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unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
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challenges in managing and staffing international operations;
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longer payment cycles;
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tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
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rates of inflation;
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challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
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cultural and language differences;
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employment regulations;
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underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
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corruption;
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protection of intellectual property;
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social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
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regime changes and political upheaval;
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terrorist attacks and wars; and
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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.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be largely dependent upon the efforts of our executive officers, directors and key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of our executive officers, directors, or key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our business.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us. Additionally, we do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
The role of such key persons in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of such persons 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, our assessment of these individuals may not 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. 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 the Company after the consummation 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 consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However,
we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our key personnel may not remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may 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’ management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon consummation of our initial business combination. The loss of an acquisition 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 consummation 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 some members of the management team 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 an initial 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. In particular, certain of our officers and directors serve as an officer or director of ACA I, a blank check company sponsored by affiliates of our sponsor. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this Annual Report titled “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance - Directors and Executive Officers.”
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, including other blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and 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. Our officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
As more fully discussed in “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence -Conflicts of Interest,” our officers or directors also may become aware of business opportunities, which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. 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. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
We may engage in our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our founders, executive officers or directors, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, executive 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. Additionally, in light of the involvement of our founders, executive officers and directors, and each of their affiliates, with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our founders, executive officers or directors, or any of their affiliates. Our directors also serve as executive officers and board members for other entities. 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. Our founders, executive officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to consummate our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no 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 our initial business combination as set forth in “Business-Initial Business Combination-Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent account firm regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our founders, executive officers, or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest. Our directors have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of our stockholders, whether or not a conflict of interest may exist.
Since each of our founders, executive officers and directors will lose any investment in us if our initial business combination is not consummated, and our officers and directors have significant financial interests in us, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular acquisition target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. On January 13, 2022, we effectuated a 1.044-for-1 stock split, resulting in an aggregate of 7,503,750 founder shares outstanding and held by our initial stockholders. Certain of our directors and certain members of our management team currently have a financial interest in our sponsor. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor purchased 13,850,000 private placement warrants, for an aggregate purchase price of $13,850,000. All of the foregoing private placement warrants (and the underlying securities) will also be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. In addition, at the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor will be repaid an aggregate of up to $1,750,000 in loans, which our sponsor agreed at the closing of our initial public offering to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following our initial public offering, in addition to any additional loans our sponsor chooses to make. The personal and financial interests of our founders, executive officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. In addition, the low acquisition cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby certain of our directors and certain members of our management team could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial business combination nears.
We may issue additional shares of Series A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Series A common stock upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Series A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Series B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2023, there were 91,832,610 and 9,999,999 authorized but unissued shares of Series A common stock and Series B common stock, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Series B common stock. The Series B common stock is automatically convertible into Series A common stock 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 certificate of incorporation. As of December 31, 2023, there were no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Series A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Series A common stock to redeem the warrants or upon conversion of the Series B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, 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 as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial
business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the Company;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of Series A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Series A common stock;
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could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of Series A common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Series A common stock and/or warrants.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this Annual Report (other than up to $1,750,000 in loans which our sponsor has committed to provide us to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following our initial public offering) to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete initial business combination. Furthermore, we may issue a substantial number of additional common or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan upon or after consummation of our initial business combination. We and our officers and directors 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 any 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:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after our initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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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;
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
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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 common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
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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 our 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.
Of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, approximately $37,101,441 remained available as of December 31, 2023, to complete our initial business combination (which includes up to $10,500,000 for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously. 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 consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. 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:
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solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
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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 consummate business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to consummate 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 the 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.
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 seeking targets for their initial business combination or 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 and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future. The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense and/or accept less favorable terms. Furthermore, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, after completion of any initial business combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
We may attempt to consummate our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information typically 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 our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management team and our stockholders may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We currently anticipate structuring our initial business combination to acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could
own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the Company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that we will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
Unlike many blank check companies, we do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Since we have no specified percentage threshold for redemption contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our structure is different in this respect from the structure that has been used by many blank check companies. Historically, blank check companies would not be able to consummate an initial business combination if the holders of such company’s public shares voted against a proposed business combination and elected to redeem more than a specified maximum percentage of the shares sold in such company’s initial public offering, which percentage threshold was typically between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies were unable to complete a business combination because the amount of shares voted by their public stockholders electing redemption exceeded the maximum redemption threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with its initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to consummate our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to a tender offer, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to us or our founders, executive officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. However, 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 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Furthermore, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise their redemption rights may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many public stockholders may exercise redemption rights, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such redemption, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our initial business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.
We may be unable to consummate an initial business combination if a target business requires that we have a certain amount of cash at closing, in which case public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait until our redemption of the public shares to receive a pro rata share of the trust account or attempt to sell their shares in the open market.
A potential target may make it a closing condition to our initial business combination that we have a certain amount of cash in excess of the $5,000,001 of net tangible assets we are required to have pursuant to our organizational documents available at the time of closing. If the number of our public stockholders electing to exercise their redemption rights has the effect of reducing the amount of money available to us to consummate an initial business combination below such minimum amount required by the target business and we are not able to locate an alternative source of funding, we will not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. In that case, public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait until September 19, 2024, in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account, or attempt to sell their shares in the open market prior to such time, in which case they may receive less than they would have in a liquidation of the trust account.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we intend to offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of the proposed business combination and still seek redemption of such stockholders’ shares.
In connection with any meeting held to approve an initial business combination, we intend to offer each public stockholder (but not our founders, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of Series A common stock redeemed for cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this Annual Report) without voting and, if they do vote, regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the initial business combination upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. This is different than other similarly structured blank check companies where stockholders are offered the right to redeem their shares only when they vote against a proposed business combination. This threshold and the ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of a proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the expiration date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or in the event we distribute proxy materials, up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, this may not be the case. Under our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise redemption rights. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares, its shares may not be redeemed.
Additionally, despite our compliance with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, stockholders may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem their shares.
Redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.
We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of Series A common stock in connection with any proposed business combination to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for redemption. If such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our Series A common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private equity groups, venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds, operating businesses and other blank check companies competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Therefore, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable
target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval of our initial business combination may delay the consummation of a transaction. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and founder shares will be sufficient to consummate our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination, the election to be excused from its purchase obligations or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed to provide us $1,750,000 to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements. Additional financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular initial business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share or potentially less than $10.20 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to consummate our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Certain agreements related to our initial public offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to our initial public offering, the trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreements among us and our founders, executive officers and directors, and the registration rights agreement among us and our founders, executive officer and directors, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The United States federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or International Financial Reporting Standard as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and consummate our initial business combination within our 15 month time frame.
