Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
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As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Co-Chief Executive Officers carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022. Based upon their evaluation, our Co-Chief Executive Officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective, due solely to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s accounting for complex financial instruments. As a result, we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Annual Report present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the period presented.
Management has identified a material weakness in internal controls related to the accounting for complex financial instruments. While we have processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements, we plan to continue to enhance our system of evaluating and implementing the accounting standards that apply to our financial statements, including through enhanced analyses by our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
(1)
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company,
(2)
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and
(3)
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2022. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022.
Management has implemented remediation steps to improve our internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, we expanded and improved our review process for complex securities and related accounting standards. We plan to further improve this process by enhancing access to accounting literature, identification of third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications and consideration of additional staff with the requisite experience and training to supplement existing accounting professionals.
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This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections
None.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers And Corporate Governance
Executive Officers and Directors
The names of our executive officers and directors, their ages as of May 2, 2023, and their positions are shown below:
Name
Age
Position
Gavin Cuneo
46
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Michael Minnick
57
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Richard Chera
48
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Melissa “Lisa” Holladay
56
Director
Stephen Siegel
78
Director
Frits van Paasschen
62
Director
Gavin Cuneo, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Gavin Cuneo has served as Crown’s Co-Chief Executive Officer since January 2023. In addition, from 2010 to present, Mr. Cuneo has been a partner of Cuneo & Company, a private venture investment company focused on early stage media, technology and consumer growth businesses. From September 2021 to April 2023, he was the Co-Chief Executive Officer of CIIG Capital Partners II, Inc. and a member of its board of directors. From 2019 until March 2021, he was Chief Operating Officer and director of CIIC. Mr. Cuneo has served and currently serves on the board of a number of private companies. From 2011 to 2018, Mr. Cuneo was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Valiant Entertainment LLC. Cuneo & Company initially capitalized the dormant comic book publisher to relaunch the business as an IP-centric multimedia company. Under this new management, Valiant grew into one of the leading print and digital publishers in comics, established marquee licensing businesses and built a film and television division including a multi-picture partnership with Sony Pictures. Valiant was sold to DMG Entertainment in 2018. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Cuneo was an investment banker in the consumer industry coverage group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and its predecessor Merrill Lynch & Co. where he executed debt and equity financings and advised on mergers and acquisitions for leading companies in the consumer and retail industries. From 1998 to 2004, Mr. Cuneo held a number of positions at U.S. Trust Company (later acquired by Bank of America), including as an Assistant Vice President in Equity Research, functioning as an equity analyst and associate portfolio manager, and as an Assistant Vice President of corporate strategy. Mr. Cuneo holds an M.B.A. from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Business from Lafayette College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Michael Minnick, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Michael Minnick has served as Crown’s Co-Chief Executive Officer since January 2023. He is a Co-Founder and has been a Managing Partner at IIG Holdings since 2014. Mr. Minnick has also served as a Director, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Opus Music Group Investments, LLC since December 2021. From September 2021 to April 2023, he was the Co-Chief Executive Officer of CIIG Capital Partners II, Inc. and a member of its board of directors. From 2019 until March 2021, he was Chief Investment Officer and director of CIIC. Prior to forming IIG Holdings, he was a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Interlink Investment Group, from 2012 to 2014 Mr. Minnick has experience in more than $190 billion in transaction volume, including advisory and debt and equity capital executions at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE:RBS), or RBS. Mr. Minnick served in various capacities at RBS, from 2004 to 2011, culminating in his service as a Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance in the Telecom, Media & Technology Group. From 2003 to 2004, Mr. Minnick was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Traffic Networks, a startup that developed mobile and online real-time traffic information for the New York Metropolitan markets. From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Minnick served in different positions within Investment Banking
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at JPMorgan Chase & Co. including the Telecom, Media & Technology Group and the Global Syndicated Finance Group. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mr. Minnick was an Associate at The Bank of Nova Scotia in the Corporate Finance and Syndications division from 1994 to 1996. Mr. Minnick began his career at AT&T (NYSE:T) where he served in several analyst capacities from 1989 to 1992, including as a Financial Analyst in the Market Analysis & Forecasting Division for Business Communications Services within the Chief Financial Officer division. From 2012 to 2019, he served as a Director of Paystar Inc., a privately-held FinTech company. Mr. Minnick received a M.B.A. from Cornell University and a B.A. from The University of St. Thomas.
Richard Chera, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Richard Chera has been a member of the Crown Board since September 2020. Mr. Chera served as Crown’s Chief Executive Officer from September 2020 until January 2023. He is a co-founder and has served as Senior Managing Director of Crown Acquisitions Inc. since 2004. Mr. Chera is also a co-founder of ReWyre ® , a technology aggregator and intelligent city master planner based in New York City. Mr. Chera also serves on the boards of various nonprofit organizations that focus on public health, children’s and seniors’ services, as well as business growth opportunities for entrepreneurs. Mr. Chera attended The Santo Institute in Tokyo, Japan in 1992 and New York University’s Stern School of Business from 1992-1995. Crown believes Mr. Chera’s experience in leading large real estate transactions in the U.S., Canada and UK and numerous retail developments make him well qualified to serve on the Crown Board.
Lisa Holladay, Director
Lisa Holladay has been a member of the Crown Board since February 2021. Since April 2020, Ms. Holladay has been Chief Experience Officer of TIGER 21, a peer-to-peer learning company. From September 2016 to April 2020, Ms. Holladay served as Global Brand Leader of Marriott International, a hospitality company, for the brands The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and The St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. From March 2015 to April 2020, Ms. Holladay also served as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. Prior to joining Marriott, Ms. Holladay was National Manager of Experiential Marketing of Mercedes-Benz USA, an automotive company. Ms. Holladay also serves on the board of the Erwin Center for Brand Communications at Clemson University. Ms. Holladay has an M.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Clemson University. Crown believes Ms. Holladay’s experience in customer experience, hospitality and marketing makes her well qualified to serve on the Crown Board.
Stephen Siegel, Director
Stephen Siegel has been a member of the Crown Board since February 2021. Since July 2003, Mr. Siegel has served as the Chairman, Global Brokerage at CBRE, Inc. Prior to the merger with CBRE, Mr. Siegel was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Insignia/ESG. Before that, he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Cushman & Wakefield at the age of 37. Mr. Siegel has arranged multimillion-dollar transactions for some of the nation’s most prominent corporate clients over the years. More recently, Mr. Siegel closed major deals with the headquarters of HBC (400,000 sq. ft.), Headquarters of Apollo (300,000 sq. ft.), Estee Lauder, Corp. Headquarters (300,000 sq. ft.) and the Headquarters for L’Oreal (400,000 sq. ft.). He sits on numerous nonprofit boards, such as Gift of Life and National Jewish Health. He has honorary doctorates from Baruch College, Yeshiva University, Monmouth University and St. Thomas Aquinas University. Crown believes Mr. Siegel’s experience as an industry leader and benefactor makes him well qualified to serve on the Crown Board.
