UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form
10-K/A
(Amendment
No. 1)
☒
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from _____ to _____
Commission
file number: 001-38306
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
82-2755287
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification Number)
250
West 57th Street, Suite 415
New York ,
NY
10107
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(Zip
Code)
Issuer’s
telephone number: ( 646 ) 565-6940
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name
of each exchange on
which registered
Common
Stock, par value $0.0001 per share
LACQ
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants
to purchase one share of Common Stock
LACQW
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Units,
each consisting of one share of Common Stock and one-half of one Warrant
LACQU
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No
☒
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes
☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports),
and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant
to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that
the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated
filer ☒
Accelerated
filer ☐
Smaller
reporting company ☒
Emerging
growth company ☒
If
an emerging growth company indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒ No ☐
The
aggregate market value of the common stock outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the
registrant, computed by reference to the closing price for the common stock as of the last business day of the registrant’s
most recently completed second fiscal quarter, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market, was approximately $ 3.7 million.
As
of March 15, 2021, there were 6,224,268 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the registrant issued and outstanding.
Explanatory
Note
Leisure
Acquisition Corp. (the “Company,” “we”, “our” or “us”) is filing this Annual Report on
Form 10-K/A (Amendment No. 1), or this Amendment, to amend our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2020,
originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC”) on March 15, 2021, or the “Original Filing,”
to restate our financial statements (i) as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, as of December 5, 2017; as of
and for the period ended September 11, 2017 (inception) to December 31, 2017; and as of and for the periods ended March 31, 2018, June
30, 2018, September 30, 2018, March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019, September 30, 2019, March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020
(collectively, the Original Financial Statements”) in the accompanying financial statements included in this Annual Report
Restatement
Background
On
April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued
a public statement (the “Public Statement”) on accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special
purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”). The Public Statement discussed “certain features of warrants issued
in SPAC transactions” that “may be common across many entities.” The Public Statement indicated that when one
or more of such features is included in a warrant, the warrant “should be classified as a liability measured at fair value,
with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.”
The
restatement primarily relates to consideration of the factors in determining whether to classify contracts that may be settled in an
entity’s own stock as equity of the entity or as an asset or liability in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)
815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity . In the Original Financial Statements, the Company
classified the private placement warrants issued in connection with the Company’s initial public offering and its working capital
warrants issued on conversion of its convertible promissory notes (collectively, the “private warrants”) as components
of equity. In addition, the Company did not account for its convertible promissory notes as a derivative liability (together with the
private placement warrants and working capital warrants, the “Derivative Instruments”). Upon further consideration
of the rules and guidance, the Company’s audit committee, after consultation with management of the Company concluded that the
Derivative Instruments are precluded from equity classification, but that the Company’s public warrants issued in the Company’s
initial public offering (“Public Warrants’) could continue to be classified as equity. As a result, the Derivative Instruments
should be recorded as liabilities on the balance sheet and measured at fair value at inception and on a recurring basis in accordance
with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations.
As
a result, on May 13, 2021, after consultation with Marcum LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the
Company’s audit committee concluded that the Original Financial Statements should no longer be relied upon and are to be restated
in order to correct the classification error. This Amendment includes the restated audited financial statements for the relevant periods.
The
change in the Company’s accounting to treat its outstanding private warrants and its convertible promissory notes as derivative
liabilities did not have any effect on the Company’s previously reported investments held in trust, cash flows or cash.
The
Company has not amended its Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2017, its Annual Reports on Form 10-K or its Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and for the periods affected by the restatement. The financial information that has been previously filed
or otherwise reported for these periods is superseded by the information in this Amendment, and the financial statements and related
financial information contained in such previously filed reports should no longer be relied upon.
The
restatement is more fully described in Note 2 of the notes to the financial statements included herein.
Except
as described above, this Amendment does not amend, update or change any other items or disclosures contained in the Original Filing,
and accordingly, this Amendment does not reflect or purport to reflect any information or events occurring after the original
filing date or modify or update those disclosures affected by subsequent events. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in
conjunction with the Original Filing and the Company’s other filings with the SEC. Capitalized terms used but not defined
herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Original Filing.
This
Amendment reflects the correction of the errors identified in light of the Public Statement, subsequent to the filing of the Original
Financial Statements (see Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and Note 2 of the notes to the financial
statements included herein for more details on the impact of the restatement errors on our financial statements).
Internal
Control and Disclosure Controls Considerations
In
connection with this restatement, the Company’s management has concluded that in light of the classification error described
above, a material weakness exists in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and that the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
Items
Amended In This Amendment
For
the convenience of the reader, this Annual Report Form 10-K/A sets forth the Original Filing in its entirety, as amended to reflect
the restatement. No attempt has been made in this Form 10-K/A to update other disclosures presented in the Original Filing, except
as required to reflect the effects of the restatement. The following items have been amended as a result of the restatement:
●
Part
I – Item 1A. Risk Factors.
●
Part
II – Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
●
Part
II – Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
●
Part
II – Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
●
Part
IV – Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
This
Amendment does not reflect adjustments for events occurring after March 15, 2021, the date of the filing of the Original Filing,
except to the extent they are otherwise required to be included and discussed herein and did not substantively modify or update
the disclosures herein other than as required to reflect the adjustments described above. This Amendment should be read in conjunction
with the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC since the date of filing of the Original Filing and all
of the Company’s filings after the date hereof.
The
Company is also filing a Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm as Exhibit 23.1.
In
addition, as required by Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, new certifications by the Company’s
principal executive officer and principal financial officer are filed as exhibits (in Exhibits 31.1 and 32.1) to this Amendment
under Item 15 of Part IV hereof.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
PART I
1
Item
1.
Business
1
Item
1A.
Risk Factors
18
Item
1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
45
Item
2.
Properties
45
Item
3
Legal Proceedings
45
Item
4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
45
PART II
46
Item
5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
46
Item
6.
Selected Financial Data
46
Item
7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
47
Item
7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
53
Item
8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
53
Item
9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
53
Item
9A.
Controls and Procedures
53
Item
9B.
Other Information
54
PART III
55
Item
10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
55
Item
11.
Executive Compensation
63
Item
12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
64
Item
13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
65
Item
14.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
68
PART
IV
Item
15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
68
Item
16.
Form 10-K Summary
70
Signatures
71
i
Unless
otherwise stated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”), references to:
●
“we,”
“us,” “company”, “our company” or LACQ are to Leisure Acquisition Corp.;
●
“public
shares” are to shares of our common stock sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were
purchased in such offering or thereafter in the open market);
●
“public
stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and members of our management
team to the extent our initial stockholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided, that each
initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” shall only
exist with respect to such public shares;
●
“management”
or our “management team” are to our executive officers and directors;
●
“Hydra
sponsor” are to Hydra Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, an affiliate of A. Lorne Weil, our Executive
Chairman;
●
“Matthews
Lane sponsor” are to Matthews Lane Capital Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, an affiliate of Daniel
B. Silvers, our Chief Executive Officer;
●
“sponsors”
are to our Hydra sponsor and our Matthews Lane sponsor, collectively;
●
“strategic
investor” or “HG Vora” means HG Vora Capital Management LLC on behalf of one or more funds or accounts managed
by it;
●
“initial
stockholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering;
●
“founders
shares” are to shares of our common stock initially purchased by our initial stockholders in a private placement prior
to our initial public offering;
●
“private
placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to certain of our initial stockholders in a private placement simultaneously
with the closing of our initial public offering; and
●
“private
placement units” are to the units our strategic investor has agreed to purchase on substantially the same terms as the
sale of units in our Initial Public Offering at $10.00 per unit, to occur concurrently with the consummation of our Business
Combination.
