UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

 

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from    to   

 

JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware

  

001-40479

  

86-1679100

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)		   (Commission File Number)   (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

1601 Washington Avenue, Suite 800

Miami Beach, FL

 

33139

(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (305) 695-5500

 

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class:

  

Trading Symbol:

  

Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered:

Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant   HCNEU   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Shares of Class A common stock included as part of the units   HCNE   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50   HCNEW   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

 

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

 

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

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒ No ☐

 

As of June 30, 2021, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the registrant’s units, Class A common stock and warrants were not separately traded. The registrant’s Class A common stock and warrants began separately trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) on August 2, 2021. The aggregate market value of the common stock outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing sales price for the Class A common stock on December 31, 2021, as reported on Nasdaq, was $309,925,000 (based on the closing sales price of the Class A common stock on December 31, 2021 of $9.80).

 

As of March 30, 2022, 31,625,000 shares of Class A common stock and 7,906,250 shares of Class B common stock were issued and outstanding.

 

Documents Incorporated by Reference: None.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS iii
   
PART I 1
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 23
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 56
Item 2. Properties 56
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 56
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 56
     
PART II 57
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 57
Item 6. [Reserved] 58
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 58
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 61
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 61
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 61
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 61
Item 9B. Other Information. 62
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections. 62
     

PART III

 63
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 63
Item 11. Executive Compensation 72
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 73
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 74
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 75
     
PART IV 76
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statements Schedules 76
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary 76

 

i

 

CERTAIN TERMS

 

Unless otherwise stated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”), or the context otherwise requires, references to:

 

●“common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively;

 

●“Founders” are to Barry S. Sternlicht and Matthew Walters;

 

●“founder shares” are to our shares of Class B common stock initially issued to our sponsor in a private placement prior to our initial public offering and the shares of Class A common stock that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the shares of Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of Class A common stock will not be “public shares”);

 

●“initial stockholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering;

 

●“management” or our “management team” are to our executive officers and directors;

 

●“private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering and that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any;

 

●“public shares” are to our shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

●“public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor and management team to the extent our sponsor and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that our sponsor’s and each member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares;

 

●“public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market) and to any private placement warrants that are sold to third parties that are not initial purchasers or officers or directors (or permitted transferees) following the consummation of our initial business combination;

 

●“sponsor” are to Hurricane Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and affiliate of JAWS Estates Capital LLC (“JAWS”), the public and private direct investing focused single family office of Barry S. Sternlicht; and

 

●

“we,” “us,” “our,” “Company,” “our Company” or “JAWS Hurricane” are to JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation.

 

ii


 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other business combination and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not limited to:

 

●our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

 

●our ability to complete our initial business combination;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

●our pool of prospective target businesses;

 

●our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

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

 

●our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

 

●the lack of a market for our securities;

 

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

 

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

 

●our financial performance following our initial public offering.

 

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

 

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this Report. In addition, even if our results or operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.

 

iii

 

SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS

 

The following is a summary of the principal risks described below in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in this Report. We believe that the risks described in the “Risk Factors” section are material to investors, but other factors not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also adversely affect us. The following summary should not be considered an exhaustive summary of the material risks facing us, and it should be read in conjunction with the “Risk Factors” section and the other information contained in this Report.

 

●We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

 

●Past performance by our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

 

●Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

 

●Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.

 

●If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, after approval of our board, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

 

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

 

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

 

●The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

 

  ● Our warrants are accounted for as derivative liabilities, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

 

●Financial incentives may cause the underwriters to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after our initial public offering.

 

●The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

●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.

 

●Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

iv

 

●We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate. Additionally, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

●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 have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, related to the Company’s accounting for complex financial instruments. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

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

 

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

 

●Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

●If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

●The other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Report.

 

v

 

PART I

 

Item 1.Business

 

Introduction

 

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this Report as our initial business combination. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination. Our sponsor, Hurricane Sponsor LLC, is an affiliate of JAWS.

 

On January 19, 2021, our sponsor purchased 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On June 15, 2021, the sponsor purchased 4,162,500 private placement warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $8,325,000. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. In addition, on June 10, 2021, the Company effected a share capitalization with respect to Class B common stock of 718,750 shares thereof, resulting in the Company’s initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 7,906,250 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the Company by the sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible.

 

On June 15, 2021, the Company consummated its initial public offering of 31,625,000 units, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 4,125,000 units to cover over-allotments, at $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $316,250,000. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001, and one-fourth (1/4) of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.

 

JAWS Hurricane is named after the Hawker Hurricane, a maneuverable, small fighter aircraft that helped propel the Allies to victory at the Battle of Britain. Like the Hurricane, our JAWS Hurricane SPAC has been purposefully built to be smaller so that it is efficient and nimble in its initial business combination. We intend to focus our efforts on identifying a prospective target business with either all or a substantial portion of its activities in North America. We expect to focus on consumer technology and related technology businesses that have attractive growth-oriented characteristics and strong underlying demand drivers. As we focus our efforts in identifying a prospective target company or business, we will seek to capitalize on our Founders’ multiple decades of combined investment experience, particularly in the consumer and consumer internet and technology sectors. We do not intend to target industries that are competitive with Starwood Capital, which includes real estate, lodging, oil and gas and energy infrastructure. Our Founders have a vast proprietary network of executives, investors and advisors. Particularly, each Founder maintains close relationships with key founders, investors, and contacts in Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley, and other similar regions with growth technology companies. The Founders will employ a disciplined and highly selective investment process and expect to add value to a target company through add-on acquisitions, capital structure optimization and operational improvements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our efforts on identifying a prospective target company or business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region.

 

We believe there are many potential targets within the space that are both attractive acquisition opportunities and positioned to deliver substantial value to stockholders. We estimate there to be a significant number of businesses with valuations appropriate for our Company that reside in our target sectors, with valuations in excess of $1 billion. Such high growth technology companies are positioned in sub-sectors that have large total addressable markets (TAM) previously underserved by incumbents, which have allowed technologically advantaged companies to capture a significant portion of the TAM. Many traditional consumer businesses that have not previously fully embraced e-commerce are finding it difficult to compete, while tremendous value has been created by consumer technology companies over the last decade as they race to build the next generation of technology. Consumer technology businesses, or traditional businesses with a large technology component, simply have the benefit of lower customer acquisition and marketing costs, lower adoption hurdles and a better product fit.

 

1

 

We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a catalyst for growth in the consumer technology and related sectors, pulling forward digital consumer trends and adoption across several consumer categories. For example, according to IBM’s U.S. Retail Index, the pandemic has accelerated the shift away from physical stores to digital shopping by roughly five years. We believe that consumer habits formed during the pandemic are likely to carry over into the post-COVID recovery, across all generations, not just millennials and Gen Z. As a result, the consumer technology and related sectors have grown substantially, with myriad businesses experiencing hyper growth, which we expect to continue. We believe that in order to effectively address new and sustained demand levels, companies and businesses in these sectors need to access the public markets in a timely manner, which may not be possible through a traditional initial public offering or spin-off.

 

Finally — our Founders are proven stewards of investor capital and have a track record of investing in strong business models that operate in favorable gross-margin industries with long term contracts and customers, all of which are key criteria for selecting a suitable business.

 

Barry S. Sternlicht, our Chairman, is a well-known entrepreneur and operator with an extensive deal-making history. He founded Starwood Capital in 1991 and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Starwood Capital is a private alternative investment firm focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, and energy infrastructure with $115 billion of assets under management as of January 31, 2022. Through the Starwood Capital platform, Mr. Sternlicht has created several multi-billion dollar public market companies, ranging from traditional real estate to branded hospitality. He has also executed several marquee public market transactions to enhance the scale of his core platform — including the creation and expansion of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the consolidation of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (formerly NYSE: HOT), the spin-off and growth of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH), and the formation of Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR). Similarly, he has been involved in numerous private market consumer businesses as an early investor.

 

Mr. Sternlicht currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of STWD, a leading, diversified real estate finance company with $7 billion in market capitalization and one of the first mortgage REITs launched post-crisis. Since inception in 2009, Mr. Sternlicht has guided STWD through a steady evolution with $83 billion in deployed capital, evolving from a pure-play commercial lender to a diversified commercial REIT with residential lending, commercial mortgage servicing, property ownership, and infrastructure lending. Mr. Sternlicht also has deep operating expertise, serving as the Chairman, from January 1995 through May 2005, and as the Chief Executive Officer, from January 1995 through September 2004, of HOT, a period in which the share price appreciated at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 16%. Over his tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sternlicht grew the total market capitalization of HOT to approximately $10 billion. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sternlicht executed several key acquisitions, including Westin Hotels, Patriot American, and ITT Corp., and led the development of the W Hotel concept.

 

Additionally, Mr. Sternlicht currently serves as Chairman of two public SPACs, JAWS Mustang Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: JWSM; “JAWS Mustang”), which successfully conducted its initial public offering in February 2021, and JAWS Juggernaut Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: JUGG; “JAWS Juggernaut”), which successfully conducted its initial public offering in June 2021. Mr. Sternlicht previously served as Chairman of JAWS Acquisition Corp., through its business combination with Cano Health, which closed on June 3, 2021. Mr. Sternlicht is currently a member of the board of directors of Cano Health. Cano Health is a primary care-centric, technology-powered healthcare delivery and population health platform. The combined company operates as Cano Health, and is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “CANO”. Mr. Sternlicht also previously served as Chairman of JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation (“JAWS Spitfire”), through its business combination with Velo3D, Inc. (“Velo3D”), which closed on September 29, 2021. Upon closing of the business combination, Mr. Sternlicht resigned as the Chairman of the board of directors. Velo3D is a leader in additive manufacturing for high value metal parts. The combined company operates as Velo3D and is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “VLD”. Mr. Sternlicht also served as a director of Vesper Healthcare Acquisition Corp. which, on May 4, 2021, consummated a business combination with Hydrafacial and changed its name to The Beauty Health Company (Nasdaq: SKIN). Mr. Sternlicht is also a member of the board of directors of INVH, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL), and A.S. Roma S.p.A. (MIB: ASR).

 

2

 

Matthew Walters, our Chief Executive Officer and director, is also a Managing Director at JAWS and the Chief Operating Officer of JAWS Mustang. He directs the private investment strategy with a particular emphasis on the consumer and technology sectors for JAWS. JAWS representative investments include Artsy, Away Luggage, Color Genomics, Delos Living, Didi, Domino’s China, Flaschenpost, Flipkart, Hyperloop, Illumio, Pre-IPO Lyft, Oscar Health, Oyo Rooms, Parachute Home, Qualia, Sarcos Robotics, Sweetgreen, Third Love and Wish. Mr. Walters also previously served as Chief Executive Officer and director of JAWS Spitfire through its business combination with Velo3D. Mr. Walters is currently a member of the board of directors of Velo3D. Prior to joining JAWS, Mr. Walters spent his entire career at L Catterton, the largest, most global consumer-focused private equity firm, where he worked on sourcing and investment strategy for both the buyout and growth oriented funds. Mr. Walters sits on the board of Sempre Life and is a board observer at Bluestone Lane and Parachute Home. Mr. Walters received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Finance from Fairfield University.