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 a business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2023. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the
independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our 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.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect the business, investments and results of our operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we are 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 the business, investments and results of our operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Securities
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered Board of Directors and the ability of our Board of Directors to designate the terms of, and issue new series of, preferred stock, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee, agent or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction over such action or proceeding, then state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware). Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe this forum provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Further, if any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not purport to require suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act to be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or another court of the State of Delaware. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
We do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after our consummation of a business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
We do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by Nasdaq), and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors, in accordance with a company’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws, unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. If our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of a business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
Our Sponsor, as the holder of our Series B Common Stock, will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
The holders of the Series B Common Stock have the exclusive right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, we do not expect to hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The holders of the Series B Common Stock will also have the exclusive right to vote on the removal of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Investors may view our units as less attractive than those of other blank check companies.
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares and warrants each to purchase one full share in their initial public offerings, we sold units that are each comprised of one share of Series A common stock and one-half of a warrant to purchase one share of Series A common stock. The warrants will expire and be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. Furthermore, only whole warrants may be exercised. As a result, unless you acquire at least two warrants, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. Accordingly, our stockholders were not issued the same securities as part of their investment as they may have in other blank check company offerings, which may have the effect of limiting the potential upside value of your investment in our Company.
Holders of warrants will not participate in liquidating distributions if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, the warrants will expire and holders will not receive any of such proceeds with respect to the warrants. In this case, holders of warrants are treated in the same manner as holders of warrants of blank check companies whose units are comprised of shares and warrants, as the warrants in those companies do not participate in liquidating distributions. Nevertheless, the foregoing may provide a financial incentive to public stockholders to vote in favor of any proposed initial business combination as each of their whole warrants would entitle the holder to purchase one share of Series A common stock, resulting in an increase in their overall economic stake in our company. If a business combination is not approved, the warrants will expire and will be worthless.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, public holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis” which would result in a fewer number of shares being issued to the holder had such holder exercised the warrants for cash.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of warrant shares that a holder will receive upon exercise of its public warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised its warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the issuance of the warrant shares is available. Under the terms of the public warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to meet these conditions and to maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our Company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the warrant shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrants shall 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 shares of Series A common stock included in the units. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the private placement warrants may be exercisable for unregistered warrant shares for cash even if the prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not current and effective.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its warrants (including any warrants held by our founders or any of their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of warrant shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority 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 our Series A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants were issued in registered form under the public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the warrants with the consent of a majority 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 stock or cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant. Any amendment solely to the private placement warrants shall require the vote or written consent of a majority of the holders of the outstanding private placement warrants.
Our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, purchasers of shares in our IPO experienced immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Series A common stock.
Purchasers of shares in our IPO incurred an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 15% (or $1.50 per share, accounting for the underwriter’s exercise of its over-allotment option in part to purchase 3,900,000 Units), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after our IPO of $8.50 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per public share. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of the Business Combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with the Business Combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.
Our management team and our sponsor may make a profit on any initial business combination, even if any public stockholders who did not redeem their shares would experience a loss on that business combination. As a result, the economic interests of our management team and our sponsor may not fully align with the economic interests of public stockholders.
Like most SPACs, our structure may not fully align the economic interests of our sponsor and those persons, including our officers and directors, who have interests in our sponsor, with the economic interests of our public stockholders. Upon the closing of our initial offering, our sponsor invested in us an aggregate of $13,875,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $13,850,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 7,500,000 founder shares owned by our sponsor and our officers and directors would have an aggregate implied value of $75,000,000. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $1.85 per share and the private placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be approximately equal to the sponsor’s aggregate initial investment in us. As a result, so long as we complete an initial business combination, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares lose significant value. Accordingly, our sponsor and members of our management team who own interests in our sponsor may have incentives to pursue and consummate an initial business combination quickly, with a risky or not well established target business, and/or on transaction terms favorable to the equityholders of the target business, rather than continue to seek a more favorable business combination transaction that could result in an improved outcome for our public stockholders or liquidate and return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our sponsor’s and management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination.
Our warrant agreements (as defined below) designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our public warrant agreement and our warrant agreement for our private placement warrants (the “private warrant agreement” together with the public warrant agreement, the “warrant agreements”) provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreements, 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 agreements 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 agreements. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreements, 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 agreements 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.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Series A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We sold warrants to purchase 15,000,000 shares of our Series A common stock, as part of the units offered in our initial public offering, and private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 13,850,000 shares of Series A common stock, as part of a private placement.
In each case, the warrants are exercisable at a price of $11.50 per whole share of Series A common stock. To the extent we issue shares of Series A common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Series A common stock upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of Series A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Series A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our issued and outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that amendments to any its provisions relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related stockholder rights, including the substance and timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. If an amendment to any such provision is approved by the requisite stockholder vote, then the corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote as a class with our public shares on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our founders, executive officers and directors collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our outstanding common stock, and they may participate in any vote to amend amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree. In certain circumstances, our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Our founders, executive officers and directors own approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Our founders, executive officers and directors have a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
Our founders, executive officers and directors own approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. None of our founders, executive officers and directors or any of their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase any public units or shares of Series A common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our founders, executive officers, directors or any of their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of stockholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination our founders, as well as all of our executive officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to our initial public offering, as well as any shares of Series A common stock acquired in our initial public offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.
In addition, our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” Board of Directors, only a portion of the Board of Directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
There is currently a limited market for our securities and an active market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
The price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market, economic or geopolitical conditions. An active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from Nasdaq for any reason, and are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheets, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities not listed on a national exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if we were listed on Nasdaq or another national exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Nasdaq 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 commenced public trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on January 14, 2022, and our Series A common stock and warrants commenced separate public trading on March 7, 2022. We cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity and a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq 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:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our Series A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Series A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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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 Series A common stock and warrants are listed on Nasdaq, our units, Series A common stock and warrants qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the state of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Series A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
There has been and may in the future be diversity in the capital structure, financial accounting policies, and resultant financial reporting by SPACs, which may impact the market price for our Series A common stock and our ability to complete a business combination.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued a statement related to warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies, which resulted in the warrants issued by many special purpose acquisition companies being classified as liabilities rather than equity as previously reported. While we are accounting for our warrants as equity, further statements by the SEC relating to accepted accounting of special purpose acquisition companies could result in the correction of accounting errors in previously issued financial statements, restatements of previously issued audited financial statements, the filing of notices that previously issued financial statements may not be relied upon and findings of material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting.