●
“working
capital warrants” are to the (i) warrants issued to the sponsors and strategic investor to purchase shares of our common
stock in exchange for previously outstanding loans under the Expense Advancement Agreement dated December 1, 2017 among LACQ,
the sponsors and the strategic investor, as amended, and (ii) warrants issued to GTWY Holdings Limited to purchase shares
of our common stock issued in exchange for previously outstanding loans under the Expense Advancement Agreement dated December
5, 2019 between LACQ and Gateway Holdings Limited.
ii
CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
Report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the
use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,”
“expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,”
“projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative
or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations.
Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other
Business Combination and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based
on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not
limited to:
●
our
ability to complete our proposed Business Combination with Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. (“Ensysce”);
●
the
success of Ensysce’s business, including its ability to successfully develop its product candidates if our proposed
Business Combination with Ensysce is consummated;
●
our
success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, officers and key employees of Ensysce or our directors following
our Business Combination;
●
our
officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business
or in approving our Business Combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;
●
our
potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our Business Combination, if necessary, and to obtain additional
financing to fund Ensysce’s operations and research and development if our proposed Business Combination with Ensysce
is consummated;
●
failure
to maintain the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, Nasdaq or an inability to have our securities listed
on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange following our Business Combination;
●
our
public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
●
the
lack of a market for our securities;
●
the
use of proceeds not held in the Trust Account or available to us from interest income on the Trust Account balance;
●
the
Trust Account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
●
our
financial performance.
The
forward-looking statements contained in this Report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments
and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking
statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and other assumptions that may cause
actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors”
in this Report. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect,
actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except
as may be required under applicable securities laws. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” may not
be exhaustive.
By
their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances
that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate
may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this Report. In addition,
even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are
consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Report, those results or developments may not be indicative of
results or developments in subsequent periods.
iii
PART
I
Item
1. Business
Introduction
We
are a blank check company incorporated on September 11, 2017 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting
a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar Business Combination with one or
more businesses (a “Business Combination”). We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to
date. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting solely of cash and/or cash equivalents.
On
January 31, 2021, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among us, Ensysce,
and EB Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of LACQ (“Merger Sub”), relating to a
proposed business combination transaction between our company and Ensysce (the transactions contemplated thereunder referred to
as the “Transactions”). Ensysce is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company with innovative solutions for severe pain
relief while reducing the fear of and the potential for addiction, opioid misuse, abuse and overdose. Ensysce has also incorporated
a 79.2%-owned subsidiary, Covistat Inc. (“Covistat”), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company that is developing a
compound utilized in Ensysce’s overdose protection program for the treatment of COVID-19. The Transactions are described
in more detail under the section “Our Proposed Business Combination with Ensysce” below.
Consummation
of the Transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement is subject to customary conditions of the respective parties, including
the approval of the Business Combination by our stockholders.
The
Merger Agreement and related agreements are further described in the Form 8-K filed by us on February 2, 2021. For additional
information regarding the Merger Agreement and the Transactions, see the Registration Statement on Form S-4 , as may be
amended from time to time, and the Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, each when filed by us with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Because
the period of time we have to complete our Business Combination (the “Combination Period”) will expire on June 30,
2021, it is likely that, if the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce is not consummated, we will not be able to seek another
Business Combination and we will be required to liquidate. See “Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Business
Combination.”
In
addition, we received a notice from Nasdaq as to our continued listing on Nasdaq due, in part, to our not meeting the requirement
that a special purpose acquisition company complete one or more business combinations within 36 months of the effectiveness of
its registration statement. We were granted an extension, subject to certain milestones, through June 1, 2021 for completion of
a business combination and we could be delisted from Nasdaq if we do not complete a business combination by that date. See “ Item
1A. Risk Factors — The Nasdaq may not continue to list our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to make
transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions” .
Other
than as specifically discussed, this report does not assume the closing of the Business Combination.
Background
On
December 5, 2017, we consummated our initial public offering of 20,000,000 units (“Units”), with each unit consisting
of one share of our common stock, and one-half (1/2) of one warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share
of common stock at a price of $11.50. Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we consummated a private
placement of 6,825,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant to affiliates of our sponsors, our strategic
investor and certain members of our management team (the “Concurrent Private Placement”), which generated gross proceeds
of $6,825,000.
Immediately
following the closing of our initial public offering and the Concurrent Private Placement, $200,000,000 of the gross proceeds
from the initial public offering and the Concurrent Private Placement was deposited in a U.S.-based Trust Account (the “Trust
Account”) with Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company acting as trustee (the “Trustee”). Since the completion
of the initial public offering, our activity has been limited to the evaluation of business combination candidates and seeking
to complete an initial business combination.
1
In
connection with special stockholders meetings at which the completion window was extended, an aggregate of 18,775,732 public shares
were redeemed for cash from the trust account, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $196.4 million. As of December
31, 2020, there was approximately $12,628,170 held in the trust account.
Our
charter, as amended, currently provides that it will have until June 30, 2021 to complete a business combination.
Our
Units, Common Stock and Warrants are listed on Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “LACQU,” “LACQ,”
and “LACQW,” respectively.
Our
Proposed Business Combination with Ensysce
Ensysce
is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company with innovative solutions for severe pain relief while reducing the fear of and the
potential for addiction, opioid misuse, abuse and overdose. Ensysce has also incorporated a 79.2%-owned subsidiary, Covistat,
a clinical stage pharmaceutical company that is developing a compound utilized in Ensysce’s overdose protection program
for the treatment of COVID-19.
On
January 31, 2021, we entered into the Merger Agreement with Merger Sub, our wholly-owned subsidiary, and Ensysce, providing for,
among other things, and subject to the terms and conditions therein, a business combination between Ensysce and LACQ pursuant
to the proposed merger of Merger Sub with and into Ensysce, with Ensysce continuing as the surviving entity providing for, subject
to the terms of the Merger Agreement, total Merger consideration of no more than (i) 17,500,000 shares of our common stock (includes
shares issuable on conversion of the Ensysce convertible notes (other than up to $5,000,000 of newly issued Ensysce convertible
notes (which are convertible notes issued after the date of the Merger Agreement) and the shares underlying the Ensysce options
and Ensysce warrants) plus (ii) up to 500,000 shares of our common stock issuable in respect of the newly issued Ensysce Convertible
Notes.
At
the reference price of $10.00 per share of LACQ common stock, the total Merger consideration of 17,051,830 shares of LACQ common
stock (based on the number of shares of Ensysce common stock outstanding at January 31, 2021) (excluding the shares underlying
outstanding options and warrants of Ensysce which will be automatically converted into options and warrants to acquire shares
of LACQ common stock at closing of the business combination and excluding up to 500,000 shares of LACQ common stock which may
be issuable with respect to the newly issued Ensysce convertible notes would have a value of $170,518,300.
In
connection with the Merger Agreement, officers and directors of Ensysce entered Lock-up Agreements pursuant to which they have
agreed not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of shares of LACQ common stock they hold or receive for certain time
periods specified therein.
Further,
we and sponsors entered into a Warrant Surrender Agreement pursuant to which each of the Hydra sponsor and the Matthews Lane sponsor
agreed to irrevocably forfeit and surrender 250,000 LACQ warrants immediately prior to, and contingent upon, the closing of the
Merger Agreement.
The
Company is incurring significant costs in the pursuit of its acquisition plans. LACQ may be required to seek additional resources
in the future to fund general corporate purposes. LACQ cannot assure you that its plans to complete the Transactions will be successful.
Our
Acquisition Process
In
evaluating a prospective target business, our process involves conducting a thorough due diligence review that encompasses, among
other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, as well as a review of financial, operational,
legal and other information made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience. In connection
with the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce, our officers and directors primary industry experience relates to the leisure
sector and they do not have experience with companies in the biotechnology sector
2
We
are not prohibited from pursuing a business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsors, strategic investor,
officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsors,
strategic investor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent
investment banking firm that is a member of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or an independent accounting firm
that our Business Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members
of our management team and our independent directors directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants
and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business
with which to effectuate our Business Combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest
with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors
was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our Business Combination.