 

Andy Appelbaum serves on our board of directors. He is the Managing Partner of RiverPark Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing on high growth, early stage businesses. RiverPark Ventures is part of the RiverPark family of funds, a multi-strategy portfolio management firm. Mr. Appelbaum is a career entrepreneur with a focus on creating marketplaces and disrupting inefficient supply chains. The companies he has co-founded have spanned a broad diversity of industries, including technology, energy, food services, e-commerce, media and real estate. Mr. Appelbaum is the co-founder of Seamless (formerly Seamless Web), Cleaner Options, mdenergy, Blue Ribbon Partners and domino Media Group. Prior to founding RiverPark Ventures, he was an active angel investor. Mr. Appelbaum received a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, summa cum laude from SUNY Binghamton in 1988 and a JD from New York University School of Law in 1991. From 1991 through 1992, he was an associate with the New York office of Latham & Watkins, specializing in corporation transactions and restructuring. Mr. Appelbaum serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the JCC of Manhattan and is a member of New York Angels.

 

Benjamin Weprin serves on our board of directors. Mr. Weprin also has previously served as a director of JAWS Acquisition from May 2020 until the completion of its business combination with Cano Health on June 3, 2021. In October 2008, he founded AJ Capital Partners, a private real estate company based in Chicago, Illinois, and has served as the Chief Executive Officer since its creation. AJ Capital Partners acquires, develops and operates hospitality assets and businesses with a focus on luxury lodging investments. Mr. Weprin also founded Adventurous Journeys LP in 2008 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since its creation. He is also the founder of Graduate Hotels and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since its creation in 2014. Mr. Weprin received an M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and a B.A. in Business Administration from University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

 

We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive business combination opportunities with a compelling industry backdrop and an opportunity for transformational growth. Our objectives are to generate attractive returns for our stockholders and enhance value through improving operational performance of the acquired company. We expect to favor potential target companies with certain industry and business characteristics. Key industry characteristics include compelling long term growth prospects, attractive competitive dynamics, consolidation opportunities and low risk of technological obsolescence. Key business characteristics include high barriers to entry, significant streams of recurring revenue, opportunity for operational improvement, attractive steady-state margins, high incremental margins and attractive free cash flow characteristics.

 

With respect to the above, past experience or performance of our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either (i) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (ii) success with respect to any business combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or their respective affiliates as indicative of future performance. Our management team and their respective affiliates have been involved with a large number of public and private companies in addition to those identified above, not all of which have achieved similar performance levels. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including SPACs. See “Risk Factors — General Risk Factors — Past performance by our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.”

 

3

 

Business Strategy

 

Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that complements the experience of our Founders and can benefit from their operational and investment expertise. Our selection process leverages Mr. Sternlicht’s and Mr. Walters’ broad and deep relationship network, unique industry experiences and deal sourcing capabilities to access a broad spectrum of differentiated opportunities. This network has been developed through our Founders’ demonstrated success both investing in and operating businesses across a variety of industries, developing a distinctive combination of capabilities including:

 

●a track record of creating and growing multi-billion dollar platforms in the public markets;

 

●extensive mergers and acquisitions experience, including driving transformational transactions;

 

●close relationships with key founders, investors, and contacts of venture capital and private equity backed companies, ranging from seed to late stage;

 

●ability to enhance and advise management teams as they transition from private to public markets;

 

●experience driving capital allocation decisions at the corporate level;

 

●understanding of public market performance and requirements;

 

●history of sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses;

 

●deep relationships with sellers, financing providers and target management teams; and

 

●an extensive history of accessing the capital markets across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies with transition to public ownership.

 

Acquisition Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We do not intend to target industries that are competitive with Starwood Capital, which includes real estate, lodging, oil and gas and energy infrastructure. We intend to acquire one or more businesses that we believe:

 

●are growth-oriented, market-leading companies within their industries and target North American consumer and technology businesses;

 

●have a strong and competitive industry position, with demonstrated competitive advantages to maintain barriers to entry;

 

●would benefit from the Founders’ network or expertise such as additional management expertise, capital structure optimization, acquisition advice or operational changes to drive improved financial performance;

 

●are fundamentally sound companies that are underperforming their potential;

 

●exhibit unrecognized value or other characteristics, desirable returns on capital and a need for capital to achieve the company’s growth strategy, that we believe have been misevaluated by the marketplace based on our analysis and due diligence review;

 

●will offer an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders, potential upside from growth in the target business and an improved capital structure will be weighed against any identified downside risks; and

 

●

can benefit from being publicly traded, are prepared to be a publicly traded company and can utilize access to broader capital markets.

 

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

 

4

 

In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience.

 

Each of our directors and officers directly or indirectly owns founder shares and/or private placement warrants and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, such officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity subject to his or her fiduciary duties. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties under Delaware law, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to 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 business combination 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 it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses.

 

Our Founders, 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.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

So long as our securities are then listed on Nasdaq, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets threshold, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.

 

5

 

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-business combination company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-business combination 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-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target business, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.

 

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

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.

 

Other Considerations

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, Founders, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our Founders, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such initial business combination is fair to our Company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

 

In addition, certain of our Founders, officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities. As a result, if any of our Founders, officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he, she or it has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law, he, she or it will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provide that we renounce our interest in any business combination 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 it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses.

 

6

 

Certain of our directors and officers are affiliated with other special purpose acquisition companies and our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. For example, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring two other blank check companies, JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut, and such affiliates expect to sponsor additional blank check companies in the future. JAWS Mustang is focusing on North American and/or European companies in any particular industry for a business combination. JAWS Juggernaut is focusing on wireless communications and related technology/product/service businesses in any location for a business combination. However, neither of these blank check companies is limited to a particular industry or geographic region in its search for its own business combination and may seek opportunities with consumer technology and related technology businesses with either all or a substantial portion of its activities in North America. Additionally, Mr. Sternlicht is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut, Mr. Walters is the Chief Operating Officer of JAWS Mustang and Mr. Racich is the Chief Financial Officer of JAWS Juggernaut. Mr. Sternlicht owes fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law to JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut, Mr. Walters owes fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law to JAWS Mustang and Mr. Racich owes fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law to JAWS Juggernaut. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates. However, we do not currently expect that any such other blank check company would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

In addition, our Founders, officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Also, Mr. Sternlicht is not expected to have day-to-day control of our affairs.

 

Status as a Public Company

 

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our shares of Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our shares of Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

 

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

 

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

 

7

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.

 

Financial Position

 

With funds available for a business combination in the amount of $304,422,625 as of December 31, 2021, after payment of offering costs, including the $11,068,750 in deferred underwriting fees, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.

 

Effecting Our Initial Business Combination

 

General

 

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following our initial public offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

 

8

 

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

 

We have not negotiated the acquisition of a business combination target. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in our initial public offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.

 

We may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. There are no prohibitions on our ability to issue securities or incur debt in connection with our initial business combination. We are not currently a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third-party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.

 

Sources of Target Businesses

 

Target business candidates are brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since some of these sources will have read this Report and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or their respective affiliates be paid by us any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigation and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, Founders, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our Founders, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such initial business combination is fair to our Company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

 

9

 

As more fully discussed in the section of this Report entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

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

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.

 

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

 

Lack of Business Diversification

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

 

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

 

10

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.

 

Type of Transaction 

Whether

Stockholder

Approval is

Required

Purchase of assets  No
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the Company  No
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the Company  No
Merger of the Company with a target  Yes

 

Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, stockholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:

 

●We issue common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number or voting power of our common stock then-outstanding (other than in a public offering);

 

●Any of our directors, officers or substantial security holder (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding shares of common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or

 

●The issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.

 

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

 

●

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

 

●the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;

 

●the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;

 

●other time and budget constraints of the Company; and

 

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

 

11

 

Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities

 

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 sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making 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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of shares of Class A common stock) following our mailing of tender offer or proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.

 

12

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. We expect any such purchases would be reported by such person pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

 

Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Further, we will not proceed with redeeming our public shares, even if a public stockholder has properly elected to redeem its shares, if a business combination does not close. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock.

 

Limitations on Redemptions

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, the proposed business combination may require (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

 

Manner of Conducting Redemptions

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. In the case of a stockholder meeting, such election must be made, unless extended by us in our sole discretion, no later than two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our Company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target business in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons.

 

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If we hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

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

 

●file proxy materials with the SEC.

 

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

 

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the Company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 11,859,376, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted), or 1,976,563, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 31,625,000 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved. We will give at least 10 days prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether it votes for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.

 

If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if we Seek Stockholder Approval

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, 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), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination.

 

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

 

Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights

 

As described above, we intend to require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their stock certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian (“DWAC”) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the date on which the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination is initially to be held. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote, we intend to require a public stockholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote in which the name and other identifying information of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.

 

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

 

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

 

If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public 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. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.

 

If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering.

 

Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination

 

Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed that we will have only 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our business combination within such 24-month period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public 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 business combination within the 24-month time period.

 

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

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination.

 

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We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from the $279,211 held outside of the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. If those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay franchise and income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

 

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.

 

Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (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, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will 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. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC will not execute an agreement with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third-party for services rendered or products sold to us (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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 (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes, 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. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay 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 may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.

 

We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (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 monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $279,211 held outside of the trust account with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such stockholder. In the event that our non-reimbursed offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,000,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the non-reimbursed offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,000,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

 

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 our public shares in the event we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering may be considered a liquidating 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.

 

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Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, is not considered a liquidating 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 liquidating distribution. If we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, 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, including franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public 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. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 24th month 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, 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 10 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. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, 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. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes, and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 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.

 

If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that 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, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our Company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

 

Our public stockholders are entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, subject to applicable law. 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.

 

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

 

The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering:

 

   

Redemptions in Connection
with Our Initial Business

Combination

  

Other Permitted Purchases
of Public Shares by Our

Affiliates

  

Redemptions if We Fail to
Complete an Initial

Business Combination

Calculation of redemption or purchase price  

Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place, if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination.

 

 If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.   If we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law.
Impact to remaining stockholders  

The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes payable (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account).