We may be deemed a “foreign person” under the regulations relating to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), and any business combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by CFIUS or another U.S. government entity.
Our sponsor, Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, is controlled by and has substantial ties with a non-U.S. person given that the managing member of our sponsor is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus. Certain federally licensed businesses in the United States are subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership. In addition, CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving “foreign persons” to determine the effect of such transactions on U.S. national security. Therefore, because we may be considered a “foreign person” under such rules and regulations, we could be subject to foreign ownership restrictions and/or CFIUS review if our proposed business combination is between us and a U.S. target company engaged in a regulated industry or which may affect national security.
The scope of CFIUS was expanded by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) to include certain non-passive, non-controlling investments in sensitive U.S. businesses. FIRRMA, and subsequent implementing regulations that are now in force, also subject certain categories of investments to mandatory CFIUS filings. It is unclear at this stage whether our potential business combination will fall within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, and if so, whether we would be required to make a mandatory filing or determine to submit a voluntary notice to CFIUS. If we seek CFIUS review prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be subject to substantial delays and increased transaction costs. If we are required to undergo a CFIUS review following the completion of our initial business combination, in addition to any conditions or divestiture requirements imposed on us, we may incur substantial costs in connection therewith. Other possible foreign ownership limitations, and the potential impact of CFIUS, may limit the attractiveness of a transaction with us or prevent us from pursuing certain initial business combination opportunities that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have similar foreign ownership issues.
Moreover, the process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy and we have limited time to complete our initial business combination. If we cannot complete our initial business combination within the applicable time period because the review process drags on beyond such timeframe or because our initial business combination is ultimately prohibited by CFIUS or another U.S. government entity, we may be required to liquidate. If we liquidate, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share of Series A common stock on the liquidation of their shares and our warrants will expire worthless. This will also cause our investors to lose the investment opportunity in a target company and the chance of realizing future gains on your investment through any price appreciation in the combined company.
We have identified ineffective disclosure controls and procedures that, if unsuccessfully remediated, could adversely affect our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis and to consummate an initial business combination.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the Company not filing timely tax returns and utilizing cash withdrawn from the Trust Account for tax obligations for operating purposes. Failure to achieve and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures could adversely affect our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis and to consummate an initial business combination. We may also identify material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures in the future. Any material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our control systems may affect our ability to comply with SEC reporting requirements and listing standards or cause our financial statements to contain material misstatements which could negatively affect market price and trading liquidity of our common stock.

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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.
We do not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5, New York, NY 10013. An affiliate of our sponsor provides this office space to us at no cost. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, 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 against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such.

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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 Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our units, common stock and warrants are each traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “ACABU,” “ACAB” and “ACABW,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on January 14, 2022, and our common stock and warrants commenced separate public trading on March 7, 2022.
Holders
As of December 31, 2023 there was 1 holder of record of our units, 1 holder of record of our separately traded Series A common stock, 2 holders of record of our separately traded warrants, and 7 holders of record of our Series B common stock. The foregoing figures are based on the records of our transfer agent as of December 31, 2023, which we expect will be updated to reflect the previously disclosed conversions of Series B common stock to Series A common stock that occurred in April 2023.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our 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 in connection with our business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offering
On October 25, 2021, we issued 7,187,500 shares of our Series B common stock, to our sponsor for $25,000 in cash, at a purchase price of approximately $0.0035 per share (or $0.0033 per share, after giving effect to a 1.044-for-1 stock split on January 13, 2022), in connection with our formation. Such shares were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. On January 13, 2022, we effectuated a 1.044-for-1 stock split, resulting in an aggregate of 7,503,750 founder shares outstanding and held by our initial stockholders. On January 18, 2022, the underwriters partially exercised their over-allotment option and the remaining unexercised portion of over-allotment option were forfeited, an aggregate of 3,750 founder shares were forfeited, resulting in an aggregate of 7,500,000 founder shares outstanding held by our initial stockholders.
On January 19, 2022, we consummated our initial public offering of 30,000,000 units. Each unit consists of one share of our Series A common stock and one-half of a redeemable warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Series A common stock for $11.50 per share. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $300,000,000. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. acted as sole book-running manager. The securities sold in the initial public offering were registered under the Securities Act on a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-261459), which was declared effective by the SEC on January 13, 2022.
Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we consummated a private placement of 13,850,000 private placement warrants, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, to our sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $13,850,000. Such securities were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Following the closing of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, an aggregate amount of $306,000,000 ($10.20 per unit) was placed in a trust account established in connection with the initial public offering.
Transaction costs amounted to $17,204,107, consisting of $5,760,000 in underwriting discount (net of $240,000 reimbursed by the underwriters), $10,500,000 in deferred underwriting discount and $944,107 of other offering costs. In addition, $264,538 of cash is held outside of the trust account and is available for the payment of offering costs and for working capital purposes as of December 31, 2023.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (less taxes payable) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our franchise and income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]

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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.
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on May 20, 2021 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or sector, but given the experience of our management team, we expect to focus on acquiring a business combination target within the financial services industry and related sectors, including potentially the mobility sector. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from May 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2023 were organizational activities, those necessary to consummate the Initial Public Offering, described below, and identifying a target company for a Business Combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we had a net income of $2,821,459 which consists of interest income from bank of $52,304 and interest earned on cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $5,754,715, partially offset by operating and formation costs of $1,666,056, interest and penalties on tax obligations of $142,041 and provision for income taxes of $1,177,463.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had a net income of $886,918 which consists of interest income from bank of $1,848 and interest earned marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $4,121,971, offset by operating and formation costs of $2,050,410, compensation expense of $362,500 and provision for income taxes of $823,991.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
On January 19, 2022, we consummated our Initial Public Offering of 30,000,000 Units, which includes the partial exercise by the underwriters of its over-allotment option in the amount of 3,900,000 Units at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $300,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of our Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 13,850,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $13,850,000.
Transaction costs amounted to $17,204,107 consisting of $5,760,000 of underwriting discount (net of $240,000 reimbursed by the underwriters), $10,500,000 of deferred underwriting fees, and $944,107 of other offering costs. We have agreed to pay a deferred underwriting fee to the underwriters upon the consummation of our Initial Business Combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering or an aggregate of $10,500,000.
The promissory note issued in connection with unsecured loans from our Sponsor to finance our liquidity needs through the consummation of our Initial Public Offering was non-interest bearing and the aggregate amount of $149,539 outstanding under the promissory note as of January 19, 2022 was fully repaid on February 22, 2022.