Each
of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations
to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity.
Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an
entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or
contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity and not to us. 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 Business Combination.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered
to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director
or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise
be reasonable for us to pursue.
In
addition to the above, our executive officers, including our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer, have certain
duties to Inspired Entertainment, Inc. (“Inspired”), a global gaming technology company, including but not limited
to fiduciary and/or contractual duties. As a result, our executive officers will have certain duties to offer acquisition opportunities
to Inspired before we can pursue such opportunities. However, we do not expect these duties to present a significant conflict
of interest with our search for a Business Combination. In addition, our executive officers are not required to commit any specified
amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business
activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, our executive
officers have time and attention requirements with respect to their duties to Inspired.
Our
officers and directors have agreed not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank
check company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our Business Combination or we have failed to complete
our Business Combination within the required timeframe.
Business
Combination
The
Nasdaq rules require that our Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate
fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and
taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the Business Combination.
If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain
an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect
to the satisfaction of such criteria.
3
We
anticipate structuring our Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares
will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our
Business Combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the
target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we
will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting
securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register
as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of
the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest
in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the Business Combination transaction.
For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding
capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the
issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our Business Combination could own less
than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our Business Combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or
assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business
or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the Business Combination
involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses
and we will treat the target businesses together as the Business Combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder
approval, as applicable.
Our
Management Team
Members
of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much
of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our Business Combination. The amount of time that
any member of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected
for our Business Combination and the current stage of the Business Combination process.
Status
as a Public Company
We
believe our structure makes us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company,
we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination.
In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of
our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs
of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses
will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering.
In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts
that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a Business Combination with us.
Furthermore,
once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial
public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions,
which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe
the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent
with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new
customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We
are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”). We will remain an emerging growth
company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the IPO Closing Date,
(b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated
filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June
30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year
period.
4
Contingent
Forward Purchase Contract
On
December 1, 2017, our strategic investor entered into a Contingent Forward Purchase Contract with us to purchase, in a private
placement for gross proceeds of approximately $62,500,000 to occur concurrently with the consummation of the business combination,
6,250,000 units on substantially the same terms as the sale of units in our initial public offering at $10.00 per unit. The Contingent
Forward Purchase Contract was waived by our strategic investor in the connection with the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce.
Effecting
our Business Combination
General
We
are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate
our Business Combination using cash held in the Trust Account from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering. We may also use
our capital stock, debt or a combination of these to provide capital in connection with our Business Combination. We may seek
to complete our Business Combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development
or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If
our Business Combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the Trust Account
are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our Business Combination or used for redemptions of purchases of
our common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the Trust Account, for general corporate purposes,
including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due
on indebtedness incurred in completing our Business Combination or for working capital.
We
may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of
our Business Combination.
Subject
to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion
of our Business Combination. In the case of any financing in connection with closing of a Business Combination funded our tender
offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the Business Combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if
required by law, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds
privately or through loans in connection with our Business Combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or
understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Sources
of Target Businesses
We
are not prohibited from pursuing our Business Combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsors, strategic investor,
officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsors, strategic
investor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our Business Combination with a target that is affiliated with
our sponsors, strategic investor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion
from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such an initial Business
Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other
context.
If
any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of
any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such
Business Combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such Business Combination opportunity to us. Our officers
and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties
to us. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity that is suitable for one of these
entities to which he has a fiduciary or contractual obligation, he will honor such obligation to present such opportunity to such
entity rather than to us. Our directors and officers will only have an obligation to present an opportunity to us if such opportunity
is expressly offered to such person solely in his capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one
we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
5
Selection
of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
The
Nasdaq rules require that our Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate
fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and
taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the Business Combination.
The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally
accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board is
not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from
an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the
satisfaction of such criteria. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying
and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our Business Combination
with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In
any case, we will only complete a Business Combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities
of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an
investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of
a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction
company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test.
To
the extent we effect our Business Combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages
of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will
endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain
or assess all significant risk factors.
In
evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which will encompass, among other
things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection
of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
The
time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our Business Combination, and the costs associated
with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification
and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our Business Combination is not ultimately completed will result in
our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another Business Combination.
Lack
of Business Diversification
For
an indefinite period of time after the completion of our Business Combination, the prospects for our success will depend entirely
on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete Business Combinations
with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations
and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our Business Combination with only a single entity,
our lack of diversification may:
●
subject
us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact
on the particular industry in which we operate after our Business Combination; and
●
cause
us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
6
Limited
Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although
as part of our process in reviewing potential Business Combinations, including the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce,
we scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our Business Combination
with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future
management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future
role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it
is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our Business Combination,
it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our Business Combination. Moreover,
we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations
of the particular target business and, in connection with the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce, our officers and directors
do not have experience in connection with the biotechnology sector.
We
cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company.
The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our
initial Business Combination.
Following
a Business Combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business.
We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite
skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders
May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Combination
We
may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder
approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business
or other legal reasons. In connection with the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce, we have determined to seek stockholder
approval and stockholder approval would be required to comply with Nasdaq rules. Our initial stockholders and their respective
affiliates, including the sponsors and the strategic investor and directors and officers, have agreed to vote in favor of the
Business Combination and have sufficient votes to approve the Business Combination without the vote of other stockholders. Presented
in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial Business Combinations we may consider and whether stockholder
approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
Type
of Transaction
Whether
Stockholder
Approval is Required
Purchase
of assets
No
Purchase
of stock of target not involving a merger with the company
No
Merger
of target into a subsidiary of the company
No
Merger
of the company with a target
Yes
7
Under
Nasdaq’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our Business Combination if, for example:
●
we
issue shares of common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our common stock then outstanding;
●
any
of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such
persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired
or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding common shares
or voting power of 5% or more; or
●
the
issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.
Permitted
Purchases of our Securities
In
the event we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our Business
Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsors, strategic investor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates
may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of
our Business Combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have
not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. They will not make any such purchases when they are in possession
of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the
Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder
of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. We have adopted
an insider trading policy which requires insiders to: refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when
they are in possession of any material nonpublic information and to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution.
We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent
upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our
insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In
the event that our sponsors, strategic investor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately
negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders
would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases,
if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction
subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases
that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The
purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood
of obtaining stockholder approval of the Business Combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target
that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our Business Combination, where it
appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our Business Combination that may
not otherwise have been possible.
In
addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial
holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading
of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our
sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with
whom our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either
the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing
of proxy materials in connection with our Business Combination. To the extent that our sponsors, strategic investor, officers,
directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling
stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the Trust Account or vote against
the Business Combination. Our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase
shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
8
Any
purchases by our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under
Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule
10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule
10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser.
Our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases
would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
None
of the funds in the Trust Account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions.
Redemption
Rights for Public Stockholders Upon Completion of our Business Combination
We
will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the
completion of our Business Combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in
the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination including interest earned on the
funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number
of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount initially held in the Trust Account
was $10.00 per public share and is expected to increase to the extent that interest accrues in the Trust Account. The per-share
amount we will distribute to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting
commissions we will pay to the underwriters.
Manner
of Conducting Redemptions
We
will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the
completion of our Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination
or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination
or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the
timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law
or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval
while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding
common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. If we
structure a Business Combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not
have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions
without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock
exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
If
a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will,
pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
●
conduct
the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
●
file
tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our Business Combination which contain substantially the same financial
and other information about the Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the
Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon
the public announcement of our Business Combination, we or our sponsors will terminate any plan established in accordance with
Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender
offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
9
In
the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business
days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our Business Combination
until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not
tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsors or strategic investor, which number
will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to
be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible
asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our Business Combination. If public stockholders
tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the Business Combination.