   If the permitted purchases described above are made there would be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us.   The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such redemptions

 

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Competition

 

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

 

Facilities

 

We currently maintain our executive offices at 1601 Washington Avenue, Suite 800, Miami Beach, FL 33139. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee we will pay to an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Employees

 

We currently have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Also, Mr. Sternlicht, as Chairman, shall not have day-to-day control of our affairs and shall not be involved in our day-to-day operations.

 

Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

 

We have registered our units, shares of Class 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 the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to stockholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may 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 complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

 

We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this Report forms a part, we filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we 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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.

 

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Item 1A.Risk Factors

 

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

 

Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks

 

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

 

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination if the business combination would not require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.

 

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.

 

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

 

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

 

Our initial stockholders own 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of our initial public offering. Our initial stockholders and management team also may from time to time purchase shares of Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 11,859,375, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted), or 1,976,563, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 31,625,000 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, after approval of our board, the agreement by our initial stockholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination and our quorum threshold will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.

 

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

 

We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.

 

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

 

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

 

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

 

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

 

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

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

 

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Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and other infectious diseases could result in, a widespread health crisis that adversely affects the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination and our ability to successfully consummate a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of new variants of COVID-19 and the continued actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be adversely affected in a material way.

 

In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on our ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including increased market volatility or decreased market liquidity in third party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

 

Finally, a sustained or prolonged COVID-19 resurgence, such as the new Omicron variant, may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities.

 

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public 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. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares.

 

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If we have not completed an initial business combination within the 24-month period, we may seek an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the period of time we have to complete an initial business combination beyond 24 months. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires that such an amendment be approved by holders of 65% of our outstanding common stock.

 

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

 

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 sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or 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. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions.

 

In the event that our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their 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 transaction could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination, (ii) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (iii) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

 

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

 

We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. For example, 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 date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.

 

See “Proposed Business — Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Strategy Combination — Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection With a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”

 

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

 

Our public stockholders are entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

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

 

Since the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 upon the successful completion of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants 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 that since our units were immediately tradable and we have a longer period of time to complete our business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if our initial public offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would have prohibited the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.

 

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination, in conjunction with a stockholder vote or via a tender offer. Target businesses will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time frame, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

27

 

Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of our initial public offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we have not completed our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

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If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes, and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $279,211 in cash held outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or we may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and waive all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we have not completed our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per share, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

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

 

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

 

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we 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. 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. The underwriters of our initial public offering will not execute an agreement with us waiving such claims to the monies in the trust account.

 

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

 

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

 

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.

 

While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

 

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

 

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage 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.

 

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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 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, accept less favorable terms or both. However, 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, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the 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.

 

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

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that 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 some or 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 itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.

 

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy 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 petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. 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.

 

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

 

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 our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a 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. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of our initial public offering in the event we do not complete our business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, 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 10 years following our dissolution. 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. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, 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 likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. 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 beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering is not considered a liquidating 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 liquidating distribution.

 

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

 

In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus, we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial 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.

 

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

 

We may pursue business combination opportunities in any industry, sector or geographic area, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet negotiated the acquisition of a target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.

 

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

 

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

 

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of 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 applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal 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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.

 

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

 

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues, cash flows, or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

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

 

Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our Company 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. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

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Financial incentives may cause the underwriters to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any 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 any of the underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after our initial public offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriters or their affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date the prospectus associated with our initial public offering, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with our initial public offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The fact that the underwriters or their affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

●our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

●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, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The net proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants provided us with up to $306,174,250 that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $11,068,750 of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account and the estimated expenses of our initial public offering).

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination 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, shares or other equity interests of target business, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. 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 our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.

 

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

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. 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 over financial reporting of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

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

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our 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 business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors and the director designees of our sponsor, to approve our initial business combination, which may have the effect of delaying or preventing a business combination that our public stockholders would consider favorable.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors and the director designees of our sponsor, to approve our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is unlikely that we will be able to enter into an initial business combination unless our sponsor’s members find the target and the business combination attractive. This may make it more difficult for us to approve and enter into an initial business combination than other blank check companies and could result in us not pursuing an acquisition target or other board or corporate action that our public stockholders would find favorable.

 

In order to effectuate our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our stockholders may not support.

 

In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

The provisions of our amended and restated 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 65% of our 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 will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock following the closing of our initial public offering, will participate in any vote to amend our 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 a business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

 

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Certain agreements related to our initial public offering may be amended without stockholder approval.

 

Each of the agreements related to our initial public offering to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the investment management trust agreement, may be amended without stockholder approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement; the letter agreement among us and our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors; the registration and stockholder rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders; the private placement warrants purchase agreement between us and our sponsor; and the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and other securities held by our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement. Any amendment entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any other material amendment to any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For example, amendments to the lock-up provision discussed above may result in our initial stockholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.

 

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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Although we believe that the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected 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 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. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment has made it especially difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our 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 business combination.

 

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Risks Relating to our Securities

 

The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

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 securities are currently listed on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to our initial public offering we expect to continue to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, our securities may not be, or may not 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. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. Generally, we must maintain a minimum stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders).

 

For instance, in order for our shares to be listed upon the consummation of our business combination, at such time our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our total market capitalization would be required to be at least $5.0 million, and we would be required to have at minimum of 300 round lot stockholders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We may not be able to meet those listing requirements at that time.

 

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:

 

●a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

●reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

●a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class 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;

 

●a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

 

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

 

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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, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A common stock and warrants are covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

 

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

 

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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, 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), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

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

 

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

 

●restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

●restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

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

 

●registration as an investment company with the SEC;

 

●adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

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

 

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

 

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We do not believe that our principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. An investment in our securities is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, subject to applicable law. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of such shares, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above requirements, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of shares of Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities 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 applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units sold in our initial public offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the shares of common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.

 

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The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.

 

In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within twenty business days of the closing of an initial business combination.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

 

Pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A common stock into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. 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 Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants, holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

We may issue additional common stock or 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 Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class 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 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 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 undesignated shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. There are 172,500,000 and 13,125,000 authorized but unissued Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. Our Class B common stock is automatically convertible into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. There are no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Our Class B common stock is convertible into Class A common stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Shares of Class B common stock are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.

 

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We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or 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 Class A common stock or upon conversion of the Class 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 contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock 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 our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to stockholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions. 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 or preferred stock:

 

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

 

●may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;

 

●could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our 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;

 

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

 

●may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and

 

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

 

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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your 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 for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this Report, or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on shares of common stock as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) making any amendments that are necessary in the good faith determination of our board of directors (taking into account then existing market precedents for initial public offerings of special purpose acquisition companies underwritten by bulge bracket investment banks) to allow for the warrants to be classified as equity in our financial statements; provided that this clause (iii) will not allow any modification or amendment to the warrant agreement that would adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the public warrants, including by increasing the exercise price of the warrants or shortening the exercise period, which shall require the vote or consent as described below, (iv) removing any cap on the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon a “cashless exercise,” of the warrant agreement or amending the terms of the private placement warrants, to provide that the terms of the private placement warrants will not change if transferred to persons other than permitted transferees or to conform the provisions of the private placement warrants to the terms of the public warrants or (v) adding or changing any provisions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants in any material respect, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants 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, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

 

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

 

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

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement.

 

If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

 

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

 

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We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

 

We have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described in Exhibit 4.2 of this Report for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

 

In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met, including that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares of common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.

 

None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us as (except when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

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

 

We issued warrants to purchase 7,906,250 shares of Class A common stock as part of the units offered in our initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 4,162,500 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. In addition, if the sponsor, its affiliates or a member of our management team makes any working capital loans, it may convert up to $1,500,000 of such loans into up to an additional 750,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $2.00 per warrant. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock in connection with our redemption of our warrants.

 

To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights 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 Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

 

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Our warrants are accounted for as derivative liabilities and recorded at fair value with changes in fair value each period included in earnings, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

 

We issued 7,906,250 warrants as part of the units offered by our initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we issued an aggregate of 4,162,500 private placement warrants to our sponsor, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. We account for both the warrants underlying the units offered in our initial public offering and the private placement warrants as a warrant liability. At each reporting period (1) the accounting treatment of the warrants will be re-evaluated for proper accounting treatment as a liability or equity and (2) the fair value of the liability of the public warrants and private placement warrants will be remeasured and the change in the fair value of the liability will be recorded as other income (expense) in our income statement. Changes in the inputs and assumptions for the valuation model we use to determine the fair value of such liability may have a material impact on the estimated fair value of the embedded derivative liability. The share price of our common stock represents the primary underlying variable that impacts the value of the derivative instruments. Additional factors that impact the value of the derivative instruments include the volatility of our stock price, discount rates and stated interest rates. As a result, our consolidated financial statements and results of operations fluctuate quarterly, based on various factors, such as the share price of our common stock, many of which are outside of our control. In addition, we may change the underlying assumptions used in our valuation model, which could in result in significant fluctuations in our results of operations. If our stock price is volatile, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants or any other similar derivative instruments each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets may seek a special purpose acquisition company that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

Because each unit contains one-fourth of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.

 

Each unit contains one-fourth of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one whole warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-fourth of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if a unit included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

 

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

 

If (i) we issue additional common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price of effective issue price of less than $9.20 per common stock, (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by us and, (i) in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance, and (ii) to the extent that such issuance is made to Oaktree or its affiliates, without taking into account the transfer of founder shares or private placement warrants (including if such transfer is effectuated as a surrender to us and subsequent reissuance by us) by our sponsor in connection with such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the volume weighted average trading price of our shares of Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “the Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination with a target business.

 

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We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, related to the Company’s accounting for complex financial instruments. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s accounting for complex financial instruments. Additionally, our management re-evaluated our application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to our accounting classification of public shares. Our management and our audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate the Company’s previously issued (i) audited balance sheet as of June 15, 2021, as initially reported in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 21, 2021; and (ii) unaudited interim financial statements for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021, initially reported in the Company’s Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 16, 2021 and previously reported as revised in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on November 15, 2021 (the “Original Q3 Form 10-Q”); and (iii) footnote 2 to the unaudited interim financial statements and Item 4 of Part 1 included in the Company’s Original Q3 Form 10-Q (collectively, the “Affected Periods”), respectively, to classify all public shares subject to possible redemption in temporary equity.

 

As a result, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s accounting for complex financial instruments was not effective for the Affected Periods. This material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of our warrant liabilities, change in fair value of warrant liabilities, additional paid-in capital, accumulated deficit, change in the reclassification of public shares and related financial disclosures for the Affected Periods.

 

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. We continue to evaluate steps to remediate the material weakness. These remediation measures may be time consuming and costly and there is no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

A 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 or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our key personnel may be able to remain with our Company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. In addition, pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement, our sponsor, upon and following consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and stockholder rights agreement, which is described Exhibit 4.2 of this Report.

