NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Aries I Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on January 15, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “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 for the period from January 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
The registration statement for the Initial Public Offering was declared effective on May 18, 2021. On May 21, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 14,375,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), including 1,875,000 Units that were issued pursuant to the underwrites’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $143,750,000, which is discussed in Note 4.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 4,456,250 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to Aries Acquisition Partners, Ltd. (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $4,456,250, which is described in Note 5.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on May 21, 2021, an amount of $146,768,750 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and were invested only in U.S. government securities with maturities 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 bills, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
Transaction costs related to the issuances described above amounted to $11,248,466, consisting of $2,875,000 of cash underwriting fees, $6,468,750 of deferred underwriting fees, $1,369,500 of anchor investor offering costs and $535,216 of other costs. The Company was reimbursed $2,156,250 by the underwriters for such transaction costs. In addition, at December 31, 2021, $256,252 of cash was held outside of the Trust Account and is available for working capital purposes.
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) 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 general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account ($10.10 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.