Frits van Paasschen, Director
Frits van Paasschen has been a member of the Crown Board since February 2021. His 30 years as an executive in global companies began at The Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company. After working
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in finance at Disney’s Consumer Products Division, he joined Nike, ultimately becoming President of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Division. Mr. van Paasschen’s first chief executive officer role was at Coors Brewing Company, and most recently he was Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. He serves as a director at Royal DSM (in the Netherlands), Sonder Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: SOND) and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM), and has recently joined the board of J.Crew Group, Inc. Previously, he was on the board of Barclays (in the United Kingdom), Jones Apparel and Oakley. Mr. van Paasschen served as Chair of Convene, a real-estate-as-a-service company, from October 2018 to May 2022, and is also an investor/board member of citizenM Hotels. Mr. van Paasschen is a Senior Advisor to TPG Capital, focusing on retail, consumer and hospitality, and he serves on advisory boards of The Red Sea Project, The Indian School of Hospitality, and Russell Reynolds. Mr. van Paasschen holds a B.A. in economics and biology from Amherst College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was also a Teaching Fellow in economics. Crown believes Mr. van Paasschen’s international experience in the real estate industry makes him well qualified to serve on the Crown Board.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
The Crown Board consists of four members, divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to Crown’s first general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, Crown is required to hold an annual general meeting no later than one year after Crown’s first fiscal year end following Crown’s listing on the NYSE. We may not hold an annual general 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 302 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, which requires an annual meeting. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Frits van Paasschen will expire at Crown’s first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Lisa Holladay and Stephen Siegel, will expire at Crown’s second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Richard Chera, will expire at Crown’s third annual general meeting.
Only holders of Class B ordinary shares have the right to appoint directors in any general meeting held prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. Holders of the Class A ordinary shares are not entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of Crown’s second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to the rights of Crown’s holders of Class B ordinary shares to appoint directors may be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of the ordinary shares voting in a general meeting.
Crown’s officers are appointed by the Crown Board and serve at the discretion of the Crown Board, rather than for specific terms of office. The Crown Board is authorized to appoint officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to Crown’s second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Director Independence
The rules of the NYSE require that a majority of the Crown Board be independent within one year of Crown’s initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Crown currently has three “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE rules and applicable SEC rules. The Crown Board has determined that Ms. Holladay, Mr. Siegel and Mr. van Paasschen are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Crown’s independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Committees of the Board of Directors
The Crown Board has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. All of Crown’s committees are composed solely of
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independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter that has been approved by the Crown Board and has the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on Crown’s website (https://www.crownproptech.com/). Information contained on Crown’s website is not part of this Form 10-K, and the inclusion of Crown’s website address in this Form 10-K is an inactive textual reference only.
Audit Committee
We established an audit committee of the board of directors. Lisa Holladay, Frits van Paasschen and Stephen Siegel serve as the members and Frits van Paasschen serves as chair of the audit committee. Lisa Holladay, Frits van Paasschen and Stephen Siegel are independent of and unaffiliated with our sponsors and our underwriters. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent.
Lisa Holladay, Frits van Paasschen and Stephen Siegel are financially literate and the Crown Board has determined that Frits van Paasschen qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise. Crown has adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
•
assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of Crown’s financial statements, (2) Crown’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) Crown’s independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of Crown’s internal audit function and independent auditors; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by Crown;
•
pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by Crown, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with Crown in order to evaluate their continued independence;
•
setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
•
meeting to review and discuss Crown’s annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing Crown’s specific disclosures under Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to Crown entering into such transaction; and
•
reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and Crown’s legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory, or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding Crown’s financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We established a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance are Frits van Paasschen, Lisa Holladay and Stephen Siegel. Frits van Paasschen serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Under the NYSE listing standards, all the directors on the nominating and corporate governance committee must be independent.
We have adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
•
identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;
•
developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;
•
coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and
•
reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.
The charter of the nominating and corporate governance committee also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and has been directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
Crown has 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 Crown Board considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of Crown’s business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of Crown shareholders. Prior to an initial business combination, holders of Crown’s Public Shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to the Crown Board.
Compensation Committee
Lisa Holladay, Frits van Paasschen and Stephen Siegel serve as the members and Lisa Holladay serves as chair of the compensation committee. Under the NYSE listing standards, all the directors on the compensation committee must be independent. Crown has 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 Crown’s chief executive officer’s compensation;
•
evaluating Crown’s chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of Crown’s chief executive officer based on such evaluation;
•
reviewing and making recommendations to the Crown Board with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to Crown Board approval of all of Crown’s other officers;
•
reviewing Crown’s executive compensation policies and plans;
•
implementing and administering Crown’s incentive compensation and equity-based remuneration plans;
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•
assisting management in complying with Crown’s proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
•
approving all special perquisites, special cash payments, and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for Crown’s officers and employees;
•
producing a report on executive compensation to be included in Crown’s annual proxy statement; and
•
reviewing, evaluating, and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of Crown’s existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by NYSE and the SEC.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than ten percent of our ordinary shares to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. These reporting persons are also required to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely upon a review of such forms, we believe that during the year ended December 31, 2022 there were no delinquent filers.
Code of Ethics
Crown adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to Crown directors, officers, and employees. You can review this document by accessing Crown’s public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the charters of the committees of the Crown Board will be provided without charge upon request in writing to Crown, 28 West 25 th Street, Floor 6, New York, NY 10010. If Crown makes any amendments to Crown’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grants any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to Crown’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC or NYSE rules, Crown will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on Crown’s website. The information included on Crown’s website is not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement/prospectus or in any other report or document Crown files with the SEC, and any references to Crown’s website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
(i)
duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
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(ii)
duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
(iii)
directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
(iv)
duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
(v)
duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
(vi)
duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer on the one hand, and us, on the other. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
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Below is a table summarizing the other entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary.
Individual
Entity/Organization
Entity’s Business
Affiliation
Gavin Cuneo
Cuneo & Company
Investment Company
Partner
Michael Minnick
International Investment Group Holdings LLC
Opus Music Group Investments, LLC
Investment Company
Independent Record Label
Managing Partner
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Richard Chera
Crown Acquisitions
Real Estate Holding Company
Senior Managing Director
Lisa Holladay
TIGER 21
Clemson University (Erwin Center for Brand Communications)
Peer-to-Peer Lending
Education
Chief Experience Officer
Board Member
Stephen Siegel
CBRE, Inc.
Real Estate and Investment Firm
Chairman, Global Brokerage
Frits van Paasschen
Royal DSM N.V.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
J.Crew Group, Inc.
citizenM Hotels
Sonder Holdings Inc
TPG Capital
Red Sea Project
Indian School of Hospitality
Russel Reynolds
Health, Nutrition and Materials
Consumer Retail
Consumer Retail
Hotel
Apartment/Hotel
Investment Company
Land and Property Development
Education
Management Consulting
Director
Director
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Senior Advisor
Board Advisor
Board Advisor
Board Advisor
There are also other potential conflicts of interest:
•
Crown’s officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to Crown’s affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between Crown’s operations and Crown’s search for a business combination and their other businesses. Crown currently does not have and does not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of an initial business combination. Each of Crown’s officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and Crown’s officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to Crown’s affairs.
•
Crown PropTech Sponsor purchased Founder Shares prior to the date of Crown’s initial public offering and purchased Private Placement Warrants in a transaction that closed simultaneously with the closing of Crown’s initial public offering. In February 2021, Crown PropTech Sponsor transferred 690,000 Founder Shares to our Anchor Investor and transferred 50,000 Founder Shares to each of Crown’s four independent directors prior to Crown’s initial public offering. In January 2023 Crown PropTech Sponsor sold 5,662,000 Founder Shares and 250,667 Private Placement Warrants to CIIG. The sponsors, officers, and directors have entered into a letter agreement with Crown, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. Additionally, the sponsors, officers, and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their Founder Shares if Crown fails to complete an initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If Crown does not complete an initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, the sponsors, the Anchor Investor and Crown’s officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of an initial business combination or (ii) the date following the completion of an initial business combination on which Crown completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of Crown
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shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of Crown Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after an initial business combination, the Founder Shares will be released from the lockup.