 

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, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

 

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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

 

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

 

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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 executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Also, Mr. Sternlicht, as Chairman, shall not have day-to-day control of our affairs and shall not be involved in our day-to-day operations. If our executive 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 Item 10 “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” and Item 13 “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”

 

Certain of our officers and directors are now, and certain of them expect in the future to become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us 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 sponsor and officers and directors are, and certain of them expect in the future to become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties, including the special purpose acquisition companies noted below and any other special purpose acquisition companies they may become involved with.

 

Certain of our directors and officers are affiliated with other special purpose acquisition companies and our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. For example, affiliates of our sponsor are currently sponsoring two other blank check companies, JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut, and such affiliates expect to sponsor additional blank check companies in the future. Any such companies may pursue similar targets and compete with us for business combination opportunities. JAWS Mustang is focusing on North American and/or European companies in any particular industry for a business combination. JAWS Juggernaut is focusing on wireless communications and related technology/product/service businesses in any location for a business combination. However, neither of these blank check companies is limited to a particular industry or geographic region in its search for its own business combination and may seek opportunities with consumer technology and related technology businesses with either all or a substantial portion of its activities in North America. Additionally, Mr. Sternlicht is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut, Mr. Walters is the Chief Operating Officer of JAWS Mustang and Mr. Racich is the Chief Financial Officer of JAWS Juggernaut. Mr. Sternlicht owes fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law to JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut, Mr. Walters owes fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law to JAWS Mustang and Mr. Racich owes fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law to JAWS Juggernaut. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates. Accordingly, our officers and directors 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 will provide 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 our 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. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses.

 

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

 

We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

 

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

 

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or initial stockholders. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. 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 and guidelines for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm regarding the fairness to our Company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or initial stockholders, 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.

 

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

 

On January 19, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001. On June 10, 2021, we effected a share capitalization with respect to our Class B common stock of 718,750 shares thereof, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 7,906,250 founder shares. Each of our independent directors currently owns 25,000 of the shares of Class B common stock noted above, which were transferred from our sponsor to them in March 2021. Prior to the initial investment in the Company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the Company by the number of founder shares issued. 1,031,250 founder shares were subject to forfeiture by our sponsor (or its permitted transferees) because of the underwriters’ full exercise of the over-allotment option, so our initial stockholders maintain ownership of 20% of our common stock after our initial public offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,162,500 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $2.00 per warrant ($8,325,000 in the aggregate), in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering. If we do not consummate an initial business within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The personal and financial interests of our 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. This risk may become more acute as the 24-month anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering nears, which is the deadline for our consummation of an initial business combination.

 

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Our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

 

Upon the closing of our initial public offering, our initial stockholders own shares representing 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any of our securities in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, 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 minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only our initial stockholders will be able to appoint or remove directors. In addition, as long as our sponsor is controlled by our founders, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.

 

The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.

 

Upon the closing of our initial public offering, our sponsor has invested in us an aggregate of approximately $8,350,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the approximate $8,325,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 7,906,250 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $79,062,500. Even if the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock was as low as $1.09 per share, and the private placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be approximately equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, 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 have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public stockholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.

 

Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

●rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

 

●complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

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

 

●exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;

 

●tariffs and trade barriers;

 

●regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

●local or regional economic policies and market conditions;

 

●unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

 

●longer payment cycles;

 

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

 

●currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

●rates of inflation;

 

●challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

●cultural and language differences;

 

●employment regulations;

 

●underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;

 

●corruption;

 

●protection of intellectual property;

 

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

 

●regime changes and political upheaval;

 

●terrorist attacks and wars; and

 

●deterioration of political relations with the United States.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

General Risk Factors

 

We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

 

We were formed in January 2021 and have no operating results. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We may be unable to complete our business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

 

Past performance by our management team is not indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

 

Information regarding performance by is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance of our management team is not a guarantee either: (i) tour ability to successfully identify and excuse a transaction; or (ii) success respect to any business combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management team as being indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.

 

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss. We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss. Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations. We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we 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 our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations. We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies. We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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 Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

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

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

 

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 Class A 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 the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

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 the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our Company or our Company’s directors, officers or other employees.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our Company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our Company to our Company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our Company or any director, or officer or employee of our Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director, or officer or employee of our Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (a) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (b) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (c) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by (1) the Exchange Act, (2) the Securities Act or (3) any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce 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.

 

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This choice-of-forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our Company or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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.

 

ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

None.

 

ITEM 2.PROPERTIES

 

We currently maintain our executive offices at 1601 Washington Avenue, Suite 800, Miami Beach, FL 33139. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee we pay to an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

To the knowledge of our management, there is no litigation currently pending or contemplated against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.

 

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5.MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

(a) Market Information

 

Our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants are each traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “HCNEU”, “HCNE” and “HCNEW” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on June 11, 2021. Our shares of Class A common stock and warrants began separate trading on August 2, 2021.

 

(b) Holders

 

On December 31, 2021, there was one holder of record of our units, one holder of record of our shares of Class A common stock, three holders of record of our shares of Class B common stock and two holders of record of our warrants.

 

(c) Dividends

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial conditions subsequent to completion of an initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

(d) Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

None.

 

(e) Performance Graph

 

Not applicable.

 

(f) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings

 

Unregistered Sales and Use of Proceeds

 

In January 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the Company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. On June 10, 2021, we effected a share capitalization with respect to our Class B common stock of 718,750 shares thereof, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 7,906,250 founder shares. In March 2021, our sponsor transferred compensation of 25,000 founder shares to each of Andy Appelbaum and Benjamin Weprin, our independent directors.

 

On June 15, 2021, the Company consummated its initial public offering of 31,625,000 units, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 4,125,000 units to cover over-allotments, at $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $316,250,000. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001, and one-fourth (1/4) of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.

 

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Concurrently with the completion of our initial public offering, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,162,500 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $2.00 per warrant, or $8,325,000 in the aggregate. The purchase price of the private placement warrants was added to the net proceeds of our initial public offering and placed in the trust account such that the trust account held $316.3 million at the time of closing of our initial public offering. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one (1) share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.

 

Use of Proceeds

 

For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our initial public offering, see Item 7 of this Report.

 

(g) Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

 

None.

 

ITEM 6.[RESERVED]

 

 

ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

 

Overview

 

We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware 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 Report as our initial business combination. We are an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risk associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

 

Results of Operations

 

Our entire activity since inception up to December 31, 2021 relates to our formation, the Initial Public Offering and, since the closing of the initial public offering, a search for a business combination candidate. We will not be generating any operating revenues until the closing and completion of our initial business combination, at the earliest.

 

For the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had $9,767,965 in net income and $31,979 in interest earned on marketable securities held in the trust account, which was offset by $834,579 in formation and operating costs and $499,469 in offering expenses related to warrant issuance. We also had a gain in change in fair value of liabilities related to public warrants and private placement warrants of $11,073,488.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $279,211 in our operating account, approximately $31,979 of investment income earned from investments held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, and a working capital of approximately $346,040 (including approximately $190,230 of franchise tax obligations). 

 

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As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $279,211 in cash and a working capital surplus of $206,040. Further, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with ASU 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”, as of December 31, 2021, the Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its current obligations. However, on February 23, 2022, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note in the principal amount of $500,000 to the Sponsor. The Note does not bear interest and is repayable in full upon consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. The note is expected to provide the Company liquidity for the year 2022. 

 

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination, other than funds available from loans from our Sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $2.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor, its affiliates or our management team as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

 

Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements

 

As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

The preparation of condensed 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 financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:

 

Warrant Liabilities

 

We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of our financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and ASC 815-15. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.

 

59

 

We issued 7,906,250 public warrants to investors in our initial public offering and issued 4,162,500 private placement warrants. All of our outstanding warrants are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815-40. Accordingly, we recognize the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations.

 

Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

 

We account for our common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that is 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 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 as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our condensed balance sheets. Under ASC 480-10-S99, the Company has elected to recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying value of the security to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. This method would view the end of the reporting period as if it were also the redemption date for the security.

 

Net Income (Loss) Per Share of Common Stock

 

Net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. We apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per shares. Accretion associated with redeemable shares of Class A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.

 

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

 

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our unaudited condensed financial statements.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial, and administrative support services provided to the Company. We began incurring these fees on June 15, 2021 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of a Business Combination and the Company’s liquidation.

 

The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $11,068,250 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

Pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement entered into on June 15, 2021, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination. However, the registration and stockholder rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

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JOBS Act

 

On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

 

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

 

ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.

 

ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

This information appears following Item 16 of this Report and is included herein by reference.

 

ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

 

None.

 

ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

61

 

As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2021. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2021, because of a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Specifically, the Company’s management has concluded that our control around the presentation of earnings per share was not effectively designed or maintained. This material weakness resulted in the restatement of the Company’s interim financial statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, as shown in a restatement footnote in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 to reflect the restatement of the earnings per share calculations included in our previously issued unaudited condensed financial statements. Additionally, this material weakness could result in a presentation of earnings per share that would result in a material misstatement of the financial statements that would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result, our management performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the periods presented. Management understands that the accounting standards applicable to our financial statements are complex and has since the inception of the Company benefited from the support of experienced third-party professionals with whom management has regularly consulted with respect to accounting issues. Management intends to continue to further consult with such professionals in connection with accounting matters.

 

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 Control Over Financial Reporting

 

This Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by the rules of the SEC for newly public companies.

 

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.

 

Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer performed additional accounting and financial analyses and other post-closing procedures including consulting with subject matter experts related to the accounting for certain complex features of the presentation of earnings per share. The Company’s management has expended, and will continue to expend, a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to properly identify and evaluate the appropriate accounting technical pronouncements and other literature for all significant or unusual transactions, we have expanded and will continue to improve these processes to ensure that the nuances of such transactions are effectively evaluated in the context of the increasingly complex accounting standards.

 

Item 9B.Other Information

 

None.

 

Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART III

 

Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

As of the date of this Report, our directors and officers are as follows:

 

Name  

Age

  

Position

Barry S. Sternlicht   61   Chairman
Matthew Walters   36   Chief Executive Officer and Director
Michael Racich   50   Chief Financial Officer
Andy Appelbaum   56   Director
Benjamin Weprin   43   Director

 

Barry S. Sternlicht serves as the Chairman of the board of directors of JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation and is a well-known entrepreneur and operator with an extensive deal-making history. He founded Starwood Capital in 1991 and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Starwood Capital is a private alternative investment firm focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, and energy infrastructure with $115 billion of assets under management as of January 31, 2022. Through the Starwood Capital platform, Mr. Sternlicht has created several multi-billion dollar public market companies, ranging from traditional real estate to branded hospitality. He has also executed several marquee public market transactions to enhance the scale of his core platform — including the creation and expansion of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the consolidation of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (formerly NYSE: HOT), the spin-off and growth of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH), and the formation of Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR). Similarly, he has been involved in numerous private market consumer businesses as an early investor.