If,
however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain
stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
●
conduct
the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, which regulates
the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
●
file
proxy materials with the SEC.
In
the event that we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection
therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the Business Combination.
If
we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common
stock voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person
or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding
shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum
and have agreed, after approval of our board, to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our
Initial Public Offering in favor of our Business Combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding
shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our Business Combination once a quorum is obtained.
There are currently 6,224,268 shares of our common stock outstanding so at least 3,112,135 shares must be voted in favor to pass
the Transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Our Board, officers and other initial stockholders and their respective
affiliates (including the Sponsors and Strategic Investor) own of record and are entitled to vote an aggregate of 6,000,000 shares
and have agreed to vote in favor of Transaction so no additional public shares are required to be voted in favor of the Transactions
for it to be approved. We intend to give not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days prior written notice of any such meeting,
if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our Business Combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting
agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our Business Combination. Each public
stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. Our
initial stockholders and their respective affiliates, including the sponsors and the strategic investor and directors and officers,
have agreed to vote in favor of the Business Combination and have sufficient votes to approve the Business Combination without
the vote of other stockholders
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that
would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock”
rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our Business
Combination. For example, the proposed Business Combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its
owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention
of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed Business Combination. In the event the aggregate
cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any
amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount
of cash available to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of common stock submitted
for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
10
Limitation
on Redemption Upon Completion of our Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with
our Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that
a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting
in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption
rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in our Initial Public Offering, which we refer to as the
“Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares,
and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed Business Combination
as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or
on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold
in our Initial Public Offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased
by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’
ability to redeem no more than 20% of the shares sold in our Initial Public Offering, we believe we will limit the ability of
a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our Business Combination, particularly
in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth
or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares
(including Excess Shares) for or against our Business Combination.
Tendering
Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We
may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their
shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in
the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal
to approve the Business Combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent
electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option.
The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our
Business Combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly,
a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period,
or up to two days prior to the vote on the Business Combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its
shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for
stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There
is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering
them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker
whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not
we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of
exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The
foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection
with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote
on a Business Combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy
card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved,
the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As
a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which
he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he
or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation.
As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would
become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered
its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s
election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
11
Any
request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials
or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share
delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable
date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically
or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their
shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our business combination.
If
our Business Combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their
redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the Trust Account. In such
case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public stockholders who elected to redeem their shares.
If
our initial proposed Business Combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a Business Combination with a different
target during the Combination Period.
Redemption
of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our
sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors have agreed that we will have to complete our Business Combination during
the Combination Period. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination within such period, we will: (i) cease all operations
except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter,
redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account
including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income
taxes (less up to $75,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which
redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further
liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption,
subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case
to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will
be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete
our Business Combination during the Combination Period.
Our
initial stockholders have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating
distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our Business Combination
during the Combination Period. However, our initial stockholders will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust
Account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period.
Our
sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us, that they will
not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of
our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period,
unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such
amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including
interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes
divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would
cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock”
rules). Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation such an amendment would need to be approved by holders
of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon.
We
expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors,
will be funded from amounts held outside the Trust Account ($49,202 as of December 31, 2020), or through advances available for
drawdown from our sponsors and strategic investor under our Expense Advancement Agreement ($75,000 as of December 31, 2020), although
we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover
the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued
in the Trust Account not required to pay franchise and income taxes on interest income earned on the Trust Account balance, we
may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $75,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and
expenses.
12
If
we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement, other than the
proceeds deposited in the Trust Account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the Trust Account, the per-share
redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the Trust
Account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors that would have higher priority than the claims of our public
stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially
less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid
in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be
paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such
amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although
we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other
entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to
any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute
such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account
including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims
challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets,
including the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies
held in the Trust Account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into
an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement
would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third
party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills
are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or
in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver.
In
addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of,
or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for
any reason. Each sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us, jointly and severally, if and to the extent any claims by a
vendor (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business
with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i)
$10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation
of the Trust Account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net, of the amount of interest which may be
withdrawn to pay our franchise and income tax obligations, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any
and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our
Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed
waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsors will not be responsible to the extent of any liability
for such third party claims We have not independently verified whether each sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity
obligations and believe that our sponsors’ only substantive assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our
sponsors to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsors would be able to satisfy
those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for our
Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able
to complete our Business Combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of
your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation,
claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
13
In
the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per
public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, due to reductions in value of the
trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income tax obligations
and each sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations
related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsors to
enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our
behalf against our sponsors to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in
exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent
directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome
is not likely. We have not asked our sponsors to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our
sponsors would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual
value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.
We
will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsors will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring
to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities
with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held
in the Trust Account. Our sponsors will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our Initial
Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2020, we have
approximately $49,000 available to us outside the Trust Account with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and
expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $75,000). In the event
that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders
who received funds from our Trust Account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
Under
the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received
by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption
of our public shares in the event we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period may be considered
a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of
the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during
which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any
claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability
of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share
of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third
anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore,
if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in
the event we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period, is not considered a liquidating distribution
under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute
of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years,
as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period,
we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than
ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then
on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to
us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $75,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of
then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders
(including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors,
dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the
requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible
following the Combination Period and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could
potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders
may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
14
Because
we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us
at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against
us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations
will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors
(such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained
in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective
target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or
claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made
against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the Trust
Account is remote. Further, our sponsors may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the Trust Account
are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of
the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount
of interest withdrawn to pay our franchise and income tax obligations and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity
of the underwriters of our Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsors will not be responsible
to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
If
we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held
in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to
the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the
Trust Account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we
file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions
received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential
transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received
by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have
acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from
the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us
for these reasons.
Our
public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only in the event of the redemption of our public
shares if we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period or if they redeem their respective shares
for cash upon the completion of the Business Combination. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest
of any kind to or in the Trust Account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our Business Combination,
a stockholder’s voting in connection with the Business Combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming
its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the Trust Account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption
rights described above.
Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to our Initial Public
Offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our Business Combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-Business Combination activity, we will
provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our
initial stockholders have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection
with the completion of our Business Combination. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides,
among other things, that:
●
prior
to the consummation of our Business Combination, we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination
at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote
for or against the proposed Business Combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in our
Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public stockholders with
the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote)
for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in our Trust Account, including interest
(which interest shall be net of taxes payable) in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
15
●
we
will consummate our Business Combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation
and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor
of the Business Combination;
●
if
our Business Combination is not consummated during the Combination Period, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute
all amounts in our Trust Account; and
●
prior
to our Business Combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to
(i) receive funds from our Trust Account or (ii) vote on any Business Combination.
These
provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock. In the event we seek stockholder approval
in connection with our Business Combination, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may consummate
our Business Combination only if approved by a majority of the shares of Capital Stock voted by our stockholders voting at a duly
held stockholders meeting.
Competition
In
identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our Business Combination, we may encounter intense competition from
other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged
buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive
experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors
possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will
be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition
of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption
rights may reduce the resources available to us for our Business Commination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution
they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at
a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a Business Combination.
If
we succeed in effecting our Business Combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the
target business. Subsequent to our Business Combination, we may not have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
Employees
We
currently have four officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters
but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our Business Combination.
The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected
for our Business Combination and the current stage of the Business Combination process.
Periodic
Reporting and Financial Information
Our
Units, Common Stock and Warrants are registered under the Exchange Act and as a result we have reporting obligations, including
the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. Such reports and other information filed by the
Company with the SEC are available free of charge through the Investors link on our website at www.leisureacq.com and on the SEC’s
website at www.sec.gov. The contents of these websites are not incorporated into this filing. Further, our references to the website
URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.