•
The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of an initial business combination. Because each of Crown’s officers and directors will own ordinary shares or warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate an initial business combination.
•
Each of Mr. Chera and Mr. Siegel invested $2,271,000 and $230,000 in Crown PropTech Sponsor, respectively and hold interests in the Crown PropTech Sponsor, or directly in Crown, that represent an interest of up to 348,000 Class B ordinary shares and 3,760,000 Private Placement Warrants. All of such securities would be worthless if a business combination is not consummated by February 11, 2024 (unless such date is extended in accordance with the Existing Governing Documents).
•
On November 30, 2021, Crown entered into a convertible note with Richard Chera, Crown’s Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to which Mr. Chera agreed to loan us up to an aggregate principal amount of $1,500,000. The Convertible Note is non-interest bearing and due on the earlier of: (i) 12 months from the date thereof or (ii) the date on which we consummate a business combination. If Crown does not consummate a business combination, we may use a portion of any funds held outside the trust account to repay the Convertible Note; however, no proceeds from the trust account may be used for such repayment if we do not consummate a business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of the Convertible Note may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of Mr. Chera. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2022, the outstanding balance under the Convertible Note amounted to an aggregate of $666,000.
•
On January 17, 2023, CIIG entered into the Securities Assignment Agreement, whereby Crown PropTech Sponsor sold, transferred and assigned 5,662,000 Class B ordinary shares of the Company and 250,667 Private Placement Warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares of the Company to CIIG. In connection with entry into the Assignment Agreement, CIIG (i) entered into a letter agreement with Crown and (ii) entered into a joinder agreement to the Registration Rights Agreement entered into by Crown PropTech Sponsor in connection with Crown’s Initial Public Offering.
•
Mr. Minnick, Crown’s Co-Chief Executive Officer and the Managing Member of CIIG, invested $20,514 and $1,203.21, respectively, to acquire 5,622,000 Class B ordinary shares and 250,667 Private Placement Warrants from Crown PropTech Sponsor. All of such securities would be worthless if a business combination is not consummated by February 11, 2024 (unless such date is extended).
•
Crown’s 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 Crown’s initial business combination.
In no event will the sponsors or any of Crown’s existing officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, be paid by the Crown any finder’s fee, consulting fee, or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of an initial business combination. Further, commencing on the date that the Crown securities were first listed on the NYSE through the earlier of consummation of an initial business combination and Crown’s liquidation, pursuant to an administrative services agreement, Crown agreed to pay Crown PropTech Sponsor or an affiliate thereof up to $15,000 per month of Administrative Support Payments. Pursuant to a subsequent letter agreement, Crown PropTech Sponsor is no longer entitled to receive any Administrative Support Payments and Crown is no longer required to pay any such
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payments. As of the date of this Annual Report, Crown has not made any Administrative Support Payments pursuant to the administrative agreement and does not expect to incur any related expenses in the near future.
Crown cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in Crown’s favor.
The sponsors, officers, and directors have agreed to vote their Founder Shares and any shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of an initial business combination.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our sponsors, directors and officers, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsors, directors or officers, or our or their affiliates. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, no expenses have been incurred by our sponsors, directors or officers, or our or their affiliates, on behalf of Crown for which they are seeking reimbursement.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders 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 officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our directors and officers may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our directors and officers that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
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 ordinary shares available to us as of March 31, 2023, with respect to our ordinary shares held by:
•
each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of Class A ordinary shares;
•
each of our directors and executive officers that beneficially owns CPTK ordinary shares; and
•
all our directors and executive officers as a group.
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Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the SEC, which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, including options and warrants that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days. Except as described in the footnotes below and subject to applicable community property laws and similar laws, we believe that each person listed below has sole voting and investment power with respect to such shares. On January 17, 2023, CIIG entered into the Assignment Agreement whereby Crown PropTech Sponsor sold, transferred and assigned 5,662,000 Founder Shares of the Company and 250,667 Private Placement Warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares of the Company to CIIG for an aggregate purchase price of $21,717.21.
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 11,096,485 ordinary shares outstanding as of March 31, 2023, including 4,196,485 shares of Crown Class A ordinary shares and 6,900,000 shares of Crown Class B ordinary shares. Voting percentages represents the voting power of the ordinary shares owned beneficially by such person. On all matters to be voted upon, the holders of the ordinary shares vote together as a single class, provided that only holders of Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the Company’s initial business combination. The table below does not include any ordinary shares underlying our outstanding warrants because such securities are not exercisable within 60 days of the date hereof.
Our Sponsors, Directors and Executive Officers
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)
Number of
Class A
Ordinary
Shares
Number of
Class B
Ordinary
Shares
% of
Class A
Ordinary
Shares
% of
Class B
Ordinary
Shares
% of
Ordinary
Shares
5% Holders of the Company
CIIG Management III LLC (2)
—
5,662,000
—
82.1
%
51.0
%
BlackRock, Inc. (3)
1,800,000
690,000
42.9
%
10.0
%
22.4
%
Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P. (4)
400,000
—
9.5
%
—
3.6
%
Directors and Executive Officers of the Company
Michael Minnick (2)
—
5,662,000
—
82.1
%
51.0
%
Gavin Cuneo
—
—
—
—
—
Richard Chera (5)
—
298,000
—
4.3
%
2.7
%
Stephen Siegel
—
50,000
—
*
*
Lisa Holladay
—
50,000
—
*
*
Frits van Paasschen
—
50,000
—
*
*
All directors and executive officers of the Company as a group (6 individuals)
—
6,110,000
—
88.6
%
55.1
%
*
Less than 1%
(1)
Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals prior to a business combination is 28 West 25 th Street, Floor 6, New York, New York 10010.
(2)
CIIG is the record holder of such shares. Michael Minnick, Co-Chief Executive Officer, is the managing member of CIIG Management III LLC. Consequently, he may be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares held by CIIG Management III LLC and have voting and dispositive control over such securities. Mr. Minnick disclaims beneficial ownership of any shares other than to the extent he may have a pecuniary interest therein, directly or indirectly. The address for CIIG Management III LLC, and Michael Minnick is 40 West 57th Street, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10019.
(3)
The information in the table above regarding Class A ordinary shares is based solely on information contained in this shareholder’s Schedule 13G/A under the Exchange Act filed by such shareholder with the SEC on February 8, 2023. The address for the BlackRock, Inc. is 55 East, 52d Street, New York, New York 10055.
(4)
The information in the table above regarding Class A ordinary shares is based solely on information contained in this shareholder’s Schedule 13G under the Exchange Act filed by such shareholder with the
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SEC on February 16, 2023. Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P. reported that, as of December 31, 2022, it had shared voting and dispositive power over 400,000 Class A ordinary shares. Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P., RGC Management Company, LLC, Steven B. Katznelson, Christopher Hinkel, Radcliffe SPAC Master Fund, L.P. and Radcliffe SPAC GP, LLC may be deemed the beneficial owner of the 400,000 Class A ordinary shares. The address for Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P. and its affiliates listed therein is 50 Monument Road, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.
(5)
Crown PropTech Sponsor is the record holder of such shares and is managed by a board of managers comprising Mr. Chera and Dr. Pius Sprenger, the Company’s former Chief Financial Officer and director, who may each be deemed to have voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by Crown PropTech Sponsor, LLC. Each of Mr. Chera and Dr. Sprenger disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly.