Following the Initial Public Offering, the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, a total of $306,000,000 was placed in the Trust Account. We incurred $17,204,107 in Initial Public Offering related costs, including $5,760,000 of underwriting fees and $944,107 of other costs. On April 18, 2023, the company held the Meeting and as a result 26,564,308 shares of the Company’s Series A common stock were redeemed at approximately $10.41 per share. On December 13, 2023, stockholders holding a total of 2,768,301 public shares of Series A common stock exercised and did not reverse, their right to redeem their public shares in connection with the vote upon the Charter Amendment Proposal. As a result of the foregoing, those holders will receive a payment of approximately $10.68 per share redeemed.
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $37,101,441 ($29,728,990 was redeemed and withdrawn in January 2024) consisting of money market funds invested primarily in United States Treasuries. Interest income on the balance in the Trust Account may be used by us to pay taxes. Through December 31, 2023, we have withdrawn an amount of $278,935,245 which consists of $276,471,460 attributable to redemptions within 2023 and $2,463,785 attributable to withdrawals to pay tax obligations.
To mitigate the risk of us being deemed to have been operating as an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act), the Company instructed the Trustee in December 29, 2023 to liquidate the U.S. government securities or money market funds held in the Trust Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash (which may include demand deposit accounts) until the earlier of consummation of our Business Combination or liquidation.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash of $264,538. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our Sponsor has committed to provide us $1,750,000 to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital
requirements. In addition, our Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that a 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 Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
On October 14, 2023 and November 14, 2023, the Company issued non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $80,000, respectively, (the “Extension Promissory Notes”) to the Sponsor. The $80,000 was deposited into the Company’s trust account in order to extend the amount of time that the Company has available to complete a business combination. Upon the closing of a business combination by the Company, the Sponsor may elect to either receive repayment under the Notes or to convert all or a portion of the amount loaned under the Notes into Series A common stock of the Company at a price equal to $10.20 per share. In the event that the Company does not complete a business combination, the amounts loaned under the Notes will be repaid to the Sponsor only from funds held outside the Trust Account or will be forfeited, eliminated, or otherwise forgiven. As of December 31, 2023, the Company owed $160,000 due under the Extension Promissory Notes with no further borrowings available.
On December 18, 2023, the Company amended the Extension Promissory Notes to remove the Sponsors right to convert the note into Series A common stock at a price equal to $10.20 per share.
On December 8, 2023, December 11, 2023, and December 12, 2023, the Sponsor advanced the Company $10,000, $1,630,000, and $15,000, respectively, to fund tax obligations. As of December 31, 2023, the Sponsor advanced the Company $1,655,000 and is reflected in the consolidated balance sheets.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, cash used in operating activities was $3,845,177. Net income of $2,821,459 was affected by interest earned on cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $5,754,715. Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $911,921 of cash for operating activities.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, cash used in operating activities was $1,184,963. Net income of $886,918 was affected by interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $4,121,971 and compensation expenses of $362,500. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $1,687,590 of cash for operating activities.
Going Concern
Until the consummation of a Business Combination, we will be using the funds not held in the Trust Account for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition 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.
The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. The Company will need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, shareholders, officers, directors, or third parties. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. If the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination because it does not have sufficient funds available, the Company will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern one year from the date that these consolidated financial statements are issued.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 205-40 “Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern,” the Company has until April 19, 2024, to consummate a Business Combination. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of the Company. Although the Company intends to consummate a Business Combination on or before April 19, 2024, it is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. Management has determined that the liquidity condition, coupled with the mandatory liquidation, should a Business Combination not occur, and potential subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company’s plan is to complete a business combination on or prior to April 19, 2024, however it is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after April 19, 2024.
Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2023. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than the following:
The underwriters were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $6,000,000 in the aggregate, paid on the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $10,500,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriter 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.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:
Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our common stock subject to possible conversion in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features 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) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as a component of stockholders’ equity. Our common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets.
Warrants
We account for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to our own ordinary shares, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent reporting period date while the warrants are outstanding. Based on our assessment of the guidance, our warrants meet the criteria for equity classification and are recorded within stockholders’ deficit.
Net Income Per Common Share
Net income per common stock is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding for the period. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Series A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
Recent Accounting Standards
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (“ASU 2023-09”), which will require the Company to disclose specified additional information in its income tax rate reconciliation and provide additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold. ASU 2023-09 will also require the Company to disaggregate its income taxes paid disclosure by federal, state and foreign taxes, with further disaggregation required for significant individual jurisdictions. ASU 2023-09 will become effective for Annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is still reviewing the impact of ASU 2023-09.
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13 - Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). This update requires financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. Since June 2016, the FASB issued clarifying updates to the new standard including changing the effective date for smaller reporting companies. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2023. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on its financial statements.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.
Not required for smaller reporting companies.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.

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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 designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the fiscal period ended December 31, 2023, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that during the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the Company not filing timely tax returns, utilizing cash withdrawn from the trust account for tax obligations for operating purposes and over-accrual of expenses.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
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 financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with 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 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 consolidated financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our 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 at December 31, 2023. 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 we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023.