16
We
are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As
such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other
public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply
with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive
compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory
vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors
find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of
our securities may be more volatile.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended
transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards.
In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards
would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We
will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary
of the IPO Closing Date, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed
to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million
as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the
prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it
in the JOBS Act.
Additionally,
we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may
take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial
statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of
our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (ii)
our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of common stock held by non-affiliates
exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
We
will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials
or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these
financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America (“GAAP”) or international financing reporting standards (“IFRS”) as promulgated
by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) depending on the circumstances and the historical financial
statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
States) (“PCAOB”). We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition
candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or IFRS or that the potential target business will be
able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with GAAP or IFRS. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we
may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we
do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We
are required to evaluate our internal control procedures beginning with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 as required by
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. As long as we maintain our status as an “emerging growth company,” we will not be required
to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial
reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly
burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our business combination
may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. A target company’s
ability to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
17
Item
1A. Risk Factors
You
should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this Report, including the financial
statements. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially
and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your
investment. The risk factors described below are not necessarily exhaustive and you are encouraged to perform your own investigation
with respect to us and our business. For more detailed risk factors related to Ensysce and the Transactions, see the Registration
Statement on Schedule S-4 to be filed by the Company subsequent to the filing of this Form 10-K.
Summary
Risk Factors
You
should carefully consider the risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors below, including, but not limited to
the following:
●
We
are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability
to achieve our business objective and since the completion of the initial public offering, our activity has been limited to
the evaluation of business combination candidates and seeking to complete an initial business combination.
●
Nasdaq
may delist us if we fail to meet the requirements of a Nasdaq order relating to timing relating to our proposed Business Combination
with Ensysce or fail to meet other listing criteria either before or after the closing of the Merger, if the Merger is consummated.
●
The
proposed business combination with Ensysce is subject to certain conditions and there can be no assurance that it will close.
●
Ensysce’s
business is subject to the risk that its success is dependent on its ability to develop and commercialize its lead product
candidates and other risks commonly associated with biotechnology companies and there can be no assurance that it will be
successful.
●
LACQ’s
officers’ and directors’ primary industry experience relates to the leisure sector and they do not have experience
with companies in the biotechnology sector.
●
Past
performance our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment
in us.
●
While
our proposed Business Combination will be submitted to a vote of the stockholders, our initial stockholders and their respective
affiliates, including the sponsors and the strategic investor and directors and officers, have agreed to vote in favor of
the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce and have sufficient votes to approve the Business Combination without the vote
of other stockholders.
●
Your
only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise
of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
●
The
ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential
business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
●
The
ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow
us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
●
The
requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses
leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on
potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability
to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
18
●
Our
search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may
be materially adversely affected by COVID-19 outbreak or any future pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.
●
If
we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their
affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may reduce the public “float”
of our Class A common stock.
●
If
a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination
or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
●
You
will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate
your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
●
You
will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
●
If
third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption
amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
●
If
we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive
only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, and our warrants
will expire worthless.
●
We
may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be
affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
Risks
Related to our Status as a Blank Check Company and our Nasdaq Listing
We
are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to
achieve our business objective.
We
are a blank check company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until completing a Business Combination.
Because we have no operating history and have no operating results, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve
our business objective of completing our Business Combination with one or more target businesses. We may be unable to complete
a Business Combination. If we fail to complete a Business Combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
The
Nasdaq may not continue to list our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities
and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
The
LACQ common stock and Public Warrants are currently listed on the Nasdaq and LACQ expects to apply to continue to be listed on
the Nasdaq upon consummation of the business combination.
19
On
November 30, 2020, LACQ received a notice (the “Nasdaq Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of the
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) stating that LACQ was not in compliance with Listing Rule IM-5101-2 (the “Rule”),
which requires that a special purpose acquisition company complete one or more business combinations within 36 months of the effectiveness
of the registration statement filed in connection with its initial public offering. Since LACQ’s registration statement
became effective on December 1, 2017, it was required to complete an initial business combination by no later than December 1,
2020. The Rule also provides that failure to comply with this requirement will result in the Listing Qualifications Department
issuing a Staff Delisting Determination under Rule 5810 to delist LACQ’s securities. In addition, the Nasdaq Notice stated
that LACQ was not in compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum publicly held shares requirement under Listing Rule 5550(a)(4), which
requires a listed company’s primary equity security to maintain a minimum of 500,000 publicly held shares. The Listing Qualifications
Department advised LACQ that its securities would be subject to delisting unless LACQ timely requested a hearing before an independent
Hearings Panel (the “Nasdaq Panel”). Following a hearing on LACQ’s appeal, the Nasdaq panel granted LACQ’s
request for continued listing through June 1, 2021 on the condition that (i) on or before January 31, 2021, LACQ will have executed
a definitive merger agreement; (ii) on or before March 15, 2021 (which had been extended by Nasdaq from March 1, 2021), LACQ will
file a joint proxy/registration statement on Form S-4; (iii) on or before May 28, 2021, LACQ will obtain stockholder approval
for the merger; and (iv) on or before June 1, 2021, LACQ will complete the merger and evidence compliance with all initial listing
standards as required under Nasdaq’s listing qualifications rules. In addition, LACQ will need to comply with and continue
to maintain compliance with the requirement as to number of public stockholders. LACQ is not currently in compliance with the
listing condition.
There
can be no assurance that LACQ will be able to obtain an additional extension from Nasdaq with respect to the conditions in Nasdaq’s
grant of the appeal, meet the continued listing standards on the closing date of the business combination, or comply with the
continued listing standards of Nasdaq following the business combination. If Nasdaq delists the LACQ common stock and/or Public
Warrants from trading on its exchange for failure to meet the listing standards either prior to or after the closing date of the
business combination, LACQ’s securityholders could face significant material adverse consequences including:
●
a
limited availability of market quotations for LACQ’s securities;
●
reduced
liquidity for LACQ’s securities;
●
a
determination that the LACQ common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in such securities
to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market
for LACQ’s securities;
●
a
limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
●
a
decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
Risks
Related to our Proposed Business Combination with Ensysce
There
is no assurance when or even if the Merger will be completed. Failure to obtain required approvals necessary to satisfy closing
conditions may delay or prevent completion of the Merger.
Completion
of the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions. There can be no assurance that we and Ensysce
will be able to satisfy the closing conditions or that closing conditions beyond their control will be satisfied or waived. If
the Merger is not completed, it is most likely that we will not be able to complete a Business Combination before the expiration
of the Combination Period and we will be required to liquidate.
LACQ
will be unable to close the Transactions if the redemptions of public shares result in its Tangible Net Assets being less than
$5,000,001 unless it is able to obtain sufficient equity financing.
LACQ’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except
that in no event will LACQ redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its Net Tangible Assets to be less than $5,000,001
(such that LACQ is not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement
which may be contained in the agreement relating to an initial business combination. It is also a condition to closing under the
Merger Agreement that, among other things, following payment to all stockholders who have exercised their redemption rights (and
after giving effect to the payment of expenses related to the
Transactions that are to be paid at or after Closing (provided that LACQ can pay such expenses in equity securities and
not cash)) and LACQ having cash of at least $5,000,000. If redemptions by LACQ’s public stockholders cause LACQ to be unable
to meet this closing condition, then Ensysce will not be required to consummate the business combination, although they may, in
their sole discretion, waive this condition. In the event that Ensysce waives this condition, LACQ does not intend to seek additional
stockholder approval or to extend the time period in which its public stockholders can exercise their redemption rights. In no
event, however, will LACQ close the Transactions if redemptions of public shares would cause LACQ’s Net Tangible Assets
to be less than $5,000,001. If redemptions exceed this level, we will not be able to close the Transactions unless we are able
to obtain a sufficient amount of equity financing to meet the Net Tangible Asset test. There can be no assurance that we will
be able to do so.