Our sponsors beneficially own approximately 53.7% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Because of this ownership block, our sponsors may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our Charter and approval of significant corporate transactions.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence
In October 2020, Crown PropTech Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain offering costs on our behalf in consideration of 6,900,000 Founder Shares. The number of Founder Shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such Founder Shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares upon completion of the Initial Public Offering. In February 2021, Crown PropTech Sponsor transferred 690,000 Founder Shares to our Anchor Investor and transferred 50,000 Founder Shares to each of Crown’s four independent directors prior to Crown’s initial public offering. In January 2023, Crown PropTech Sponsor and CIIG entered into the Securities Assignment Agreement, pursuant to which Crown PropTech Sponsor sold 5,662,000 Class B ordinary shares and 250,667 Private Placement Warrants held by it to CIIG. Concurrently with the execution of the Securities Assignment Agreement, Michael Minnick, the managing member of CIIG, and Gavin Cuneo were appointed co-Chief Executive Officers of the Company. The Founder Shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
In February 2021, Crown PropTech Sponsor and our Anchor Investor purchased 4,010,667 and 1,002,666 Private Placement Warrants, respectively (5,013,333 in the aggregate) for a purchase price of $1.50 per whole warrant in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering. As such, Crown PropTech Sponsor’s interest and our Anchor Investor’s interest in this transaction is valued at for an aggregate purchase price of $7,520,000. Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
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 then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Commencing on the date of the Initial Public Offering, pursuant to an administrative services agreement, the Company agreed to pay Crown PropTech Sponsor or an affiliate thereof a total of $15,000 per month of Administrative Support Payments. Pursuant to a subsequent letter agreement dated as of January 17, 2023, Crown PropTech Sponsor is no longer entitled to receive any Administrative Support Payments and the
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Company is no longer required to pay any such payments. As of the date of this Annual Report, we have not made any Administrative Support Payments pursuant to the administrative agreement and do not expect to incur any related expenses in the near future.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the Initial Shareholders or an affiliate of the Initial Shareholders or certain of the Company’s directors and officers 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 would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the trust account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that a business combination does not close, 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 $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
On November 30, 2021, we entered into a convertible note with Richard Chera, our Chief Executive Officer and director, pursuant to which the Mr. Chera agreed to loan us up to an aggregate principal amount of $1,500,000 (the “Convertible Note”). The Convertible Note is non-interest bearing and due on the earlier of: (i) 12 months from the date thereof or (ii) the date on which we consummate a business combination. If Crown does not consummate a business combination, we may use a portion of any funds held outside the trust account to repay the Convertible Note; however, no proceeds from the trust account may be used for such repayment if we do not consummate a business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of the Convertible Note may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of Mr. Chera. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the largest outstanding balance under the Convertible Note amounted to $666,000 and $450,000, respectively. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we made $0 and $0 in principal payments, respectively. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the aggregate principal balance outstanding of the Convertible Note was $666,000 and $450,000, respectively.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We entered into a Registration Rights Agreement pursuant to which our sponsors, Anchor Investor, and directors will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the Founder Shares, as long as the sponsors and directors hold any securities covered by the registration agreement. On November 10, 2021 (but effective as of the closing of the Brivo Business Combination), and as part of the Brivo Business Combination, New Brivo, Crown PropTech Sponsor, Anchor Investor and certain other stockholders and directors and officers of Crown and Brivo entered into an amended and restated registration rights agreement (“Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement”), which would terminate and replace the existing Registration Rights Agreement. As part of the termination of the Brivo Business Combination in August 2022, the Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement was automatically terminated.
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Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors has adopted a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the company’s total assets at year end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy will include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or officers; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee will consider (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our code of ethics or other policies, (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and (v) the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy will not permit any director or officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
Director Independence
The rules of the NYSE require that a majority of the Crown Board be independent within one year of Crown’s initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Crown currently has three “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE rules and applicable SEC rules. The Crown Board has determined that Ms. Holladay, Mr. Siegel and Mr. van Paasschen are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Crown’s independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum LLP, or Marcum, for services rendered.
Audit Fees. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were approximately $59,014 and $57,680 for the services Marcum performed in connection with the audit of our December 31, 2022 and 2021 financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the review of our quarterly consolidated financial statements.
Audit-Related Fees. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were approximately $82,296 and $65,000 for the services Marcum performed in connection with our registration statement on Form S-4 and Initial Public Offering.
Tax Fees . During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, our fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were approximately $11,330 and $0 for services to us for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
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All Other Fees . During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no fees billed for products and services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm other than those set forth above.
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).
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Item 15
.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(a)
(1) Consolidated Financial Statements:
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID # 688 )
F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets
F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations
F-4
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Deficit
F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F-7
(2)
Financial Statement Schedules:
None.
(3)
Exhibits
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index
. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
F-1
Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Crown PropTech Acquisitions
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Crown PropTech Acquisitions (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related statements of operations,
changes in
shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for years then ended, 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, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America .
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note
1, the Company’s business plan is dependent on the completion of a business combination and the Company’s cash and working capital at December 31, 2022 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of these financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
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 audits. 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 audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
New York, NY
May 2, 2023
F-2
Table of Contents
CROWN PROPTECH ACQUISITIONS
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31,
2022
December 31,
2021
Assets
Current assets:
Cash
$
80,212
$
14,807
Prepaid expenses
39,616
75,898
Total current assets
119,828
90,705
Investments held in Trust account
279,998,549
276,013,345
Total assets
$
280,118,377
$
276,104,050
Liabilities, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption and Shareholders’ Deficit
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$
627,376
$
3,572,844
Due to related party
339,107
159,107
Convertible note
666,000
450,000
Total current liabilities
1,632,483
4,181,951
Warrant liabilities
—
8,101,600
Deferred underwriters’ discount
—
9,660,000
Total liabilities
1,632,483
21,943,551
Commitments
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, 27,600,000 shares at redemption value
279,998,549
276,013,345
Shareholders’ deficit:
Preference shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; no ne issued or outstanding
—
—
Class A ordinary shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding, excluding 27,600,000 shares subject to possible redemption
—
—
Class B ordinary shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 6,900,000 shares issued and outstanding
690
690
Additional paid-in
capital
9,527,941
—
Accumulated deficit
( 11,041,286
)
( 21,853,536
)
Total shareholders’ deficit
( 1,512,655
)
( 21,852,846
)
Total liabilities, redeemable shares and shareholders’ deficit
$
280,118,377
$
276,104,050
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-3
Table of Contents
CROWN PROPTECH ACQUISITIONS
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the year ended,
December 31, 2022
For the year ended,
December 31, 2021
Operating costs
$
4,242,071
$
5,580,262
Loss from operations
( 4,242,071
)
( 5,580,262
)
Other Income
Settlement of payables
6,472,941
—
Trust dividend income
3,985,204
13,345
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
8,101,600
13,076,266
Offering expenses related to warrant issuance
479,780
( 819,794
)
Total other income, net
19,039,525
12,269,817
Net income
$
14,797,454
$
6,689,555
Weighted average redeemable shares outstanding
27,600,000
24,499,726
Basic and diluted net income per redeemable share
$
0.43
$
0.21
Weighted average non-redeemable
shares outstanding
6,900,000
6,900,000
Basic and diluted net income per common share