 

Mr. Sternlicht currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of STWD, a leading, diversified real estate finance company with $7 billion in market capitalization; and one of the first mortgage REITs launched post-crisis. Since inception in 2009, Mr. Sternlicht has guided STWD through a steady evolution with $83 billion in deployed capital, evolving from a pure-play commercial lender to a diversified commercial REIT with residential lending, commercial mortgage servicing, property ownership, and infrastructure lending. Mr. Sternlicht also has deep operating expertise, serving as the Chairman, from January 1995 through May 2005, and as the Chief Executive Officer, from January 1995 through September 2004, of HOT; a period in which the share price appreciated at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 16%. Over his tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sternlicht grew the total market capitalization of HOT to approximately $10 billion. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sternlicht executed several key acquisitions, including Westin Hotels, Patriot American, and ITT Corp., and led the development of the W Hotel concept.

 

Additionally, Mr. Sternlicht currently serves as Chairman of two public SPACs, JAWS Mustang (NYSE: JWSM), which successfully conducted its initial public offering in February 2021, and JAWS Juggernaut (Nasdaq: JUGG), which successfully conducted its initial public offering in June 2021. Mr. Sternlicht previously served as Chairman of JAWS Acquisition, through its business combination with Cano Health, which closed on June 3, 2021. Mr. Sternlicht is currently a member of the board of directors of Cano Health. Cano Health is a primary care-centric, technology-powered healthcare delivery and population health platform. The combined company operates as Cano Health, and is listed on the NYSE under the new ticker symbol “CANO”. Mr. Sternlicht also previously served as Chairman of JAWS Spitfire through its business combination with Velo3D, which closed on September 29, 2021. Upon closing of the business combination, Mr. Sternlicht resigned as the Chairman of the board of directors. Velo3D, Inc. is a leader in additive manufacturing for high value metal parts. The combined company operates as Velo3D and is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “VLD”. Mr. Sternlicht also served as a director of Vesper Healthcare Acquisition Corp. which, on May 4, 2021, consummated a business combination with Hydrafacial and changed its name to The Beauty Health Company (Nasdaq: SKIN). Mr. Sternlicht is also a member of the board of directors of INVH, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL), and A.S. Roma S.p.A. (MIB: ASR).

 

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Outside of his public market experience, Mr. Sternlicht has made a variety of investments in the consumer sector. Most notably, he has created a number of independent hotel brands, including Baccarat Hotels, 1 Hotels and Treehouse Hotels, which are operated by SH Hotels & Resorts, a hotel brand management company and an affiliate of Starwood Capital. In addition to these investments, Mr. Sternlicht has invested in various consumer facing companies, including ThirdLove, a women’s clothing brand, Lyft, a ride share application, 2ndMD, which offers medical second opinions with virtual online consultations, Bonobos, an e-commerce-driven apparel company, Palantir, which specializes in big data analytics, Parachute Home, a premium home essentials brand, Little Spoon, a direct-to-consumer organic baby food, Away, a modern travel brand, and Wish, a mobile e-commerce platform. ThirdLove, Parachute Home, Little Spoon, and Away are women-led companies. We believe Mr. Sternlicht’s experience makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.

 

Matthew Walters is the Chief Executive Officer and a director of JAWS Hurricane. He is also a Managing Director at JAWS and the Chief Operating Officer of JAWS Mustang. He directs the private investment strategy with a particular emphasis on the consumer and technology sectors for JAWS. JAWS representative investments include Artsy, Away Luggage, Color Genomics, Delos Living, Didi, Domino’s China, Flaschenpost, Flipkart, Hyperloop, Illumio, Pre-IPO Lyft, Oscar Health, Oyo Rooms, Parachute Home, Qualia, Sarcos Robotics, Sweetgreen, Third Love and Wish. Mr. Walters also previously served as Chief Executive Officer and director of JAWS Spitfire through its business combination with Velo3D. Mr. Walters is currently a member of the board of directors of Velo3D. Prior to joining JAWS, Mr. Walters spent his entire career at L Catterton, the largest, most global consumer-focused private equity firm, where he worked on sourcing and investment strategy for both the buyout and growth oriented funds. Mr. Walters sits on the board of Sempre Life and is a board observer at Bluestone Lane and Parachute Home. Mr. Walters received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Finance from Fairfield University. We believe Mr. Walters’ significant investment experience makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.

 

Michael Racich is the Chief Financial Officer of JAWS Hurricane. Mr. Racich is also the Chief Financial Officer of JAWS Mustang and JAWS Juggernaut. Mr. Racich also previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of JAWS Acquisition Corp. through its business combination with Cano Health in June 2021 and JAWS Spitfire through its business combination with Velo3D in September 2021. Since 2010, Mr. Racich has also served as the Chief Financial officer of JAWS. Previously, Mr. Racich was a director at Frydland Stevens LLC from 2007 to 2014 and also worked for JAWS from 2005 to 2007. While at Frydland Stevens LLC, Mr. Racich advised JAWS on tax related issues and was responsible for preparing JAWS’ tax filings. Mr. Racich graduated from Villanova University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.

 

Andy Appelbaum has served as a member of the board of directors of JAWS Hurricane since June 10, 2021. Mr. Appelbaum also previously served as a director of JAWS Spitfire through its business combination with Velo3D in September 2021. He is also the Managing Partner of RiverPark Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing on high growth, early stage businesses. RiverPark Ventures is part of the RiverPark family of funds, a multi-strategy portfolio management firm. Mr. Appelbaum is a career entrepreneur with a focus on creating marketplaces and disrupting inefficient supply chains. The companies he has co-founded have spanned a broad diversity of industries, including technology, energy, food services, e-commerce, media and real estate. Mr. Appelbaum is the co-founder of Seamless (formerly Seamless Web), Cleaner Options, mdenergy, Blue Ribbon Partners and domino Media Group. Prior to founding RiverPark Ventures, he was an active angel investor. Mr. Appelbaum received a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, summa cum laude from SUNY Binghamton in 1988 and a JD from New York University School of Law in 1991. From 1991 through 1992, he was an associate with the New York office of Latham & Watkins, specializing in corporation transactions and restructuring. Mr. Appelbaum serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the JCC of Manhattan and is a member of New York Angels. We believe Mr. Appelbaum’s significant investment experience make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.

 

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Benjamin Weprin has served as a member of the board of directors of JAWS Hurricane since June 10, 2021. Mr. Weprin also has previously served as a director of JAWS Acquisition from May 2020 until the completion of its business combination with Cano Health on June 3, 2021. In October 2008, he founded AJ Capital Partners, a private real estate company based in Chicago, Illinois, and has served as the Chief Executive Officer since its creation. AJ Capital Partners acquires, develops and operates hospitality assets and businesses with a focus on luxury lodging investments. Mr. Weprin also founded Adventurous Journeys LP in 2008 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since its creation. He is also the founder of Graduate Hotels and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since its creation in 2014. Mr. Weprin received an M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and a B.A. in Business Administration from University of Tennessee-Knoxville. We believe Mr. Weprin’s significant investment experience make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.

 

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

 

Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Andy Appelbaum and Benjamin Weprin, expires at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Matthew Walters, expires at our second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Barry S. Sternlicht, expires at our third annual meeting of stockholders.

 

Pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement, our sponsor, upon and following consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for appointment to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and stockholder rights agreement. Approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors.

 

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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers may consist of one or more chairman of the board, chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.

 

Director Independence

 

Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. Our board of directors has determined that Andy Appelbaum and Benjamin Weprin are “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq listing standards. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee and the nominating committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.

 

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Audit Committee

 

We established an audit committee of the board of directors. Andy Appelbaum, Benjamin Weprin and Matthew Walters serve as members of our audit committee. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Appelbaum and Mr. Weprin are independent under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Mr. Appelbaum serves as the Chairman of the audit committee. Mr. Walters does not meet the independent director standard under Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, subject to phase-in rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Because our securities are listed on Nasdaq in connection with our initial public offering, our audit committee must have one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing, and consist of all independent members within one year of listing.

 

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Appelbaum qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.

 

We adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:

 

●meeting with our independent registered public accounting firm regarding, among other issues, audits, and adequacy of our accounting and control systems;

 

●monitoring the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

●verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;

 

●inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

●pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

 

●appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

●determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent registered public accounting firm regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

 

●establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies;

 

●monitoring compliance on a quarterly basis with the terms of our initial public offering and, if any noncompliance is identified, immediately taking all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise causing compliance with the terms of our initial public offering; and

 

●reviewing and approving all payments made to our existing stockholders, executive officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Any payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with the interested director or directors abstaining from such review and approval.

 

Director Nominations

 

We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that its independent director can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The director who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees is Mr. Appelbaum. In accordance with Rule 5605 of Nasdaq rules, such director is independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.

 

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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 the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors 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.

 

Compensation Committee

 

We established a compensation committee of our board of directors. The members of our compensation committee are Andy Appelbaum and Benjamin Weprin, and Mr. Appelbaum serves as chairman of the compensation committee.

 

Under the Nasdaq listing standards, subject to phase-in rules, we are required to have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. Because our securities are listed on Nasdaq, our compensation committee must have one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing, and consist of all independent members within one year of listing. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Appelbaum and Mr. Weprin are independent.

 

We adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

 

●reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

 

●reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other Section 16 executive officers;

 

●reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

●implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

 

●assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

●approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

 

●producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

●reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.