20
Even
if the Business Combination closes, there can be no assurance that the combined company will be successful and we and our stockholders
will realize the benefits of the Business Combination.
The
realization of the benefits in connection with the Business Combination will depend on Ensysce’s success in operating our
business after completion of the Merger and developing and commercializing its product candidates, which will be subject to risks,
which will be addressed in more detail in the Form S-4 to be filed by us in in connection with the business combination, including
the following:
●
Ensysce
is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. Ensysce has not yet demonstrated an ability to
generate revenues, obtain regulatory approvals, engage in clinical development beyond Phase 1 trials, manufacture any product
on a commercial scale or arrange for a third party to do so on Ensysce’s behalf or enter into licensing arrangements
to commercialize a product, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization.
●
Ensysce
has invested a significant portion of its efforts and financial resources in the research and development of its lead product
candidate, and expects to continue to do so. Ensysce’s ability to generate revenues from the sale of abuse-deterrent
opioid products, which may not occur at a significant level for several years, if at all, will depend heavily on the successful
development, regulatory approval and eventual commercialization of this lead product candidate, as well as other product candidates
it may develop.
●
Ensysce’s
operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. Ensysce expects to continue to spend substantial amounts
to continue the clinical and preclinical development of Ensysce’s product candidates. Accordingly, Ensysce will need
to raise additional capital to complete its currently planned clinical trials and any future clinical trials and to further
develop and commercialize its products.
●
Ensysce’s
business will be subject to the risks commonly associated with research and development of pharmaceutical products, including
risks related to:
o
Ensysce’s
lead product candidates may not be successful in limiting or impeding abuse, overdose or misuse or provide additional safety
upon commercialization;
o
Ensysce
may experience failure or delay in completing clinical development;
o
Ensysce’s
product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory
approval;
o
Ensysce
might not be able to obtain regulatory approval for its product candidates;
o
Ensysce’s
clinical trials may fail to replicate positive results from earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted by Ensysce
or third parties; and
o
Ensysce
may face issues in connection with its patent or its patents may not provide sufficient protection for its products.
The
Business Combination with Ensysce is outside of LACQ’s original investment strategy.
LACQ
was organized as a blank check company to identify and build a company in the leisure sector that would complement and benefit
from LACQ’s management teams experience in this sector. LACQ’s officers and directors have substantial experience
in evaluation the operating and financial merits of companies from a wide range of industries, but do not have experience with
companies in the biotechnology sector. While we believe that proposed Business Combination with Ensysce is in the best interests
of LACQ, there can be no assurance that the review of the proposed Business Combination with Ensysce ,
a biotechnology company developing a pharmaceutical product, and the ability to identify the potential benefits and risks associated
with Ensysce ’s business, was not affected by this proposed target being outside of the
LACQ management team’s and the LACQ board’s primary area of expertise.
21
Our
management will not maintain control of Ensysce after our Business Combination, if the Business Combination is consummated.
Our
stockholders prior to the Business Combination will collectively own a minority interest in the post Business Combination company,
if the Business Combination is consummated. Accordingly, our management will not maintain our control of the target business.
We cannot provide assurance that new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate
such business.
Risks
Related to Searching for and Consummating a Business Combination
Our
public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed Business Combination, which means we may complete
our Business Combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We
may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our Business Combination unless the Business Combination would require stockholder
approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or
other legal reasons. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting
but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares
to a target business as consideration in our Business Combination. Therefore, if the structure of our Business Combination involved
the issuance of more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such Business Combination. However,
except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or
will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be
based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise
require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our Business Combination even if holders of a majority of
our public shares do not approve of the Business Combination we complete. Please refer to “Item 1. Business – Stockholders
May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Business Combination” for additional information.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination, after approval of our board, our initial stockholders have agreed to
vote in favor of such Business Combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Unlike
many other blank check companies in which the initial stockholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority
of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with a Business Combination, after approval of our board, our initial
stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after our Initial Public
Offering, in favor of our Business Combination. Our initial stockholders own shares representing approximately 96.4% (as of December
31, 2020) of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination,
it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial stockholders
agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your
only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential Business Combination will be limited to the exercise
of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the business combination.
Since
our board of directors may complete a Business Combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have
the right or opportunity to vote on the Business Combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not
seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential Business Combination
may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth
in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our Business Combination. Even if we seek
stockholder approval, our initial stockholders and their respective affiliates, including the sponsors and the strategic investor
and directors and officers, have agreed to vote in favor of the Business Combination and have sufficient votes to approve the
Business Combination without the vote of other stockholders.
22
The
ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential
Business Combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a Business Combination with a target.
We
may seek to enter into a Business Combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition
that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights,
we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the Business Combination.
Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than
$5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or
cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our Business Combination. Consequently, if accepting all
properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary
to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related Business Combination
and may instead search for an alternate Business Combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may
be reluctant to enter into a Business Combination transaction with us.
The
ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us
to complete the most desirable Business Combination or optimize our capital structure.
At
the time we enter into an agreement for our Business Combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption
rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be
submitted for redemption. If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account
to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the
cash in the Trust Account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of
shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater
portion of the cash in the Trust Account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve
dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit
our ability to complete the most desirable Business Combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount
of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in
connection with a Business Combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption
rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held
by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The
ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the
probability that our Business Combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem
your stock.
If
our Business Combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or
requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing (as is the case of the Merger Agreement with Ensysce), the probability
that our Business Combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our Business Combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive
your pro rata portion of the Trust Account until we liquidate the Trust Account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you
could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount
per share in the Trust Account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of
funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
23
The
requirement that we complete our Business Combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage
over us in negotiating a Business Combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential Business Combination
targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our Business Combination on terms
that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any
potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a Business Combination will be aware that we must complete
our Business Combination during the Combination Period. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating
a Business Combination, knowing that if we do not complete our Business Combination with that particular target business, we may
be unable to complete our Business Combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe
described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our Business Combination on
terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We
may not be able to complete our Business Combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations
except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders
may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our
sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our Business Combination during the Combination
Period. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our Business Combination within such time period. If
we have not completed our Business Combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose
of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares,
at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned
on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $75,000
of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely
extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions,
if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval
of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under
Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders
may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may
receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against
us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be
less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination, our sponsors, strategic investor, directors, officers, advisors and
their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed Business Combination
and reduce the public “float” of our common stock.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our Business Combination
pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsors, strategic investor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase
shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our Business
Combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such
stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not
to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsors, strategic investor, directors, officers, advisors or their
affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise
their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The
purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood
of obtaining stockholder approval of the Business Combination, or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target
that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it
appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our Business Combination that may
not otherwise have been possible.
In
addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common stock and the number of beneficial holders
of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our
securities on a national securities exchange.
24
If
a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our Business Combination, or
fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We
will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our Business
Combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as
applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents
or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our Business Combination
will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example,
we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their
shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in
the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal
to approve the Business Combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent
electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
See “Item 1. Business – Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights”
for additional information.
If
the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement not being held in the Trust Account are insufficient,
it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our Business Combination
and we may be required to depend on the availability of loans from our sponsors, management team or strategic investor to fund
our search for a Business Combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our Business Combination. If we are
unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our Business Combination.
If
the funds available to us outside the Trust Account are not sufficient to fund our working capital requirements, we may be required
to borrow funds from our sponsors, management team, strategic investor or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate.