$
0.43
$
0.21
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-4
Table of Contents
CROWN PROPTECH ACQUISITIONS
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021
Ordinary Shares
Additional
Paid-in
Capital
Retained
Earnings
Total
Shareholders’
Deficit
Class B
Shares
Amount
Balance as of December 31, 2020
6,900,000
$
690
$
24,310
$
( 5,894
)
$
19,106
Excess fair value of Private Placement Warrants
—
—
50,134
—
50,134
Excess fair value of anchor shares
—
—
—
795,825
795,825
Remeasurement of ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
—
—
( 74,444
)
( 29,333,022
)
( 29,407,466
)
Net income
—
—
—
6,689,555
6,689,555
Balance as of December 31, 2021
6,900,000
$
690
$
—
$
( 21,853,536
)
$
( 21,852,846
)
Capital contribution from Sponsor
—
—
347,721
—
347,721
Waiver of deferred underwriters’ discount
—
—
9,180,220
—
9,180,220
Remeasurement of ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
—
—
—
( 3,985,204
)
( 3,985,204
)
Net income
—
—
—
14,797,454
14,797,454
Balance as of December 31, 2022
6,900,000
$
690
$
9,527,941
$
( 11,041,286
)
$
( 1,512,655
)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
F-5
Table of Contents
CROWN PROPTECH ACQUISITIONS
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the year ended
December 31, 2022
For the year ended
December 31, 2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income
$
14,797,454
$
6,689,555
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
( 8,101,600
)
( 13,076,266
)
Settlement of payables
( 6,472,941
)
—
Trust dividend income
( 3,985,204
)
( 13,345
)
Offering costs allocated to warrants
( 479,780
)
819,794
Changes in current assets and current liabilities:
Prepaid expenses
36,282
( 75,898
)
Due to related party
180,000
159,107
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
3,527,473
3,392,844
Net cash used in operating activities
( 498,316
)
( 2,104,209
)
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Investment of cash into trust account
—
( 276,000,000
)
Net cash used in investing activities
—
( 276,000,000
)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Proceeds from Initial Public Offering, net of underwriters’ discount
—
270,480,000
Proceeds from issuance of Private Placement Warrants
—
7,520,000
Borrowings under the convertible PN
216,000
—
Capital contribution from the sponsor
347,721
—
Proceeds from promissory note to related party
—
450,000
Repayment of promissory note to related party
—
( 75,000
)
Payments of offering costs
—
( 328,534
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
563,721
278,046,466
Net Change in Cash
65,405
( 57,743
)
Cash—Beginning of period
14,807
72,550
Cash—Ending of period
$
80,212
$
14,807
Supplemental Disclosure of Non-cash
Financing Activities:
Initial value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
$
—
$
246,605,879
Remeasurement of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
$
3,985,204
$
29,407,466
Initial value of warrant liabilities
$
—
$
21,177,866
Deferred underwriters’ discount payable charged to additional paid-in
capital
$
—
$
9,660,000
Waiver of deferred underwriters’ discount
$
9,180,220
$
—
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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Note 1—Organization and Business Operations
Organization and General
Crown PropTech Acquisitions (the “Company” or “Crown”) was incorporated in the Cayman Islands on September 24, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock 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. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity through December 31, 2022, relates to the Company’s formation and the Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) described below, and since the closing of the IPO, 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 on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the IPO.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company’s sponsor was Crown PropTech Sponsor LLC (“Crown PropTech Sponsor”), a Delaware limited liability company.
Financing
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on February 9, 2021 (the “Effective Date”). On February 11, 2021, the Company consummated the IPO of 27,600,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “public share”), at $ 10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $ 276,000,000 , which is discussed in Note 3.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 5,013,333 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrant”), at a price of $ 1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, which is discussed in Note 4.
Trust Account
Following the closing of the IPO on February 11, 2021, an amount of $ 276,000,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) which is invested in 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 in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7
of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to the Company to pay its tax obligations, the proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the private placement units will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of the Company’s initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and (c) the redemption of the Company’s public shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO (or until February 11, 2023), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the Company’s public shareholders.
On February 9, 2023, the Company’s shareholders approved an amendment to amend and restate the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association to extend the date by which the Company must consummate an initial Business Combination from February 11, 2023 to February 11, 2024.
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Termination of the Proposed Brivo Transaction
On November 10, 2021, the Company entered into a business combination agreement (the “BCA” or the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among (i) the Company, (ii) Crown PropTech Merger Sub I Corp, a Delaware corporation and wholly owned direct subsidiary of Crown (“Merger Sub I”), (iii) Crown PropTech Merger Sub II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Crown (“Merger Sub II”, and together with Merger Sub I the “Merger Subs”) and (iv) Brivo, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“Brivo” and all the parties to the Business Combination Agreement, the “Parties to the Business Combination Agreement”) (the “Business Combination”). The obligation of Brivo to consummate the Business Combination was subject to certain closing conditions, including, but not limited to, the aggregate cash proceeds from Crown’s trust account, together with the proceeds from the sale of the PIPE Notes (as defined below).
In connection with the signing of the Business Combination Agreement, the Company entered into subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors (the “PIPE Investors”). Pursuant to the terms of the Subscription Agreements, each PIPE Investor had the right to terminate its Subscription Agreement after July 9, 2022, if the closing of the Business Combination had not occurred as of such date or at any date and time as the Business Combination Agreement is validly terminated.
Golub Capital LLC and its affiliates (such entity, together with its affiliates, “Golub”), a PIPE Investor, subscribed for PIPE Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $ 68 million. On July 11, 2022, the Company received a notice of election from Golub, notifying the Company that Golub has elected to terminate Golub’s Subscription Agreement because the Business Combination was not consummated by July 9, 2022.
On August 10, 2022, the Company received a notice of election from Brivo, notifying the Company that Brivo had elected to terminate the Business Combination. As a result of such election, the Business Combination was immediately terminated. In addition, the remaining Subscription Agreements were automatically terminated.
Following a confidential settlement arrangement (the “Settlement Arrangement”), the Company is no longer pursuing any remedies in connection with the termination of the Brivo Business Combination.
On January 13, 2023, the Company formally withdrew its Form S-4
Registration Statement from the SEC associated with the BCA.
Initial Business Combination
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a business combination.
The Company’s business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80 % of the balance in the Trust Account (as defined below) (net of taxes payable) at the time of the signing an agreement to enter into a business combination. However, the Company will only complete a 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. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a business combination.
The Company will provide its public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The stockholders will be entitled to redeem their shares for
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a pro rata portion of the amount then on deposit in the Trust Account (initially $ 10.00 per 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).
The Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption are recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the IPO, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a business combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $ 5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of a business combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had 24 months from the closing of the IPO (with the ability to extend with stockholder approval) to consummate a business combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if the Company is unable to complete a business combination within the Combination Period, the Company will redeem 100 % of the outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the Trust Account, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to the Company, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described in the registration statement, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate.
The Company’s sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their Founder Shares and private placement shares if the Company fails to complete the initial business combination within the Combination Period.
Crown PropTech Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $ 10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $ 10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, the Company has not asked Crown PropTech Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has the Company independently verified whether Crown PropTech Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that Crown PropTech Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure that its sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had cash outside the Trust Account of $ 80,212 available for working capital needs and working capital deficit of $ 1,512,655 . All remaining cash held in the Trust Account is generally unavailable for the Company’s use, prior to an initial business combination, and is restricted for use either in a Business Combination or to redeem Class A ordinary shares. As of December 31, 2022, none of the amount in the Trust Account was available to be withdrawn as described above.
Through December 31, 2022, the Company’s liquidity needs were satisfied through receipt of $ 25,000 from the sale of the Founder Shares, the remaining net proceeds from the IPO, the sale of Private Placement Warrants, the
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Promissory Note, the Convertible Note (as defined below) and a capital contribution from Crown PropTech Sponsor of $ 347,721 in 2022.