 

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Code of Ethics

 

We adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Corporate Governance Guidelines

 

Our board of directors will adopt corporate governance guidelines in accordance with the corporate governance rules of Nasdaq that serve as a flexible framework within which our board of directors and its committees operate. These guidelines will cover a number of areas including board membership criteria and director qualifications, director responsibilities, board agenda, roles of the chairman of the board, chief executive officer and presiding director, meetings of independent directors, committee responsibilities and assignments, board member access to management and independent advisors, director communications with third parties, director compensation, director orientation and continuing education, evaluation of senior management and management succession planning. A copy of our corporate governance guidelines will be posted on our website.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such other entity. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide 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 our Company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties, contractual obligations or other material management relationships:

 

Individuals

  

Entity

  

Entity’s Business

  

Affiliation

Barry S. Sternlicht   Starwood Capital Group Holdings, L.P.   Asset Management   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
             
    Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, Inc.   Commercial Real Estate Investment   Chairman
             
    Starwood Property Trust, Inc.   Commercial Real Estate Investment   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
             
    Invitation Homes Inc.   Residential Leasing   Director
             
    The Estée Lauder Companies   Cosmetics   Director
             
    SH Group   Hotel Management   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
             
    JAWS Estates Capital LLC   Asset Management   Chief Executive Officer
             
    A.S. Roma   Football Club   Director

 

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Individuals

  

Entity

  

Entity’s Business

  

Affiliation

    Amaala Company   Luxury Real Estate Development   Member of the Advisory Board
             
    Cano Health   Health   Director
             
    JAWS Mustang Acquisition Corporation   SPAC   Chairman
             
    JAWS Juggernaut Acquisition Corporation   SPAC   Chairman
             
Matthew Walters   JAWS Estates Capital LLC   Asset Management   Managing Director
             
    Sempre Life   Home Goods   Director
             
    Bluestone Lane   Café and Coffee Shops   Board Observer
             
    Parachute Home   Home Goods   Board Observer
             
    Velo3D, Inc.   Manufacturing   Director
             
    JAWS Mustang Acquisition Corporation   SPAC   Chief Operating Officer
             
Michael Racich   JAWS Estates Capital LLC   Asset Management   Chief Financial Officer
             
    JAWS Juggernaut Acquisition Corporation   SPAC   Chief Financial Officer
             
Andy Appelbaum   RiverPark Venture   Finance   Managing Partner
             
Benjamin Weprin   AJ Capital Partners   Luxury Real Estate Development   Founder and Chief Executive Officer
             
    AJ Capital Management LLC   Registered Investment Advisor   Founder
             
    Graduate Hotels   Hospitality Industry   Founder and Chief Executive Officer
             
    Adventurous Journeys LP   Real Estate Development   Founder and Chief Executive Officer

 

Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:

 

●Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Also, Mr. Sternlicht, as Chairman, shall not have day-to-day control of our affairs and shall not be involved in our day-to-day operations.

 

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●Our sponsor subscribed for founder shares prior to the date of the prospectus associated with our initial public offering and purchased private placement warrants in a transaction that closed simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering.

 

●Our initial stockholders have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable by our sponsor until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of our Class 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 (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following our initial public offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

●Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. In addition, our Founders, sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates.​

 

In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:

 

●the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

 

●the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and

 

●

it would not be fair to our Company and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

 

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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.

 

Accordingly, if any of the above executive officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities to which he or she has current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide 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 our Company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, Founders, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of our Founders, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such initial business combination is fair to our Company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

 

We have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. Our initial stockholders have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination and our officers and directors have also agreed to vote any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.

 

Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, be paid by us any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. Further, commencing on the date our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will also reimburse our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us in the amount of $10,000 per month.

 

We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

 

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.

 

We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.

 

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Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.

 

Our indemnification obligations may discourage 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.

 

We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.

 

Item 11.Executive Compensation

 

Officer and Director Compensation

 

None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on June 11, 2021, we began to pay and have continued to pay an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us in the amount of $10,000 per month. In addition, our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that are made to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination are made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee reviews of such reimbursements, we do not have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with their activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the Company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.

 

After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined, or recommended to our board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.

 

We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may remain directors or negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

 

72

 


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 shares of common stock as of the date of this Report based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock, by:

 

●each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;

 

●each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns our shares of common stock; and

 

●all our executive officers and directors as a group.

 

In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 31,625,000 shares of Class A common stock (which includes shares of Class A common stock that are underlying the units) and 7,906,250 shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2021. The table below does not include the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants held by our sponsor because these securities are not exercisable within 60 days of this Report.

 

  Class B common stock   Class A common stock 
Name of Beneficial Owners(1)  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned		   Approximate
Percentage
of Class		   Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned		   Approximate
Percentage
of Class		 
Hurricane Sponsor LLC (our sponsor)   7,856,250(2)   99.4%   —    — 
Barry S. Sternlicht   7,856,250 (2)(3)   99.4%   —    — 
Matthew Walters   —(4)   —    —    — 
Michael Racich  —(4)   —    —    — 
Andy Appelbaum   25,000    *    —    — 
Benjamin Weprin   25,000    *    —    — 
All officers and directors as a group (five individuals)   7,906,250    100%   —    — 
Citadel Advisors LLC (5)   —    —    1,814,425    5.7%

 

 

*Less than one percent.

(1)Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our stockholders is 1601 Washington Avenue, Suite 800, Miami Beach, FL 33139.

(2)Represents 7,856,250 shares directly held by our sponsor. Our sponsor is controlled by Barry S. Sternlicht.

(3)The reported securities are directly held by Hurricane Sponsor LLC. Barry S. Sternlicht is the sole member of Hurricane Sponsor LLC, and, as such, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the securities held directly by the Sponsor. Based on a Schedule 13G filed on February 11, 2022.

(4)Does not include any shares indirectly owned by this individual as a result of his membership interest in our sponsor.

(5)Represents the shares of Class A common stock held by Citadel Advisors LLC (“Citadel Advisors”) based solely on Amendment No. 1 to the Schedule 13G filed by Citadel Advisors with the SEC on February 14, 2022 (the “Citadel 13G”). The Citadel 13G indicates that Citadel Advisors is the beneficial owner of 1,814,425 shares of Class A common stock. Citadel Advisors Holdings LP, a Delaware partnership (“CAH”), is the sole member of Citadel Advisors and therefore has beneficial ownership of the shares of Class A common stock directly owned by Citadel Advisors. Citadel GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“CGP”), is the general partner of CAH and therefore has beneficial ownership of the shares of Class A common stock directly owned by Citadel Advisors. Citadel Securities LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Citadel Securities”) is the beneficial owner of 1,575 shares of Class A common stock. CALC IV LP, a Delaware partnership (“CALC4”), is the non-member manager of Citadel Securities and therefore has beneficial ownership of the shares of Class A common stock directly owned by Citadel Securities. Citadel Securities GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“CSGP”), is the general partner of CALC4 and therefore has beneficial ownership of the shares of Class A common stock directly owned by Citadel Securities. Mr. Kenneth Griffin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CGP and owns a controlling interest in CGP and CSGP, and therefore may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of 1,816,000 shares of Class A common stock. The business address of Citadel Advisors, CAH, CGP, Citadel Securities, CALC4, CSGP and Mr. Griffin is 131 S. Dearborn Street, 32nd Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60603.

 

Our sponsor is deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.

 

73

 

Changes in Control

 

None.

 

Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

Founder Shares

 

As of January 19, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). On June 10, 2021, the Company effected a share capitalization with respect to its Class B common stock of 718,750 shares thereof, resulting in the Company’s initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 7,906,250 Founder Shares. The shares and the associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the dividend.

 

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earliest of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of the shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Private Placement Warrants

 

Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we completed the sale of Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor in a private placement, generating gross proceeds of $8.3 million. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one (1) share of our Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. A portion of the purchase price of the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from our initial public offering held in the Trust Account. If our initial business combination is not completed, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Class A common stock (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable for cash and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

The Sponsor agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Private Placement Warrants until thirty (30) days after the completion of our initial business combination.

 

Promissory Note — Related Party

 

On January 19, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan us an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to our initial public offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Promissory Note”). The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and was due upon the completion of our initial public offering. We borrowed $174,494 under the Promissory Note. The Promissory Note balance was paid in full at closing of our initial public offering on June 16, 2021.

 

74

 

Administrative Support Agreement

 

We agreed to pay $10,000 a month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative support to the Sponsor. Services commenced on the date the securities were first listed on Nasdaq and will terminate upon the earlier of our initial business combination or our liquidation. We incurred approximately $66,667 for expenses in connection with such services for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, which is reflected in the accompanying statement of operations.

 

Related Person Transactions Policy

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $2.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.

 

Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions

 

The audit committee of our board of directors has adopted a charter, providing for the review, approval and/or ratification of “related party transactions,” which are those transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K as promulgated by the SEC, by the audit committee. At its meetings, the audit committee will be provided with the details of each new, existing, or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the Company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction, and the benefits of the transaction to the Company and to the relevant related party. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the committee, participate in some or all of the committee’s discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction.

 

Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to WithumSmith+Brown, PC, or Withum, for services rendered.

 

Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Withum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Withum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods services rendered in connection with our initial public offering and other required filings with the SEC for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 totaled $161,603. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.

 

Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Withum for audit-related services for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

 

Tax Fees. We did not pay Withum for tax planning and tax advice for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

 

All Other Fees. We did not pay Withum for other services for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

 

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).

 

75

 

PART IV

 

Item 15.Exhibits, Financial Statements Schedules

 

(a)The following documents are filed as part of this Report:

 

(1)Financial Statements

 

(2)Exhibits

 

We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index.

 

Exhibit No.

 

  

Description

 

3.1   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.(1)
3.2   Amended and Restated Bylaws.(1)
4.1   Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company.(1)
4.2   Specimen Unit Certificate.(2)
4.3   Specimen Share of Class A Common Stock Certificate.(2)
4.4   Specimen Warrant Certificate.(2)
4.5   Description of Securities.*
10.1   Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement between the Company and the Sponsor.(1)
10.2   Investment Management Trust Account Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company.(1)
10.3   Registration and Stockholder Rights Agreement among the Company, the Sponsor, and certain other equityholders named therein.(1)
10.4   Letter Agreement among the Company, the Sponsor, and the Company’s officers and directors.(1)
10.5   Administrative Services Agreement between the Company and the Sponsor.(1)
10.6   Promissory Note between the Company and the Sponsor.(2)
10.7   Securities Purchase Agreement between the Company and the Sponsor.(2)
10.8   Promissory Note, dated February 23, 2022, issued by JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation to Hurricane Sponsor LLC.(3)
31.1   Certification of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a).*
31.2   Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a).*
32.1   Certification of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and 18 U.S.C. 1350**
32.2   Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and 18 U.S.C. 1350**
101.INS   Inline XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

 

*Filed herewith
**Furnished herewith
(1)Incorporated by reference to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 16, 2021.
(2)Incorporated by reference to our Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the SEC on February 25, 2021.
(3)Incorporated by reference to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2022.

 

Item 16.Form 10-K Summary

 

Not applicable.

 

76

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

March 30, 2022

 

  JAWS HURRICANE ACQUISITION CORPORATION
     
  /s/ Matthew Walters
  Name: Matthew Walters
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Name

   Position   Date
         
/s/ Barry S. Sternlicht   Chairman   March 30, 2022
Barry S. Sternlicht        
         
/s/ Matthew Walters   Chief Executive Officer and Director   March 30, 2022
Matthew Walters   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Michael Racich   Chief Financial Officer    March 30, 2022
Michael Racich   (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Andy Appelbaum   Director   March 30, 2022
Andy Appelbaum        
         
/s/ Benjamin Weprin   Director   March 30, 2022
Benjamin Weprin        

 

77

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:

  
Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2021 F-3
Statement of Operations for the period January 19, 2021(Inception) through December 31, 2021 F-4
Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit for the period January 19, 2021(Inception) through December 31, 2021 F-5
Statement of Cash Flows for the period January 19, 2021(Inception) through December 31, 2021 F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7 – F-20

 

F-1

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of

JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements

 

As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the June 15, 2021 financial statement has been restated herein to correct certain misstatements.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. 