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 Annual Report, our directors and officers are as follows:
Name
Age
Title
Shahraab Ahmad
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Anthony D. Eisenberg   
Chief Strategy Officer and Director
Jason Chryssicas
Chief Financial Officer and Director
Burt Jordan
President and Director
Joanna Lord
Director
Bryan Dove
Director
Curtis Collar
Director
Darren Stanwood
Director
Dominick J. Schiano
Director
Shahraab Ahmad has been our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2021. Mr. Ahmad also served as Chief Executive Officer of ACA I from December 2020 until October 2023 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACA since December 2020. Prior to this, he most recently served as the Chief Investment Officer for Decca Capital Ltd, a fund founded by Mr. Ahmad that invested across capital structures in the U.S. and Europe from April 2015 until December 2018. Prior to his tenure at Decca Capital Ltd, Mr. Ahmad served as a portfolio manager for Hutchin Hill Capital, LP from 2008 to 2013 and Sailfish Capital Partners, LLC from 2005 to 2008 and J.P. Morgan from 1999 to 2004, where he last co-headed the High Yield Credit trading group. At J.P. Morgan, Mr. Ahmad managed credit portfolios across the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Ahmad holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Wesleyan University and studied corporate finance at the London School of Economics. We believe Mr. Ahmad’s eight years of experience investing in private technology companies and 20 years of investment experience as an investor across capital structures and hedge fund manager make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Anthony D. Eisenberg serves as our Chief Strategy Officer and has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Eisenberg also served as Chief Strategy Officer and a director of ACA I from February 2021 to October 2023. Since 2013, Mr. Eisenberg has managed Tappan Street, a multi-strategy family office with expertise in environmental, social and corporate governance principles and private market investments. Since March 2020, Mr. Eisenberg has also served on the board of advisors of Komma, a mobility company targeting the urban mobility vehicle market. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Eisenberg served on the board of advisors of Michigan Income Principal-Protected Growth Fund, an impact investing fund in partnership with the State of Michigan and the US Department of Treasury and led the firm’s development activities. Mr. Eisenberg began his career in politics working in the Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Patton Boggs and the D.C. based research group Marwood Group, prior to his principal investing career, which began at the hedge fund Christofferson Robb & Company. Mr. Eisenberg holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University-The McDonough School of Business, a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.B.A. in Finance and Political Science from the University of Miami. We believe Mr. Eisenberg’s experience in public policy and expertise in private market investments makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Jason Chryssicas has been our Chief Financial Officer and has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Chryssicas also served as Chief Financial Officer of ACA I from April 2022 to October 2023. Over the course of his career, Mr. Chryssicas has served in a variety of leadership positions within financial services and capital markets, including Investor Relations, Investment Banking, Corporate Development and Strategy. Mr. Chryssicas has served in various roles at Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners Inc. since 2013 including his current role as Head of Investor Relations at both firms. Prior to this, Mr. Chryssicas held positions at Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young. Mr. Chryssicas holds a B.A. in Accounting from Western Washington University. We believe Mr. Chryssicas’ experience in financial services, capital markets and investor relations makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Burt Jordan has been our president since November 2021 and has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Jordan also served as president and a director of ACA I from December 2020 to October 2023. Mr. Jordan was an executive at Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) (“Ford”) from July 1999 until July 2020, where he most recently served as vice president of Global Purchasing Operations and Supply Chain Sustainability. At Ford, Mr. Jordan was responsible for Ford’s commodity-related and Indirect Purchasing and Supplier Sourcing program around the world for the past 10 years. In June 2020, Mr. Jordan was named the 2020 CPO of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, which recognized his impactful leadership within Ford and the larger supplier-diversity community. Mr. Jordan holds a B.B.A. in Business Administration from Alma College. We believe Mr. Jordan’s extensive experience as a senior executive of a major automobile corporation and his demonstrated leadership skills make him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Joanna Lord has served as a director since January 2022. Ms. Lord also served as a director of ACA I from December 2020 to October 2023. Since June 2021, Ms. Lord has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Reforge Inc. Prior to joining Reforge, Ms. Lord served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Skyscanner LTD from January 2019 until December 2020 and ClassPass from 2016 to 2019 and the Vice
President of Marketing at Porch from 2014 to 2016. Ms. Lord received her M.A. in Communications from Pepperdine University and B.A. in Journalism/Communications from St. Michaels College. We believe Ms. Lord’s 15 years of marketing leadership experience in technology companies makes her well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Bryan Dove has served as a director since January 2022. Mr. Dove also served as a director of ACA I from February 2021 to October 2023. Since April 2021, Mr. Dove has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CommerceHub. Additionally, since September 2020, Mr. Dove has served as the Chairperson of Travalyst. Prior to this, Mr. Dove was an executive at Skyscanner LTD from June 2015 until June 2020, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dove was also a director at Skyscanner LTD from 2018 to 2020. Prior to joining Skyscanner, Mr. Dove held several senior leadership positions within the technology industry at Amazon (2014 to 2015), Microsoft (2009 to 2014), and Eclipsys Corporation (2004 to 2009). Bryan also served as a board director at a privately held artificial intelligence company specializing in the real estate and financial sectors (July 2020 to April 2021). We believe Mr. Dove’s experience as a CEO and senior executive leading and scaling high-growth companies makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Curtis Collar has served as a director since November 2023. Mr. Collar has served as Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Nanotech Energy since April 2022. Before joining Nanotech Energy, Mr. Collar served as DuPont’s Global Technology Manager - Electric Vehicles from January 2020 to April 2022. He and his global teams identified, developed, and commercialized new technologies that created competitive advantages, aiming to improve the range, efficiency, and safety of EVs, and developed collaborations with some of the sector’s biggest names. Previous roles had seen him responsible for building, developing, and leading the inaugural technical roadmap and technical teams for electric vehicles at SABIC from 2015 to 2020. Prior to those roles he spent time at several smaller companies building and executing business plans, delivering robust business pipelines from the ground up in various material technologies including plastics, coatings, adhesives and textiles, and subsequent applications. Mr. Collar received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University. We believe Mr. Collar’s experience as a senior executive and his technical expertise makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Darren Stanwood has served as a director since January 2022. Since October 2015, Mr. Stanwood has served as the managing member of Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC, a private investment and retail advisory firm focused on the global consumer and retail sectors. Mr. Stanwood received his B.S.B.A. in Marketing/Economics from the Suffolk University-Sawyer School of Management. We believe Mr. Stanwood’s experience in investing in the global consumer and retail industries makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Dominick J. Schiano has served as a director since January 2022. Since July 2007, Mr. Schiano has served as the President and Co-Founding Partner of Evergreen. Evergreen supports private equity sponsors by sourcing investment opportunities, and providing strategic, operational, and financial guidance with respect to portfolio company investments in the industrial sector. Mr. Schiano is a Senior Advisor to The Gores Group LLC and past President of Gores Holdings II, Inc. (NASDAQ: GSHTU) that successfully merged with Verra Mobility Corp. (NASDQ: VRRM) in 2017. Evergreen has also previously been engaged by TowerBrook Capital Partners where Mr. Schiano was a member of the Management Advisory Board and by DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse where he served as Vice Chairman-Global Industrial Partners. Mr. Schiano has also served on numerous local government, private company, joint venture and public company boards, including STR Holdings Inc. (NYSE: STRI) where he served on the Audit and Special Transaction Committees and Material Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MASC) where he served on the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees and led the Special Committee responsible for its sale in 2013. Prior to forming Evergreen, Mr. Schiano served as a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee of Questor Partners Funds. Previously, Mr. Schiano served in various senior executive roles at Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), TRW Inc, Wickes Companies Inc., and its predecessor, Gulf+Western Industries Inc. Mr. Schiano attended Long Island University, majoring in Finance, and has completed the University of Pennsylvania-Wharton School Management Development Program and the Northwestern University-Kellogg School Mergers and Acquisitions Program. We believe Mr. Schiano’s experience in providing investment advisory services and co-investing with private equity sponsors makes him well-qualified to serve on our Board of Directors.