The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of it financing and acquisition plans. The Company lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. Although no formal agreement exists, Crown PropTech Sponsor is committed to extend loans as needed (see Note 5). Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential merger target, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to in on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, or that its plans to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15,
“Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the above liquidity issues and the mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution, should the Company be unable to complete a Business Combination, raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company has until February 2024 (as extended) to consummate a Business Combination. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after February 2024 (as extended).
Risks and Uncertainties
In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with 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. As of the date of these financial statements, the impact of this action and the related sanctions on the world economy and the effect on these financial statements are currently not determinable.
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 search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
The Company’s results of operations and ability to complete an initial business combination may be adversely affected by various factors that could cause economic uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. The Company’s business could be impacted by, among other things, downturns in the financial markets or in economic conditions, increases in oil prices, inflation, increases in interest rates, supply chain disruptions, declines in consumer confidence and spending, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19
pandemic, including resurgences and the emergence of new variants, and geopolitical instability, such as the military conflict in the Ukraine. The Company cannot at this time fully predict the likelihood of one or more of the above events, their duration or magnitude or the extent to which they may negatively impact its business and the Company’s ability to complete an initial business combination.
NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
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Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it 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 independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its 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.
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 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. This may make comparison of the Company’s consolidated 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.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires 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 consolidated 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 no t have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2022 or 2021.
Investments Held in Trust Account
At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Trust Account had $ 279,998,549 and $ 276,013,345 held in marketable securities, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not withdraw any interest income from the Trust Account to pay its tax obligations.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $ 250,000 . At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on this account.
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Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, 27,600,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2022, the ordinary shares subject to possible redemption reflected on the consolidated balance sheets are reconciled in the following table:
Gross proceeds from IPO
$
276,000,000
Less:
Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants, net of offering costs
( 13,708,000
)
Ordinary share issuance costs
( 15,686,121
)
Plus:
Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value
29,407,466
Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2021
276,013,345
Plus:
Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value
3,985,204
Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2022
$
279,998,549
Net Income per Ordinary Shares
The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Private and public warrants to purchase 14,213,333 Class A ordinary shares at $ 11.50 per share were issued on February 11, 2021. No warrants were exercised during the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The calculation of diluted income per ordinary share does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the (i) IPO, (ii) exercise of over-allotment, and (iii) Private Placement since the exercise of the warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events. As a result, diluted net income per common share is the same as basic net income per common share for the periods.
For the years ended December 31,
2022
2021
Class A
Class B
Class A
Class B
Basic and diluted net income per share
Numerator:
Allocation of net income including remeasurement of temporary equity
$
11,837,963
$
2,959,491
$
5,219,544
$
1,470,011
Denominator
Weighted-average shares outstanding
27,600,000
6,900,000
24,499,726
6,900,000
Basic and diluted net income per share
$
0.43
$
0.43
$
0.21
$
0.21
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Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1
and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A—“Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the public offering upon the completion of the IPO. Transaction costs amounted to $ 16,505,915 consisting of $ 5,520,000 of underwriting fee, $ 9,660,000 of deferred underwriting fee, $ 795,825 of excess fair value of the Anchor Investor (as defined below) shares and $ 530,090 of other offering costs. Of the total transaction costs $ 819,794 was charged to non-operating
expense in the statement of operations with the rest of the offering costs charged to temporary equity. The transaction costs were allocated based on the relative fair value basis, compared to the total offering proceeds, between the fair value of the warrant liabilities and the Class A ordinary shares.
Anchor Investors
The Company complies with SAB Topic 5.A to account for the valuation of the Founder Shares acquired by the Anchor Investors. The Founder Shares purchased by the Anchor Investors represent a capital contribution for the benefit of the Company and are recorded as offering costs and reflected as a reduction in the proceeds from the offering and offering expenses in accordance with ASC 470 and Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A. As such, upon sale of 690,000 Founder Shares to the Anchor Investors the valuation of these shares was recognized as a deferred offering cost and charged to temporary equity and other expenses. At February 11, 2021, the fair value of the Founder Shares to the Anchor Investors in excess of the amount paid was $ 795,825 .
Share Based Compensation
The Company complies with ASC 718 Compensation—Stock Compensation regarding Founder Shares acquired by directors and independent advisors of the Company at prices below fair value. The acquired shares vested upon granting of the shares. The Founder Shares owned by the director (1) may not be sold or transferred, until one year after the consummation of a Business Combination, (2) not be entitled to redemption from the funds held in the Trust Account, or any liquidating distributions. If the Company does not consummate a Business Combination during the Combination Period, the Company will liquidate and the shares will become worthless.
The shares were issued in February 2021 (“Grant Date”), and the shares vested immediately. Since the approach in ASC 718 is to determine the fair value without regard to the vesting date, the Company has determined the valuation of the Class B shares as of the Grant Dates. The valuation for the 250,000 shares in excess of the amount paid was not material.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheets.
Derivative Warrant Liabilities
The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants and working capital loan options, 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.
The Company accounts for its 14,213,333 ordinary share warrants issued in connection with its IPO ( 9,200,000 ) and Private Placement ( 5,013,333 ) as derivative warrant liabilities in accordance with ASC 815-40.
Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjusts 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 the Company’s statement of operations.
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Working Capital Loans Option
On November 30, 2021, Richard Chera, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and director agreed to loan the Company up to $
1,500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Company. At the option of Richard Chera, the outstanding principle of $
666,000 at December 31, 2022 may be converted into that number of warrants equal to the outstanding principle of the note divided by $
1.50 (
327,333 warrants). The option (“Working Capital Loan Option”) to convert the working capital loans into warrants qualifies as an embedded derivative under ASC 815 and is required to be reported at fair value. At December 31, 2022 and 2021 the value of the Working Capital Loan Option was $
0 .
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” 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 Topic 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. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. 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 considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
Recent Accounting Standards
During August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 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)
(“ASU 2020-06”)
to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06
eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06
amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted
method for all convertible instruments. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06
on January 1, 2022 and the standard was applied on a full retrospective basis. There was no material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Note 3—Initial Public Offering
Pursuant to the IPO, the Company sold 27,600,000 Units, (at a price of $ 10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A Ordinary share, par value $ 0.0001 per share, and one -third
of one redeemable warrant (“Public
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Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A Ordinary share at a price of $ 11.50 per share.
Note 4—Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, Crown PropTech Sponsor and certain funds and accounts managed by subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. (collectively, the “Anchor Investor”) purchased an aggregate of 5,013,333 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $ 1.50 per warrant ($ 7,520,000 in the aggregate), each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $ 11.50 per share. A portion of the purchase price of the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the IPO to be held in the Trust Account.
Note 5—Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On October 13, 2020, the Company issued 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares to Crown PropTech Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $ 25,000 (the “Founder Shares”). On February 9, 2021, the Company effected a dividend of 0.2 of a Class B ordinary share for each Class B ordinary share, resulting in 6,900,000 Class B ordinary shares being issued and outstanding
.
On February 11, 2021, Crown PropTech Sponsor transferred 690,000 Founder Shares to the Anchor Investors for $ 2,500 . In February 2021, Crown PropTech Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 250,000 Founder Shares to four of the Company’s independent directors and two independent advisors. Immediately after transferring shares to the Anchor Investors, directors and advisors, Crown PropTech Sponsor owned 5,960,000 Founder Shares.
Crown PropTech Sponsor and the Anchor Investor have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any Founder
Shares until the earlier to occur of (i) one year after the completion of a business combination or (ii) the date following the completion of a business combination on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $ 12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30 -trading
day period commencing at least 150 days after a business combination, the Founder Shares will be released from the lockup.