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC

 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2021.

 

New York, New York

March 30, 2022

 

PCAOB ID Number 100

  

F-2

 

JAWS HURRICANE ACQUISITION CORPORATION

BALANCE SHEET

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

ASSETS
     
CURRENT ASSETS    
Cash  $279,211 
Prepaid expenses   514,760 
Total current assets   793,971 
NON-CURRENT ASSETS     
Prepaid expenses - non current   377,828 
Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account   316,278,525 
TOTAL ASSETS  $317,450,324 
      
LIABILITIES, CLASS A STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION, AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT     
      
CURRENT LIABILITIES     
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  $397,701 
Franchise tax payable   190,230 
Total current liabilities   587,931 
Deferred underwriting fee payable   11,068,750 
Derivative warrant liability   11,827,375 
TOTAL LIABILITIES   23,484,056 
      
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 8)   
 
 
CLASS A STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION     
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value, 31,625,000 shares at redemption value of $10.00 per share   316,250,000 
STOCKHOLDER’S DEFICIT     
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding   
-
 
Class A common stock; $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized;  -0- shares issued and outstanding (excluding 31,625,000 shares subject to possible redemption)   
-
 
Class B common stock; $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 7,906,250 shares issued and outstanding   791 
Additional paid-in capital   
-
 
Accumulated deficit   (22,284,523)
Total stockholders’ deficit   (22,283,732)
      
TOTAL LIABILITIES, CLASS A STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION, AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT  $317,450,324 
      

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-3

 

JAWS HURRICANE ACQUISITION CORPORATION

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 19, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

OPERATING EXPENSES    
General and administrative  $784,349 
Franchise tax  190,230 
Total operating expenses   (974,579)
      
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)     
Interest earned on investments held in Trust Account   31,979 
Change in fair value of derivative warrant liability   11,073,488 
Offering costs related to warrant issuance   (499,469)
Unrealized loss on investments in Trust Account   (3,454)
Total other income (expense)   10,602,544 
      
NET INCOME  $9,627,965 
      
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock   18,188,945 
Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A  $0.37 
      
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock   7,906,250 
Basic and diluted net income per share, Class B  $0.37 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-4

 

JAWS HURRICANE ACQUISITION CORPORATION 

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT 

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 19, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

    Common stock     Additional           Total  
    Class A     Class B     paid-in     Accumulated     stockholders’  
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     capital     deficit     Deficit  
Balance, January 19, 2021 (inception)    
    -
     $
  -
      
    -
     $
    -
     $
  -
     $
  -
     $
    -
  
Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor     -      
-
       7,906,250       791       24,209      
-
       25,000  
Excess cash received over the fair value of the private warrants     -      
-
       -      
-
       426,570      
-
       426,570  
Accretion for Class A common stock to redemption value     -      
-
       -      
-
       (450,779 )     (31,912,488 )     (32,363,267 )
Net income     -      
-
       -      
-
      
-
       9,627,965       9,627,965  
Balance, December 31, 2021    
-
     $
-
       7,906,250     $ 791     $
-
     $  (22,284,523 )   $ (22,283,732 )

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-5

 

JAWS HURRICANE ACQUISITION CORPORATION

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 19, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES      
Net loss   $ 9,627,965  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:        
Interest earned on cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account     (31,979 )
Unrealized loss on investments in trust account     3,454  
Change in fair value of derivative warrant liability     (11,073,488 )
Offering costs allocated to warrants     499,468  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Prepaid assets – current     (514,760 )
Prepaid assets - non current     (377,828 )
Accounts payable and accrued expenses     397,701  
Franchise tax payable     190,230  
Net cash flows used in operating activities     (1,279,237 )
         
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES        
Cash deposited to Trust Account     (316,250,000 )
Net cash flows used in investing activities     (316,250,000 )
         
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES        
Proceeds from initial public offering, net of underwriters’ discount     309,925,000  
Proceeds from private placement     8,325,000  
Payment of offering costs     (441,552 )
Borrowing under promissory note     174,494  
Repayment of promissory note     (174,494 )
Net cash flows provided by financing activities     317,808,448  
         
NET CHANGE IN CASH     279,211  
         
CASH, BEGINNING OF THE YEAR    
-
  
         
CASH, END OF THE YEAR   $ 279,211  
         
Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities:        
Deferred offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for Class B common stock   $ 25,000  
Deferred underwriting commissions   $ 11,068,750  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-6

 

JAWS HURRICANE ACQUISITION CORPORATION 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Note 1 — Description of Organization and Business Operations

 

JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on January 19, 2021. The Company was 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 (the “Business Combination”).

 

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

 

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and, since the offering, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income earned on investments from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on June 11, 2021. On June 15, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 27,500,000 units (the “Units”) with respect to the Class A common stock (the “Class A Common Stock”) included in the Units being offered (the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit generating gross proceeds of $275,000,000, which is discussed in Note 4.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 3,750,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $2.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Company’s sponsor, JAWS Hurricane Sponsor, LLC, generating gross proceeds of $7,500,000, which is described in Note 6.

 

Offering costs for the Initial Public Offering amounted to $15,566,551, consisting of $5,500,000 of underwriting fees, $9,625,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable (which are held in the Trust Account as defined below) and $466,551 of other costs. As described in Note 7, the $9,625,000 of deferred underwriting fee payable is contingent upon the consummation of a Business Combination by June 14, 2023, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on June 15, 2021, an amount of $316,250,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and will be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering on June 15, 2021, the Company consummated the closing of the sale of 4,125,000 additional Units upon receiving notice of the underwriter’s election to fully exercise its overallotment option (the “Overallotment Units”), generating additional gross proceeds of $41,250,000 and incurring additional offering costs of $2,268,750 in underwriting fees of which $1,443,750 is deferred until the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. Simultaneously with the exercise of the overallotment, the Company consummated the private placement of an additional 412,500 Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $825,000.

 

F-7

 

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

 

The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable).

 

All of the Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topis 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) Subtopic 10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require Class A Common Stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the Public Shares will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., Public Warrants as defined in Note 4), the initial carrying value of the Public Shares classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20 “Debt with Conversion and other Options”. The Public Shares are subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes immediately. While redemptions cannot cause the Company’s net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, the Public Shares are redeemable and are classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.

 

Redemptions of the Company’s Public Shares may be subject to the satisfaction of conditions, including minimum cash conditions, pursuant to an agreement relating to the Company’s Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Certificate of Incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 6) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that a Public Stockholder, 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Class A Common Stock sold in the Initial Public Offering, without the prior consent of the Company.

 

F-8

 

The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors (the “Initial Stockholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A Common Stock in conjunction with any such amendment.

 

If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination by June 14, 2023, 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (the “Combination Period”), the Company 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 the Company’s franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public 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 the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

  

The Initial Stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Stockholders should acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to its deferred underwriting commission (see Note 8) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per-share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.00 per shares held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business execute agreements waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

The Company is an emerging growth company as defined in Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), which 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 an emerging growth 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. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised, and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard.

 

F-9

 

This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statement with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $279,211 in cash and a working capital surplus of $206,040. Further, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with ASU 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’ Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”, as of December 31, 2021, the Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its current obligations. However, on February 23, 2022, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note in the principal amount of $500,000 to the Sponsor. The Note does not bear interest and is repayable in full upon consummation of the Company’s initial business combination. The note is expected to provide the Company liquidity for the year 2022.

 

Note 2 — Restatement of Prior Period Financial Statement

 

In further consideration of the guidance in ASC 480, the Company concluded that amounts previously accounted for as permanent equity should have been treated as temporary equity on the Company’s balance sheet. Specifically, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. As the Company’s Class A common stock have a feature whereby the stockholder can redeem the shares which is not in control of the Company, it was concluded that these Class A common stock are subject to ASC 480-10-S99.

 

The Company’s management and the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors concluded that it is appropriate to restate certain items on the Company’s previously issued balance sheet dated as of June 15, 2021, the date that the IPO closed, that were previously reported on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 21, 2021. The restated classification and reported values of Class A common stock subject to redemption as accounted for under ASC 480-10-S99 are included in the financial statements herein.

 

The following tables summarize the effect of the restatement on each financial statement line item as of the date indicated:

 

    As Reported     Adjustment     As Restated  
Balance Sheet as of June 15, 2021                  
Total liabilities   $ 35,407,771      
-
     $ 35,407,771  
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption     278,830,810       37,419,190       316,250,000  
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value     374       (374 )    
-
  
Class B common stock     791      
-
       791  
Additional paid-in capital     5,506,328       (5,506,328 )    
-
  
Accumulated deficit     (507,492 )     (31,912,488 )     (32,419,980 )
Stockholders’ deficit     5,000,001      
-
       (32,419,189 )
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit   $ 319,238,582     $
-
     $ 319,238,582  

 

F-10

 

Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

  

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021.

 

Investments Held in Trust Account

 

The Company’s portfolio of investments is comprised of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities and generally have a readily determinable fair value, or a combination thereof. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of U.S. government securities, the investments are classified as trading securities. When the Company's investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of money market funds, the investments are recognized at fair value. Trading securities and investments in money market funds are presented on the balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these securities is included in net gain on investments held in the Trust Account in the accompanying statements of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.

 

Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

 

The Company accounts for its Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Shares of Class A Common Stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A Common Stock (including Class A 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 the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A Common Stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A Common Stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, 31,625,000 shares of Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.

 

The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of the redeemable common stock are affected by charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit.

 

At December 31, 2021, the Class A common stock reflected in the balance sheet is reconciled in the following table:

 

Gross proceeds  $ 316,250,000 
Less:     
Fair value of Public Warrants at issuance   (15,002,435)
Class A shares offering costs   (17,360,832)
Plus:     
Accretion of carrying value to redemption value   32,363,267 
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption  316,250,000 

 

F-11

 

Offering Costs

 

Offering costs, including additional underwriting fees associated with the underwriters’ exercise of the over-allotment option, consist principally of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs amounted to $17,860,301. Of this amount, $17,360,832 was charged to stockholders’ deficit upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering and $499,469 was expensed due to allocating certain offering costs to the warrant liability.

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation limit. At December 31, 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under the FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature except for the warrant liability (see Note 10).