Special Advisor
In addition to our management team, we are supported by the following special advisor:
Apeiron Investment Group is the family office and merchant banking business of Christian Angermayer. Apeiron Investment Group provides strategic and operational support for a variety of investment initiatives and entrepreneurial pursuits. The firm invests across all phases of a company’s life cycle with an emphasis on early-stage opportunities. Apeiron has investment expertise in financial services, deep technology, life sciences, media & entertainment and real estate technology. Apeiron has several significant portfolio investments, including: ATAI Life Sciences AG, CRYPTOLOGY Asset Group PLC, Rejuveron Life Sciences AG, Presight Capital, Elevate Capital and Apeiron Advisory LTD, which serve specific mandates as part of Apeiron Investment Group’s broader strategy. Apeiron Investment Group also serves as a special advisor to ACA I.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our Board of Directors consists of seven (7) members and is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II, and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms.
Our Board of Directors is divided into the following classes:
•
Class I, which consists of Shahraab Ahmad, Burt Jordan and Joanna Lord, whose terms will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders;
•
Class II, which consists of Anthony D. Eisenberg, Bryan Dove and Curtis Collar, whose terms will expire at our second annual meeting of stockholders; and
•
Class III, consists consist of Jason Chryssicas, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano, whose terms will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders.
At each annual meeting of stockholders to be held after the initial classification, the successors to directors whose terms then expire will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following their election and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.
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 persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, a Corporate Secretary, and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
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. Each of our audit committee, our compensation committee and our nominating and corporate governance committee is composed solely of independent directors. Our Board of Directors adopted a charter for each of these committees, which complies with the applicable requirements of current Nasdaq rules. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they are applicable to us. Copies of the charters for each committee are available on the investor relations portion of our website.
Audit Committee
Our audit committee members are Curtis Collar, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the members satisfies the independence requirements of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. Each member of our audit committee can read and understand fundamental financial statements in accordance with Nasdaq audit committee requirements. In arriving at this determination, our Board of Directors has examined each audit committee member’s scope of experience and the nature of their prior and/or current employment.
Dominick J. Schiano serves as the chair of our audit committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Schiano qualifies as an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of SEC regulations and meets the financial sophistication requirements of the Nasdaq listing rules. In making this determination, our board has considered Mr. Schiano’s formal education and previous experience in financial roles. Both our independent registered public accounting firm and management periodically meet privately with our audit committee.
The functions of this committee, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, among other things:
•
evaluating the performance, independence, and qualifications of our independent auditors and determining whether to retain our existing independent auditors or engage new independent auditors;
•
reviewing our financial reporting processes and disclosure controls;
•
reviewing and approving the engagement of our independent auditors to perform audit services and any permissible non-audit services;
•
reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal control policies and procedures, including the responsibilities, budget, staffing, and effectiveness of our internal audit function;
•
reviewing with the independent auditors the annual audit plan, including the scope of audit activities and all critical accounting policies and practices to be used by us;
•
obtaining and reviewing at least annually a report by our independent auditors describing the independent auditors’ internal quality control procedures and any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review;
•
monitoring the rotation of partners of our independent auditors on our engagement team as required by law;
•
prior to engagement of any independent auditor, and at least annually thereafter, reviewing relationships that may reasonably be thought to bear on their independence, and assessing and otherwise taking the appropriate action to oversee the independence of our independent auditor;
•
reviewing our annual and quarterly financial statements and reports, including the disclosures contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and discussing the statements and reports with our independent auditors and management;
•
reviewing with our independent auditors and management significant issues that arise regarding accounting principles and financial statement presentation and matters concerning the scope, adequacy, and effectiveness of our financial controls and critical accounting policies;
•
reviewing with management and our auditors any earnings announcements and other public announcements regarding material developments;
•
establishing procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by us regarding financial controls, accounting, auditing, or other matters;
•
preparing the report that the SEC requires in our annual proxy statement;
•
reviewing and providing oversight of any related person transactions in accordance with our related person transaction policy and reviewing and monitoring compliance with legal and regulatory responsibilities, including our code of business conduct and ethics;
•
reviewing our major financial risk exposures, including the guidelines and policies to govern the process by which risk assessment and risk management is implemented; and
•
reviewing and evaluating on an annual basis the performance of the audit committee and the audit committee charter.
We believe that the composition and functioning of our audit committee complies with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable SEC rules and regulations. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they become applicable to us.
Compensation Committee
Our compensation committee members are Joanna Lord, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano. Joanna Lord serves as the chair of our compensation committee. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of our compensation committee is a non-employee director, as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, and satisfies the independence requirements of Nasdaq.
The functions of this committee, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, among other things:
•
reviewing and approving the corporate objectives that pertain to the determination of executive compensation;
•
reviewing and approving the compensation and other terms of employment of our executive officers;
•
reviewing and approving performance goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our executive officers and assessing their performance against these goals and objectives;
•
making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the adoption or amendment of equity and cash incentive plans and approving amendments to such plans to the extent authorized by our Board of Directors;
•
reviewing and making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the type and amount of compensation to be paid or awarded to our non-employee board members;
•
reviewing and assessing the independence of compensation consultants, legal counsel, and other advisors as required by Section 10C of the Exchange Act;
•
administering our equity incentive plans;
•
reviewing and approving the terms of any employment agreements, severance arrangements, change in control protections, indemnification agreements, and any other material arrangements for our executive officers;
•
reviewing with management our disclosures under the caption “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in our periodic reports or proxy statements to be filed with the SEC, to the extent such caption is included in any such report or proxy statement;
•
preparing an annual report on executive compensation that the SEC requires in our annual proxy statement; and
•
reviewing and evaluating on an annual basis the performance of the compensation committee and recommending such changes as deemed necessary with our Board of Directors.
We believe that the composition and functioning of our compensation committee complies with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they become applicable to us.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Our nominating and corporate governance committee members are Joanna Lord, Darren Stanwood, and Dominick J. Schiano. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the members of our nominating and corporate governance committee satisfies the independence requirements of Nasdaq. Joanna Lord serves as the chair of our nominating and corporate governance committee.