Promissory Note—Related Party
On October 13, 2020, the Company issued a promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) to Crown PropTech Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $ 300,000 . The Promissory Note is non-interest
bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the completion of the IPO. On February 11, 2021, the Company had repaid the Promissory Note in full. No future borrowings are permitted under this Promissory Note.
Administrative Support Agreement
Commencing on the date of the IPO, the Company agreed to pay Crown PropTech Sponsor a total of $ 15,000 per month for office space and administrative support services. Upon completion of the initial business combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company owed $ 339,107 and $ 159,107 , respectively, for these fees and reported them as due to related party on the balance sheets.
Working Capital Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the initial shareholders or an affiliate of the initial shareholders or certain of the Company’s directors and officers may, but are not obligated
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to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a business combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a business combination is not consummated, 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. 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 $
1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
On November 30, 2021, the Company entered into a convertible note with Richard Chera, its former Chief Executive Officer and director, pursuant to which Mr. Chera agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate principal amount of $ 1,500,000 (the “Convertible Note”). The Convertible Note is non-interest
bearing and due on the earlier of: (i) 12 months from the date thereof or (ii) the date on which we consummate a business combination. If the Company does not consummate a business combination, the Company may use a portion of any funds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Convertible Note; however, no proceeds from the Trust Account may be used for such repayment if the Company does not consummate the business combination. Up to $ 1,500,000 of the Convertible Note may be converted into warrants at a price of $ 1.50 per warrant at the option of Mr. Chera. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the outstanding balance under the Convertible Note amounted to an aggregate of $ 666,000 and $ 450,000 , respectively.
Note 6—Commitments & Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the IPO requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company 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. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriters Agreement
On February 11, 2021, the Company paid a fixed underwriting discount of $ 0.20 per Unit, or $ 5,520,000 in the aggregate. Additionally, a deferred underwriting discount of $ 0.35 per Unit, or $ 9,660,000 in the aggregate, was payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes an initial business combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement. In December 2022, the underwriters agreed to waive their right to receive the deferred underwriting discount.
Advisory Service Agreements
The Company has enlisted various entities as capital market advisors to assist in the identification and consummation of an ini tial business combination. Fees for such services are payable only upon consummation of an initial business combination by the Company and are payable out of funds allo
cated as the deferred underwriters’ discount.
During the fourth quarter of 2022 these contracts with the advisors have been terminated and no amounts were paid or due under the contracts.
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Attorney Fees
The Company incurred legal fees in connection with the proposed Brivo Business Combination, none of which were payable until consummation of the proposed Brivo Business Combination. As of December 31, 2022, the Company fully paid a settled amount in legal fees associated with the Brivo Business Combination.
Legal Proceedings
On August 10, 2022, the Company received a notice of election from Brivo, notifying the Company that Brivo had elected to terminate the Business Combination. As a result of such election, the Business Combination was immediately terminated. The Company believes that prior to termination, Brivo breached the Business Combination Agreement, and that EMBUIA LLC, an affiliate of Dean M. Drako, the Chairman of the board of directors of Brivo, breached the Stockholder Support Agreement (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), in each case, including breaching their respective obligations not to take certain actions in connection with a Company Acquisition Proposal (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement). Following a confidential settlement arrangement reached on October 26, 2022, the Company is no longer pursuing any remedies in connection with the termination of the Brivo Business Combination.
In connection with determining the probability of loss associated with such legal proceedings and whether any potential losses associated therewith are estimable, the Company takes into account what is believed to be all relevant known facts and circumstances, and what is believed to be reasonable assumptions regarding the application of those facts and circumstances to existing agreements, laws and regulations.
Accordingly, the Company can provide no assurance that the outcome of the various legal proceedings that the Company is currently involved in, or will become involved with in the future, will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s balance sheet, statement of operations or cash flows.
Settlement of Payables
In December 2022 and January 2023, the Company settled $ 7,008,070 due to vendors. In addition, in December 2022, the underwriters agreed to waive their right to receive the deferred underwriting discount of $ 0.35 per Unit, or $ 9,660,000 in the aggregate, that was to be payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes an initial business combination.
Note 7—Shareholders’ Deficit
Preference Shares—
The Company is authorized to issue a total of 1,000,000 preference shares at par value of $ 0.0001 each. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class
A Ordinary Shares—
The Company is authorized to issue a total of 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares at par value of $ 0.0001 each. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no shares issued or outstanding (excluding 27,600,000 shares subject to possible redemption).
Class
B Ordinary Shares—
The Company is authorized to issue a total of 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares at par value of $ 0.0001 each. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were 6,900,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
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Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, except as required by law; provided that only holders of Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the Company’s initial business combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the completion of a business combination on a one-for-one
basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with a business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20 % of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a business combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of Working Capital Loans; provided that such conversion of Founder Shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one
basis.
Note 8—Warrants
Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a business combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the IPO. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No Public Warrant will be exercisable and the Company 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 is available.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of the Company’s business combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business 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. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of 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, and in the event the Company does not so elect, it 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.
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Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants for redemption:
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $ 0.01 per warrant;
•
upon not less than
30
days ’ prior written notice of redemption;
•
to each warrant holder; and
•
if, and only if, the reported closing price of the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $ 18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 -trading
day period ending three business days before we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
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. If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, as described above, its management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares 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 is unable to complete 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary share (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, and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $ 9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115 % of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $ 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.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the IPO, except that (x) the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares 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, (y) the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable
so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees and (z) the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will be entitled to registration rights. 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.
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Note 9—Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
•
Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
•
Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
•
Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
Recurring Fair Value Measurements
The Company’s permitted investments consist of U.S. Money Market funds. Fair values of these investments are determined by Level 1 inputs utilizing quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets.
Upon inception, the Company’s warrants were based on valuation models utilizing inputs from observable and unobservable markets with less volume and transaction frequency than active markets. The inputs used to determine the fair value of the Warrant liabilities were classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
On March 30, 2021 the Company’s Public Warrants began trading on the New Yock Stock Exchange. Consequently, the Company’s warrant liability for the Public Warrants is based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access. The fair value of the Public Warrant liability is classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
The Company’s management believes the Private Warrants are economically equivalent to the Public Warrants. As such, the valuation of the Private Warrants is based on the valuation of the Public Warrants. The fair value of the Private Warrant liability is classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy due to the Company using quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets.
The Company’s Working Capital Loan option was based on a valuation model utilizing inputs from observable and unobservable markets with less volume and transaction frequency than active markets. The inputs used to determine the fair value of the Working Capital Loan
option liability were
classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
The following table presents fair value information of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value.
December 31, 2022
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Description
Assets:
Investments held in Trust Account
$
279,998,549
$
—
$
—
Liabilities:
Working Capital Loan Option
$
—
$
—
$
—
Public Warrants
—
—
—
Private Warrants
—
—
—
Fair Value of warrants and Working Capital Loan Option
$
—
$
—
$
—
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December 31, 2021
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Description
Assets:
Investments held in Trust Account
$
276,013,345
$
—
$
—
Liabilities:
Working Capital Loan Option
$
—
$
—
$
—
Public Warrants
( 5,244,000
)
—
—
Private Warrants
—
( 2,857,600
)
—
Fair Value of warrants and Working Capital Loan Option
$
( 5,244,000
)
$
( 2,857,600
)
$
—
The Company utilized a binomial lattice analysis to value the Working Capital Loan option at December 31, 2021 and an internal model at
December 31, 2022.