 

Net Income Per Share

 

The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A Common Stock (the “Common Stock”) and Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. This presentation contemplates a business combination as the most likely outcome. Public and private warrants to purchase 12,068,750 shares of Common Stock at $11.50 per share were issued on June 15, 2021. At December 31, 2021, no warrants have been exercised. The 12,068,750 potential shares of Common Stock for outstanding warrants to purchase the Company’s stock were excluded from diluted earnings per share for the period ended December 31, 2021 because the warrants are contingently exercisable, and the contingencies have not yet been met. As a result, diluted net income/(loss) per common share is the same as basic net income/(loss) per common share for the period. The table below presents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share for each class of stock:

 

    For the period
January 19,
 2021
(inception) through
December 31,
2021		  
    Class A     Class B  
Basic and diluted net income per common share:            
Numerator:            
Allocation of net income, including accretion of temporary equity   $ 6,720,600     $ 2,907,365  
                 
Denominator:                
Weighted average shares outstanding     18,188,945       7,906,250  
                 
Basic and diluted net income per common share:   $ 0.37     $ 0.37  

 

Derivative Warrant Liabilities

 

The Company accounts 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 (“ASC 815”). 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 the Company’s own common 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 quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (the “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, which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current U.S. GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company early adopted the ASU on January 1, 2021. Adoption of the ASU did not impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

 

F-12

 

For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations.

 

Note 4 — Income Taxes

 

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2021. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties for December 31. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

 

Deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities, using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Current income taxes are based on the year’s income taxable for federal and state income tax reporting purposes. Total tax provision may differ from the statutory tax rates applied to income before provision for income taxes due principally to expenses charged which are not tax deductible.

 

The total provision (benefit) for income taxes is comprised of the following for the period from January 19, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021:

 

Current expense   $
-
  
Deferred expense     (198,671 )
Valuation allowance     198,671  
Income tax provision (benefit)   $ 0  

 

The net deferred tax assets and liabilities in the accompanying balance sheets included the following components for the period from January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021:

 

Deferred tax assets:    
Start-up costs  $165,438 
Net operating loss   33,233 
Total deferred tax assets   198,671 
Valuation allowance   (198,671)
Net deferred tax assets  $0 

 

F-13

 

In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax assets, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, Management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of a portion of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a valuation allowance. At the year ended December 31, 2021, the valuation allowance was $157,646.

 

A reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax rate (benefit) to the Company’s effective tax rate is as follows: 

 

    Percent of Pretax Income  
Statutory federal income tax rate     21.0 %
Change in fair value of warrants     (24.0) %
Warrant issuance costs     5.0 %
Change in valuation allowance     (2.0) %
Income tax provision expense (benefit)     0.0 %

 

Note 5 — Initial Public Offering

 

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 27,500,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A Common Stock (such shares of Class A Common Stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant (each, a “Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 9). Simultaneously with the Initial Public Offering, the underwriters’ exercised their over-allotment option whereby an additional 4,125,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit under the same terms as those sold in the Initial Public Offering.

 

Note 6 — Private Placement

 

Concurrently with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 3,750,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $2.00 per Private Placement Warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000. Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole share of Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 9). Concurrently with the underwriter’s exercise of the over-allotment, the Company consummated a private sale of an additional 412,500 Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor at a price of $2.00 per Private Placement Unit generating gross proceeds of $825,000. The proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the underwriter’s exercise of the over-allotment are held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.

 

F-14

 

Note 7 — Related Party Transactions

 

Founder Shares

 

On January 19, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 7,906,250 shares (the “Founder Shares”) of the Company’s Class B Common Stock, par value $0.0001 (“Class B Common Stock”), for an aggregate price of $25,000. The Founder Shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of the Company’s initial Business Combination and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in Note 8. Holders of Founder Shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B Common Stock into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock, subject to adjustment, at any time. The Sponsor agreed to forfeit up to 1,031,250 Founder Shares to the extent that the 45-day over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters. Since the underwriters exercised the over-allotment option in full, the Sponsor did not forfeit any Founder Shares.

 

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of the shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A Common Stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Promissory Note – Related Party

 

On January 19, 2021, the Company entered into unsecured promissory notes (the “Promissory Notes”) with affiliates of the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company could borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Notes were non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) the completion of the Initial Public Offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determined not to conduct the Initial Public Offering. The outstanding balance under the Promissory Note of $174,494 was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on June 15, 2021.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors, may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (the “Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $2.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.

 

F-15

 

Administrative Services Fee

 

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination and the Company’s liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, secretarial and administrative services. As of December 31, 2021, $66,667 in administrative services has been paid and is treated as an expense by the Company.

 

Note 8 — Commitments and Contingencies

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled to registration rights (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion of such shares to shares of Class A Common Stock) pursuant to a registration rights agreement dated June 15, 2021. These holders are entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the termination of the applicable lock-up period for the securities to be registered. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company had granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 4,125,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On June 15, 2021, the underwriters exercised their overallotment option and purchased 4,125,000 units at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit.

 

The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $5,500,000 in the aggregate at the closing of the Initial Public Offering, and $825,000 in conjunction with the underwriters’ exercise of its overallotment option. In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred underwriting commissions of $0.35 per Unit, or $9,625,000 in the aggregate from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, and $1,443,750 from the underwriters’ exercise of its overallotment option will be payable to the underwriters. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement. 

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target Company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Note 9 — Stockholders’ Deficit

 

Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

 

Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. At December 31, 2021, there were no (excluding 31,625,000 shares of Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption) which are recorded in temporary equity shares of Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding.

 

Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 7,906,250 shares of Class B Common Stock of which none are subject to forfeiture after the underwriters’ exercise of the over-allotment option.

 

Holders of shares of Class A Common Stock and shares of Class B Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders.

 

F-16

 

The shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of a Business Combination at a ratio such that the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of Common Stock issued and outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public Offering, plus (ii) the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination, excluding any shares of Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of the management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the shares of Class B Common Stock convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at a rate of less than one-to-one.

 

Note 10 — Warrants

 

At December 31, 2021 there were 7,906,250 Public Warrants and 4,162,500 Private Placement Warrants outstanding. Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) one year from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years from the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Class A Common Stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Public Warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis and the Company will not be obligated to issue a share of Class A Common Stock upon exercise of a warrant unless the share of Class A Common Stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.

 

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A Common Stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the shares of Class A Common Stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

 

Redemptions of warrants when the price per share of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the warrants for redemption (except as described with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):

 

  ● in whole and not in part;

 

  ● at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

  ● upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and

 

  ● if, and only if, the closing price of the shares of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

F-17

 

The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A Common Stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:

 

  ● in whole and not in part;

 

  ● at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Company’s shares of Class A Common Stock;

 

  ● if, and only if, the closing price of our shares of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and

 

  ● if the closing price of the shares of Class A Common Stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted), the Private Placement Warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above.

 

The exercise price and number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the Public Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Common Stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company has not completed a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their Public Warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such Public Warrants. Accordingly, the Public Warrants may expire worthless.

 

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A Common Stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions) and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of its shares of Class A Common Stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price and the “Redemption of Warrants when the price per share of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00” described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “Redemption of Warrants when the price per share of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

F-18

 

The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable, except as described above under “Redemption of Warrants when the price per share of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00,” so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

 

The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record a derivative liability upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Accordingly, the Company classifies each warrant as a liability at its fair value and the warrants were allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value determined by a modified Black-Scholes option pricing model. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.

 

Note 11 — Fair Value Measurements

 

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:

 

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
   
Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
   
Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

 

At December 31, 2021, assets held in the Trust Account were comprised of $962 in cash and $316,277,563 in U.S. Treasury Securities.

 

F-19

 

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value.

 

   Level   Fair Value 
Assets:        
U.S. Treasury Securities   1    316,277,563 
Liabilities:          
Warrant Liability - Public Warrants   1    7,748,125 
Warrant Liability - Private Warrants   2    4,079,250 

 

The Company initially utilized a Monte Carlo simulation model to value the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants at issuance and subsequent reporting dates, with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations. The estimated fair value of the warrant liability was determined using Level 3 inputs. Inherent in a Monte Carlo simulation model are assumptions related to expected share-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The Company estimated the volatility of its common shares based on historical volatility that matches the expected remaining life of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate was based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants was assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates to remain at zero.

 

As of December 31, 2021, the fair value of the Public Warrants is based on their listed trading price and the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants is measured using an observable market quote for a similar asset in an active market.

 

The aforementioned warrant liabilities are not subject to qualified hedge accounting. Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2 and 3 are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period. The Public Warrants began to be separately listed and traded in August 2021 resulting in the transfer of the valuation of the warrant liabilities from Level 3 measurements to Level 1for Public Warrants and Level 2 measurements for Private Warrants. As the transfer of Private Placement Warrants to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the Private Placement Warrants having substantially the same terms as the Public Warrants, the Company determined that the fair value of each Private Placement Warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant.

 

The change in the fair value of the derivative warrant liabilities measured with Level 3 inputs for period January 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, is summarized as follows:

 

    Private Warrants     Public Warrants     Total Warrants  
Fair value as of January, 19, 2021 (inception)   $ 
-
      $
-
     $ 
-
  
Initial measurement on June 15, 2021 (IPO)     15,002,435       7,898,428       22,900,863  
Change in fair value     596,102       313,849       909,861  
Fair value as of June, 30, 2021     15,598,537       8,212,277       23,810,814  
Transfer to Level 1, upon detachment    
-
       (8,212,277 )     (8,212,277 )
Transfer to Level 2     (15,598,537 )    
-
       (15,598,537 )
Change in fair value    
-
      
-
      
-
  
Fair value as of September 30, 2021    
-
      
-
      
-
  
Change in fair value    
-
      
-
      
-
  
Fair value as of December 31, 2021    $
-
      $
-
      $
-
  

 

As of December 31, 2021, there are no longer any Level 3 warrant liabilities.

 

Note 12 — Subsequent Events

 

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date these financial statements were issued and determined that there were no subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure except for the following.

 

On February 23, 2022, JAWS Hurricane Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) issued an unsecured promissory note (the “Note”) in the principal amount of $500,000 to Hurricane Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Note does not bear interest and is repayable in full upon consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (a “Business Combination”). If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the Note shall not be repaid and all amounts owed under it will be forgiven. Upon the consummation of a Business Combination, the Sponsor shall have the option, but not the obligation, to convert the principal balance of the Note, in whole or in part, into private placement warrants (as defined in that certain Warrant Agreement, dated June 15, 2021, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company), at a price of $2.00 per private placement warrant. The Note is subject to customary events of default, the occurrence of which automatically trigger the unpaid principal balance of the Note and all other sums payable with regard to the Note becoming immediately due and payable.

 

The Note was issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action against the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. Further, the impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy are not determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The specific impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows is also not determinable as of the date of these financial statements.

 

 

F-20

 

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