The functions of this committee include, among other things:
•
identifying, reviewing, and making recommendations of candidates to serve on our Board of Directors;
•
evaluating the performance of our Board of Directors, committees of our Board of Directors, and individual directors and determining whether continued service on our board is appropriate;
•
evaluating nominations by stockholders of candidates for election to our Board of Directors;
•
evaluating the current size, composition, and organization of our Board of Directors and its committees and making recommendations to our Board of Directors for approvals;
•
developing a set of corporate governance policies and principles and recommending to our Board of Directors any changes to such policies and principles;
•
reviewing issues and developments related to corporate governance and identifying and bringing to the attention of our Board of Directors current and emerging corporate governance trends; and
•
reviewing periodically the nominating and corporate governance committee charter, structure, and membership requirements and recommending any proposed changes to our Board of Directors, including undertaking an annual review of its own performance.
We believe that the composition and functioning of our nominating and corporate governance committee complies with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations. We intend to comply with future requirements to the extent they become applicable to us.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Director Nominations
Prior to our initial business combination, the board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at an annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to the Board should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.
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 stockholders.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for Employees, Executive Officers, and Directors
Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or the Code of Conduct, applicable to all of our employees, executive officers, and directors. A copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics was filed as an exhibit to the registration statement filed in connection with our initial public offering. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Clawback Policy
Effective October 2023 ACAB adopted a Clawback Policy (the “Clawback Policy”). Under the policy, in the event ACAB is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to material noncompliance of ACAB with any financial reporting requirement under the U.S. federal securities laws, the Board will take, in its discretion, such action it deems necessary to recover from its executive officers who received incentive-based compensation, based on performance in a year for which ACAB is required to prepare restated financial statements, the excess of what would have been paid to the executive officer under the accounting restatement. This applies during a lookback period of three years, and the amounts to be reclaimed are as determined by the Board in its sole discretion. For purposes of the Clawback Policy, an
executive officer is any of ACAB’s officers who are required, or who have been required during the immediately preceding three calendar years, to file reports pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act as well as ACAB’s Chief Legal Officer, if not included. This policy may, in certain circumstances, be applied to other current or former employees whose actions or omissions contributed to the circumstances requiring the restatement and also involved willful misconduct or a willful violation of any of ACAB’s rules. Additionally, if the Board determines that detrimental conduct has occurred that results in a material adverse impact, any incentive compensation paid during the prior year may be subject to clawback. Incentive compensation excludes base salary and other compensation but includes equity compensation and bonuses.
In October 2022, the SEC adopted new Rule 10D-1 under the Exchange Act, which requires national securities exchanges, including Nasdaq, to establish listing standards relating to executive officer incentive compensation clawback and disclosure rules. In February 2023, Nasdaq released its final version of the proposed listing standards, which require listed companies to adopt, no later than December 1, 2023, clawback policies providing for the recovery of erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. No compensation will be paid to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to or in connection with the consummation of our 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 independent directors will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, executive officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommenced, to the Board of Directors for determination, either by a 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 the 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 Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of December 31, 2023, by:
•
each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock;
•
each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns shares of our common stock;
•
and all our executive officers and directors as a group.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Series A common stock, our Series B common stock, and our Series A common stock and Series B common stock voting together as a single group. The percentage ownership of our common stock is based on 8,167,391 shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023, consisting of 8,167,390 shares of our Series A common stock and 1 share of our Series B common stock issued and outstanding.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.
Series A Common Stock Beneficially
Owned
Series B Common Stock Beneficially
Owned(2)
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
Number of Shares
%
Number of
Shares
%
% of Total Voting
Power
Directors and Executive Officers
Shahraab Ahmad(3)
7,199,999
88.2 %
%
*
Anthony D. Eisenberg(4)
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
Jason Chryssicas(4)
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
Burt Jordan(4)
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
Joanna Lord(4)(5)
50,000
- 
- 
*
Bryan Dove(4)(5)
50,000
- 
- 
*
Curtis Collar(4)(5)
50,000
- 
- 
*
Darren Stanwood(4)(5)
50,000
- 
- 
*
Dominick J. Schiano(4)(5)
50,000
- 
- 
*
All executive officers and directors as a group (9 persons)
7,449,999
91.2 %
%
*
Five Percent Holders
Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC(3)
7,199,999
88.2 %
%
*
Shahraab Ahmad(3)(5)
7,199,999
88.2 %
%
*
* Less than 1%.
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II, 6 St Johns Lane, Floor 5, New York, NY 10013.
(2) Such Series B common stock will automatically convert into Series A common stock concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment.
(3) Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Management II LLC, our sponsor, is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Shahraab Ahmad is the manager and the majority owner of our sponsor. Accordingly, Mr. Ahmad may be deemed to beneficially own all of the shares held by our sponsor. Mr. Ahmad disclaims beneficial ownership of any securities held by our sponsor except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
(4) Does not include any shares held by our sponsor. This individual is a member of our sponsor but does not have voting or dispositive control over the shares held by our sponsor.
(5) Shares of Series A common stock held by such holder are converted Founder Shares.
Our initial stockholders beneficially own approximately 91.2% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
The holders of the founder shares have agreed: (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination; and (B) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or in connection with a tender offer.
Our executive officers have interests in our sponsor and therefore indirect interests in the founder shares and private placement warrants.
Our sponsor and our executive officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
Subject to certain limited exceptions, our sponsor, founders, executive officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the last reported sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (2) if we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then all of such shares will be released from the lock-up. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
During the applicable lock-up period, the holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants or the securities underlying the private placement warrants, will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and members) participating in the private placement of the private placement warrants, (2) amongst our founders or to our officers, directors and employees,
(3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the applicable securities were originally purchased or (9) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the insider letter. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares, the private placement warrants or the securities underlying the private placement warrants.
Registration Rights
Our founders, executive officers, directors and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the founder shares, the private placement warrants and the underlying securities and any securities issued upon conversion of working capital loans, pursuant to a registration rights agreement executed in connection with our IPO. The holders of the private placement warrants (or the underlying securities) are entitled to demand that we register these securities at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights on registration statements filed after our consummation of a business combination.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
In October 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0035 per share. On January 13, 2022, we effectuated a 1.044-for-1 stock split, resulting in an aggregate of 7,503,750 founder shares outstanding and held by our initial stockholders. Due to the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their overallotment option, 3,750 shares were forfeited.
Lock-Up Restrictions
Subject to certain limited exceptions, our sponsor, founders, executive officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the last reported sale price of our Series A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (2) if we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, then the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
Promissory Notes
On October 25, 2021, we issued a promissory note to our sponsor, pursuant to which we were able to borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $250,000. The note is non-interest bearing and matured upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As of January 19, 2022, we had $149,539 outstanding under the promissory note. On February 22, 2022, we repaid the promissory note in full.