The following table provides a reconciliation of changes in the Level 3 fair value classification for the year ended December 31, 2021:
Fair value at December 31, 2020
$
—
Initial value at February 11, 2021
21,177,866
Change in fair value
( 9,522,933
)
Reclassification of Private Warrants to Level 2 (1)
( 4,110,933
)
Reclassification of Public Warrants to Level 1 (1)
( 7,544,000
)
Fair Value at December 31, 2021
$
—
(1)
Assumes the warrants were reclassified on June 30, 2021
NOTE 10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the consolidated balance sheet date up to the date that the consolidated financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, other than below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have
required adjustment or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements.
Withdrawal of Registration Statement
On January 13, 2023, the Company formally withdrew its Form S-4
Registration Statement from the SEC associated with the BCA.
Change in Management
On January 17, 2023, Richard Chera informed the Company of his decision to resign as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), and principal financial and accounting officer of the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Chera’s resignation was voluntary and not the result of any disagreement with the operations, policies or practices of the Company. Mr. Chera shall continue to serve as a director of the Company.
On January 17, 2023, the board of directors of the Company appointed Mr. Gavin Cuneo and Mr. Michael Minnick as co-CEOs
of the Company, effective immediately.
Additionally, in connection with this appointment, each of Mr. Cuneo and Mr. Minnick entered into an Indemnity Agreement and a Letter Agreement with the Company on the same terms as the Indemnity Agreements and Letter Agreements entered into by the directors and officers of the Company at the time of the Company’s IPO. In addition, CIIG (as defined below), entered into the Letter Agreement. CIIG also entered into that certain joinder agreement to the Registration Rights Agreement as described in further detail below.
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Table of Contents
On January 17, 2023, CIIG Management III LLC (“CIIG”) entered into a Securities Assignment Agreement (the “Assignment Agreement”), by and among Crown PropTech Sponsor, CIIG and Richard Chera, whereby Crown PropTech Sponsor sold, transferred and assigned 5,662,000 Class B ordinary shares of the Company and 250,667 private placement warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares of the Company to CIIG. In connection with entry into the Assignment Agreement, CIIG (i) entered into a Letter Agreement with the Company (the “Letter Agreement”) and (ii) entered into a joinder agreement to the Registration Rights Agreement entered into by Crown PropTech Sponsor in connection with the Company’s IPO. As a result of the above transaction CIIG became a co-sponsor
to Crown.
In connection with the above transaction, Crown PropTech Sponsor entered into a letter agreement dated as of January 17, 2023, whereby Crown PropTech Sponsor is no longer entitled to receive any payments under the administrative services agreement and the Company is no longer required to pay any such payments. As of the date of this Annual Report, the Company has not made any payments pursuant to the administrative agreement and does not expect to incur any related expenses in the near
future.
Beginning on January 31, 2023, and continuing until the Company’s February 9, 2023 extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (“Extraordinary General Meeting”), the Company and CIIG entered into certain non-redemption
agreements and assignments of economic interests (the “Non-Redemption Agreements”) with certain investors (the “Non-Redeeming Investors”). The Non-Redemption Agreements provide for the assignment of economic interest of an aggregate of 1,500,000 Class B ordinary shares held by CIIG to the Non-Redeeming
Investors in exchange for such Non-Redeeming Investors agreeing to hold and not redeem an aggregate of 4,000,000 Public Shares at the Extraordinary General Meeting. Pursuant to the Non-Redemption Agreements, CIIG has agreed to transfer to such Non-Redeeming Investors an aggregate of 1,500,000 ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination.
Extraordinary General Meeting
On February 9, 2023, the Company’s shareholders approved an amendment to amend and restate the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association to extend the date by which the Company must consummate an initial Business Combination from February 11, 2023 to February 11, 2024 (the “Extension Proposal”).
In connection with the vote to approve the Extension Proposal, shareholders holding an aggregate
of 23,403,515
shares of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares exercised their right to redeem their shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account. As a result ,
$
238,305,063.72
(approximately $ 10.18 per share) was deducted from the trust account to pay such holders. As of February 9, 2023, following the redemption of the Public Shares described above, approximately $ 42,730,488.52 remained in the trust account. Following the redemptions, there were 4,196,485 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding and the 6,900,000 Founder Shares that remained outstanding represented 62.2 % of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares.
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Table of Contents
(b) Exhibits.
Exhibit
Number
Description of Document
2.1
Business Combination Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2021, by and among CPTK, Merger Sub I, Merger Sub II and Brivo (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed December 22, 2021, (file no. 333-261857)).
3.1
Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 9, 2023, (file no. 001-40017)).
4.1
Specimen Unit Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-252307)).
4.2
Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-252307)).
4.3
Specimen Warrant Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-252307)).
4.4
Warrant Agreement, dated February 8, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 11, 2021, (file no. 001-40017)).
4.5
Description of Securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 12, 2022, (file no. 001-10017)).
10.1
Promissory Note, dated as of October 13, 2020, between the registrant and the sponsor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-252307)).
10.2
Securities Purchase Agreement between CPTK and CPTK’s sponsor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed January 21, 2021 (file no. 333-252307)).
10.3
Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated as February 8, 2021, between CPTK and CPTK’s sponsor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 11, 2021, (file no. 001-40017)).
10.4
Investment Management Trust Agreement between CPTK and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 11, 2021, (file no. 001-40017)).
10.5
Registration Rights Agreement, dated February 8, 2021, among CPTK, CPTK’s sponsor and certain equity holders of CPTK (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 11, 2021, (file no. 001-40017)).
10.6
Letter Agreement, dated February 8, 2021, between CPTK and CPTK’s sponsor, officers and directors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 11, 2021, (file no. 001-40017)).
10.7
Form of Administrative Services Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on January 21, 2021 (file No. 333-252307)).
10.8*
Letter Agreement, dated January 17, 2023, by and between Crown PropTech Acquisitions and Crown PropTech Sponsor.
10.9
Form of Stockholder Support Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed December 22, 2021, (file no. 333-261857)).
10.10
Form of Amendment No. 1 to the Stockholder Support Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4/A filed February 11, 2022, (file no. 333-261857)).
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Table of Contents
Exhibit
Number
Description of Document
10.11
Convertible Note, dated November 30, 2021, issued by Crown PropTech Acquisitions to Richard Chera (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 6, 2021 (file No. 001-40017)).
10.12
Letter Agreement, dated January 17, 2023, by and among Crown PropTech Sponsor, LLC, Richard Chera and CIIG Management III LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 17, 2023 (file no. 001-40017)) .
10.13
Form of Non-Redemption Agreement and Assignment of Economic Interest (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 1, 2023 (file no. 001-40017)).
31.1*
Certification of Co-Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2*
Certification of Co-Chief Executive Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1**
Certification of Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2**
Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
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.DRF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104
Cover Page Interaction Data File (formatted as inline XBRL with application taxonomy extension information contained in Exhibits 101).
*
Filed herewith
**
These certifications are furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and are deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
Not applicable.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
CROWN PROPTECH ACQUISITIONS
Date:
May 2, 2023
By:
/s/ Gavin M. Cuneo
Name:
Gavin M. Cuneo
Title:
Co-Chief Executive Officer
By:
/s/ Michael Minnick
Name:
Michael Minnick
Title:
Co-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.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/ Michael Minnick
Michael Minnick
Co- Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
May 2, 2023
/s/ Gavin Cuneo
Gavin Cuneo
Co- Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
May 2, 2023
/s/ Richard Chera
Richard Chera
Director (Chairman)
May 2, 2023
/s/ Lisa Holladay
Lisa Holladay
Director
May 2, 2023
/s/ Stephen Siegel
Stephen Siegel
Director
May 2, 2023
/s/ Frits van Paasschen
Frits van Paasschen
Director
May 2, 2023
95
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