Other than working capital loans of $1,460,000 which have been received through March 10, 2021 ($1,000,000 of which was converted
into working capital warrants), none of our sponsors or strategic investor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates
is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such loans and advances would be repaid only from funds
held outside the Trust Account or from funds released to us upon completion of our Business Combination. We do not expect to seek
loans from parties other than our sponsors or strategic investor or an affiliate of our sponsors or strategic investor as we do
not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to
funds in our Trust Account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our Business Combination. If
we are unable to complete our Business Combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced
to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00
per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our
franchise and income taxes (less up to $75,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) on our redemption of our public shares,
and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share
on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust
Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share”
and other risk factors below.
We
may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our Business Combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target
business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular Business Combination.
Although
we believe that the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and Concurrent Private Placement, as well as the private placement
made by our strategic investor, will be sufficient to allow us to complete our Business Combination, such aggregate net proceeds
may not be sufficient to meet the capital requirements for our Business Combination. If the net proceeds of the Initial Public
Offering and Concurrent Private Placement prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our Business Combination, the
depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number
of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our Business Combination or the terms of negotiated transactions
to purchase shares in connection with our Business Combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon
the proposed Business Combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all.
To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our Business Combination, we would be
compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular Business Combination and seek an alternative target
business candidate. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately
$10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to
pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $75,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) on the liquidation of our Trust
Account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our Business
Combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional
financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business.
25
None
of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our Business
Combination. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00
per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Risks
Related to Our Securities
You
will not have any rights or interests in funds from the Trust Account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate
your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our
public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion
of a Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to
amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100%
of our public shares if we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period and (iii) the redemption of
our public shares if we are unable to complete a Business Combination during the Combination Period, subject to applicable law
and as further described herein. In addition, if we are unable to complete a Business Combination during the Combination Period
for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders
for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our Trust Account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced
to wait beyond during the Combination Period before they receive funds from our Trust Account. In no other circumstances will
a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you
may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
You
will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Because
we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 and timely filed a Current Report on Form 8-K after the IPO Closing Date,
including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect stockholders
in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, stockholders are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules.
Among other things, this means our Units were immediately tradable at the IPO Closing Date and we will have a longer period of
time to complete our Business Combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if we were subject to Rule 419, that
rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the Trust Account to us unless and until the funds in
the Trust Account were released to us in connection with our completion of a Business Combination.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules,
and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our common stock, you will lose the
ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 20% of our common stock.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our Business Combination
pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder,
together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group”
(as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than
an aggregate of 20% of the public shares sold in the IPO, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, this
does not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our Business
Combination. The inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce a stockholder’s influence over our ability to complete
our Business Combination and could result in a stockholder suffering a material loss on investment if the stockholder sells Excess
Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, redemption distributions will not be made with respect to the Excess Shares
if we complete our Business Combination. As a result, such stockholder would continue to hold the Excess Shares and, in order
to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell such stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
26
Because
of our limited resources and the significant competition for Business Combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for
us to complete our Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders may receive
only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances,
and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors
(which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international,
competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have
extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing
services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry
knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors.
While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public
Offering and the Concurrent Private Placement, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses
that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage
in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of
common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our Business Combination, target companies will be aware
that this may reduce the resources available to us for our Business Combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage
in successfully negotiating a Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders
may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption
amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
If
the net proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and Concurrent Private Placement not being held in the Trust Account are insufficient
to allow us to operate during the Combination Period, we may be unable to complete our Business Combination, in which case our
public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will
expire worthless.
As
of December 31, 2020, we have $49,202 available to us outside the Trust Account to fund our working capital requirements. The
funds available to us outside of the Trust Account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate during the Combination Period
assuming that our Business Combination is not completed during that time. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion
of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. If we are unable to
complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation
of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less
than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in
the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share”
and other risk factors below.
27
If
third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount
received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our
placing of funds in the Trust Account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to
have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with
which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held
in the Trust Account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they
execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account, including, but not limited to,
fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability
of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in
the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account,
our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third
party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more
beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples
of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party
consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants
that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver.
In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of,
or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for
any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our Business Combination within the prescribed
timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our Business Combination, we will be required to provide
for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption.
Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than $10.00 per share (plus any pro
rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income
taxes) , due to claims of such creditors. Each sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us, jointly and severally, if and
to the extent any claims by a vendor (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to
us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of
funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust
Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case
net, of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income tax obligations. This liability will not apply with
respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except
as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third
party, then our sponsors will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently
verified whether each sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsors’ only
substantive assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsors to reserve for such indemnification obligations.
Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsors would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims
were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for our Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced
to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our Business Combination, and you would receive
such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify
us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our
directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsors, resulting in a reduction in the amount of
funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In
the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser
amount per share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value
of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income tax obligations,
and each sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to
a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsors to enforce their
indemnification obligations.
28
While
we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsors to enforce their
indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose
not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to
the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors
choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to
our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If,
after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and
our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If,
after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under
applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.”
As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors
may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself
and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If,
before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over
the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with
our liquidation may be reduced.
If,
before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable
bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the
claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the Trust Account, the per-share amount that would otherwise
be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If
we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance
requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.
If
we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
●
restrictions
on the nature of our investments; and
●
restrictions
on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our Business Combination.
In
addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
●
registration
as an investment company;
●
adoption
of a specific form of corporate structure; and
●
reporting,
record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
In
order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we
must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our
activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting
more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business
will be to identify and complete a Business Combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for
the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to
buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
29
We
do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds
held in the Trust Account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section
2(a) (16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions
under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment
of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long
term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid
being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. The Trust Account is intended
as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is
a Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend
our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our
public shares if we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period; or (iii) absent a Business Combination,
our return of the funds held in the Trust Account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If
we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed
to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses
for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a Business Combination. If we are unable to complete
our Business Combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust
Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes
in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and
results of operations.
We
are subject to laws, regulations and rules enacted by national, regional and local governments and Nasdaq. In particular, we will
be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements or regulations. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable
laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application
may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results
of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a
material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our
stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption
of their shares.
Under
the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received
by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption
of our public shares in the event we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period may be considered
a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the
DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during
which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any
claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability
of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share
of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third
anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following
during the Combination Period in the event we do not complete our Business Combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply
with the foregoing procedures.
30
Because
we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us
at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against
us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company,
and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise
would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution
complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited
to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability
of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly
assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. Further, stockholders will not know at the time of dissolution the
scope of potential claims against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions
received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore,
if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in
the event we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period is not considered a liquidating distribution
under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute
of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years,
as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We
are not registering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities
laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such
investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We
are not registering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities
laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to file a registration
statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable
upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change
in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by
reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.
However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders
seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the
securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above,
if our common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies
the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require
holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9)
of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement,
but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent
an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation
in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable
state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not
so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise
such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part
of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of common stock included in the units.
If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify
the underlying shares of common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
31
The
grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders may make it more difficult to complete our Business Combination, and
the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Pursuant
to an agreement entered into on the IPO Closing Date, our initial stockholders and our strategic investor and their permitted
transferees can demand that we register their founder shares, the shares issuable pursuant to the contingent forward purchase
contract, the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants pursuant to the contingent forward purchase contract,
the private placement warrants and the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants held by
them and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such warrants
or the common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. In addition, given that the lock-up period on the founder shares
is potentially shorter than most other blank check companies, these shares may become registered and available for sale sooner
than founder shares in such other companies. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability
of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of
our common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our Business Combination more costly or difficult
to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity
or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our common stock that is expected when
the securities owned by our initial stockholders or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees
are registered.
We
do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to
complete a Business Combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no
event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such
that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement
which may be contained in the agreement relating to our Business Combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our Business
Combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed
their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our Business Combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with
our Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares
to our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration
we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required
to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available
to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption
will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate Business Combination.