On October 14, 2023 and November 14, 2023, we issued non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory notes (the “2023 Notes”) in the principal amount of $80,000, respectively, to our sponsor. The $80,000 was deposited into our trust account in order to extend the amount of time that the we have available to complete a business combination. Upon the closing of a business combination, our sponsor may elect to either receive repayment under the 2023 Notes or to convert all or a portion of the amount loaned under the 2023 Notes into our Series A common stock at a price equal to $10.20 per share. In the event that the we do not complete a business combination, the amounts loaned under the 2023 Notes will be repaid to our sponsor only from funds held outside our trust account or will be forfeited, eliminated, or otherwise forgiven. As of December 31, 2023, we owed $160,000 due under the 2023 Notes with no further borrowings available.
Related Party Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed to provide us $1,750,000 to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements prior to our initial business combination. In addition, in order to meet our working capital needs, our founders, executive officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. Up to $1,500,000 of such loan may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
On December 8, 2023 and December 11, 2023, our sponsor advanced us $10,000 and $1,630,000, respectively, to fund the account for the funds used in operations.
Registration Rights
The holders of our founder shares, as well as the holders of the private placement warrants and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on January 13, 2022. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities.
The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the founders’ private placement warrants or warrants issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Other
Other than the foregoing, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive the repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares and private placement warrants, which is described under the heading “Principal Stockholders - Registration Rights.”
Pursuant to a letter agreement that we entered into with our sponsor in connection with the closing of our initial public offering, we will provide a right of first offer to our sponsor if, in connection with or prior to the closing of our initial Business Combination, we propose to raise additional capital by issuing any equity securities, or securities convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for equity securities (other than warrants in respect of working capital loans as described above or to any seller in such Business Combination).
Related Party Policy
Our Board of Directors has adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were reviewed, approved and ratified in accordance with such policy.
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the Board of Directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.
Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an
unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors including (i) an entity that is either a portfolio company of, or has otherwise received a material financial investment from, any private equity fund or investment company (or an affiliate thereof) that is affiliated with any of the foregoing, (ii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently passive investors, (iii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently officers or directors, or (iv) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently invested through an investment vehicle controlled by them, unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, and the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers, for services rendered to us 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). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of our initial public offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and
Repayment of loans, including the $1,750,000 loan commitment made at the closing of our initial public offering by our sponsor for working capital, which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender.
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.
Conflicts of Interest
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, each of our officers and certain of our directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. 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.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
Our stockholders should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities.
In the course of their other business activities, our sponsor, officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. However, our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all suitable target business opportunities, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations.
Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our executive officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account.
The founder shares beneficially owned by our founders will be released from lockup only if a business combination is successfully completed, and the private placement warrants, including the underlying shares, purchased by our founders and/or their designees will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our executive officers and directors will not receive liquidation distributions with respect to any of their founder shares or the private placement warrants. Furthermore, our founders and/or their designees have agreed that the founder shares, the private placement warrants and securities underlying the private placement warrants, will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed a business combination. For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with.
In general, executive officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
•
the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
•
the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
•
it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise when our board evaluates a particular business opportunity with respect to the above-listed criteria. We cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations he or she might have. Accordingly, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our executive officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.
Individual
Entity
Entity’s Business
Affiliation
Shahraab Ahmad
Orama Holdings (Cayman) Limited
Decca Capital Limited
Peer Capital Management Limited
Investment Management Company
Investment Management Company
Investment Management Company
Chief Investment Officer
Chief Investment Officer and Director
Director
Anthony D. Eisenberg
Tappan Street
Investing
Managing Member
Palo Santo
Investing
Partner
Jason Chryssicas
BGC Partners, Inc.
Global Brokerage & Fintech
Head of Investor Relations
Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
Financial Services
Head of Investor Relations
Joanna Lord
Reforge Inc.
Education
CMO
Bryan Dove
CommerceHub
Logistics
CEO
Travalyst
Travel
Chairman
Curtis Collar
Nanotech Energy
Battery / Graphene
CEO / CMO
Darren Stanwood
Fields Texas Ltd. Holdings LLC
Investment Firm
Managing Member
Baker Computer Services Inc.
Computer Equipment Repair
Chairman
Dominick J. Schiano
Evergreen Capital Partners LLC
Investment Advisory
President
The Gores Group LL
Financial Services
Senior Advisor
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.
If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our founders, as well as all of our executive officers and directors, have agreed to vote any shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to their founder shares. If they purchase shares of Series A common stock as part of our initial public offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such shares but have agreed not to redeem or sell such shares to us in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our sponsor, executive officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our Board of Directors who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limits our directors’ liability to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. The DGCL provides that directors of a corporation will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability:
•
for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit;
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for any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
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for any unlawful payment of dividends or redemption of shares; or
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for any breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders.
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of our directors shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.
Delaware law and our amended and restated bylaws provide that we will, in certain situations, indemnify our directors and officers and may indemnify other employees and other agents, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any indemnified person is also entitled, subject to certain limitations, to advancement, direct payment, or reimbursement of reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding.
In addition, we have entered, and intend to continue to enter, if necessary, into separate indemnification agreements with our directors and officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify our directors and officers for certain expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of their services as one of our directors or officers or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.
We maintain a directors’ and officers’ insurance policy pursuant to which our directors and officers are insured against liability for actions taken in their capacities as directors and officers. We believe that these provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and these indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, or control persons, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Director Independence
Nasdaq requires that a majority of our board must be composed of “independent directors,” which is defined generally as a person other than an executive officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of our Board of Directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Joanna Lord, Bryan Dove, Curtis Collar, Darren Stanwood and Dominick J. Schiano qualify as our independent directors as defined under the Nasdaq rules.
Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Any affiliated transactions must be approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The firm of Marcum LLP acts as our independent registered public accounting firm. The following is a summary of fees paid to Marcum LLP for services rendered.
Audit Fees. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were approximately $136,380 and $81,000, respectively, for the services Marcum LLP performed in connection with our quarterly filings and the audit of our December 31, 2023 and 2022 financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Audit-Related Fees. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, our independent registered public accounting firms fees were approximately $32,000 and $32,000, respectively, for services related to the issuance of consents.
Tax Fees. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, our independent registered public accounting firms fees were approximately $4,000 for each year, for services related to tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
All Other Fees. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, our independent registered public accounting firms fees were approximately $184,000 and $184,000, respectively, for services related to other services and permitted due diligence services related to potential business combination.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K:
(1) Financial Statements:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 688)
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
to
(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 inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.