The
exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in many similar blank check company offerings in the past, and, accordingly,
the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The
exercise price of the public warrants is higher than is typical in many similar blank check companies in the past. Historically,
the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The
exercise price for our public warrants is $11.50 per share. As a result, the warrants are less likely to ever be in the money
and more likely to expire worthless.
In
order to effectuate our Business Combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing
instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our Business Combination but that our stockholders may not
support.
In
order to effectuate a Business Combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their
charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of Business Combination,
increased redemption thresholds and changed industry focus. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or
governing instruments in order to effectuate our Business Combination.
32
The
provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-Business Combination activity (and
corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account) may be amended with the approval
of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It
may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate
the completion of a Business Combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Some
other blank check companies have a provision in their charter that prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including
those which relate to a company’s pre-Business Combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s
stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s
public stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-Business
Combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the Concurrent Private
Placement into the Trust Account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights
to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote
thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account may be amended
if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to
applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially
own founder shares representing approximately 21% of our common stock, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result,
we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-Business
Combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a Business
Combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation.
Our
sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not
propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our
obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our Business Combination during the Combination Period, unless
we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment
at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, divided by the number
of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with initial
stockholders. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not
have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsors, strategic investor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements.
As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable
law.
Our
initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you
do not support.
As
of December 31, 2020, our initial stockholders own founder shares representing approximately 80.3% of our issued and outstanding
shares of common stock and our strategic investor owns an additional 1,000,000 public shares (which were acquired as part of units
purchased in our Initial Public Offering), representing aggregate ownership of 96.4% of the outstanding shares of common stock.
Accordingly, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in
a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of
major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the open market or
in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional
purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our common stock. In addition, because of their ownership
position, our initial stockholders will continue to have considerable influence on elections for our boards of directors and will
continue to exert control at least until the completion of our Business Combination.
33
We
may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50%
of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period
could be shortened and the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all
without your approval.
Our
warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant
agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder
to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then
outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we
may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding
public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of
at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other
things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common
stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We
may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants
worthless.
We
have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a
price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share
for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper
notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we
may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable
state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise
price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market
price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price of $0.01 per warrant
which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value
of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by their initial purchasers
or their permitted transferees.
Our
warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate
our Business Combination.
We
issued warrants to purchase 10,000,000 shares of our common stock as part of the units offered in our Initial Public Offering
and we issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 6,825,000 shares of common stock at $11.50 per share in the Concurrent Private
Placement. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 5,000,000 founder shares. In addition, our sponsors or strategic
investor made working capital loans in the aggregate amount of $1,460,000, as of March 10, 2021, of which $1,000,000 has been
converted to warrants and an additional $460,000 loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant at the
option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability
and exercise period. In addition, we issued to GTWY Holdings Limited warrants to purchase 566,288 shares of LACQ common stock
in exchange for previously outstanding loans under the GTWY Expense Advancement Agreement.
To
the extent we issue shares of common stock to effectuate a Business Combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial
number of additional shares of common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive
acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common
stock and reduce the value of the shares of common stock issued to complete the Business Combination. Therefore, our warrants
and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a Business Combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target
business.
The
private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in our Initial Public Offering except that,
so long as they are held by their initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii)
they (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be
transferred, assigned or sold by such purchasers until 30 days after the completion of our Business Combination, (iii) they may
be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) are subject to registration rights.
34
Because
each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of
other blank check companies.
Each
unit contains one-half of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole
number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours
whose units include one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components
of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a Business Combination since
the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant
to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless,
this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
Because
we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous
Business Combination with some prospective target businesses.
The
federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a Business Combination meeting certain financial
significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include
the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under
the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP
or IFRS depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with
the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire
because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in
accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our Business Combination within the prescribed time frame.
We
are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, as well as a smaller reporting company within the meaning
of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth
companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult
to compare our performance with other public companies.
We
are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may
take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are
not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements
of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports
and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and
stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access
to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances
could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700
million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following
December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions.
If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our
securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading
prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further,
Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial
accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared
effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised
financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and
comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We
have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has
different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard
at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another
public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended
transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
35
Additionally,
we qualify as a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies
may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited
financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market
value of common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or
(ii) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of common stock held by
non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage
of such reduced disclosure obligations, we may also make comparison of its financial statements with other public companies difficult
or impossible.
Certain
of our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our
financial results.
On
April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued
a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies
entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition
Companies (“SPACs”)” (the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on certain settlement
terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained
in the warrant agreement governing our warrants. As a result of the SEC Statement, we reevaluated the accounting treatment of
our 10,000,000 public warrants and 7,825,001 private warrants, and determined to classify the private warrants as derivative liabilities
measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.
As
a result, included on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 contained elsewhere in this Annual Report are derivative
liabilities related to embedded features contained within our private warrants. Accounting Standards Codification 815, Derivatives
and Hedging (“ASC 815”), provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet
date, with a resulting non-cash change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement
of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our consolidated financial statements and results of operations
would fluctuate quarterly, based on factors which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, this
would require us to recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains
or losses could be material. See “—While LACQ has determined that its public warrants should be classified as equity
and its private warrants will be treated as equity on a pro forma basis, due to the uncertainty with respect to classification
of warrants issued by SPACs as equity or indebtedness, there can be no assurance that future guidance might not require LACQ to
change its position and restate its financial statements and have other adverse consequences . ”
We
have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. If we are unable
to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report
our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect
our business and operating results.
Following
this issuance of the SEC Statement, on May 13, 2021, after consultation with our independent registered public accounting firm,
our management and our audit committee concluded that, in light of the SEC Statement, it was appropriate to restate our previously
issued audited financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020 (the “Restatement”). See “—Certain
of Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our
financial results.” As part of such process, we identified a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting.
A
material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there
is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented,
or detected and corrected on a timely basis.
Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. We continue to evaluate steps
to remediate the material weakness. These remediation measures may be time consuming and costly and there is no assurance that
these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.
If
we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to
prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or
interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding
timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence
in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to
date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
We
may face litigation and other risks as a result of the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.
Following
the issuance of the SEC Statement, after consultation with our independent registered public accounting firm, our management and
our audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate our previously issued audited financial statements as of December
31, 2020 and for the period from September 11, 2017 (inception) through December 31, 2020. See “—Certain of our warrants
are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.”
As part of the Restatement, we identified a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting.
As
a result of such material weakness, the Restatement, the change in accounting for the warrants, and other matters raised or that
may in the future be raised by the SEC, we face the potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others,
claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the Restatement and material
weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements. As of the date of
this Annual Report, we have no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute. However, we can provide no assurance that such litigation
or dispute will not arise in the future. Any such litigation or dispute, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or our ability to complete our proposed business combination
with Ensysce.
36
While
LACQ has determined that its public warrants should be classified as equity and its private warrants will be treated as equity on a pro
forma basis, due to the uncertainty with respect to classification of warrants issued by SPACs as equity or indebtedness, there can be
no assurance that future guidance might not require LACQ to change its position and restate its financial statements and have other adverse
consequences.
While
LACQ’s financial statements have been restated to classify its private warrants as liabilities, it has determined that it
is appropriate to continue to classify its public warrants as equity. LACQ reviewed the terms of the warrant agreement related
to its public warrants and concluded that they do not include any provision requiring the public warrants to be classified as
liabilities. In this respect, it should be noted that the warrant agreement includes a provision that in the event of a tender
or exchange offer made to and accepted by holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a single class of common shares,
all holders of the warrants could be entitled to receive cash for their warrants (the “tender offer provision”). This
tender offer provision is similar to one of the examples referred to in the SEC Statement as a basis for concluding that warrants
issued by a SPAC should be classified as liabilities and not equity. LACQ has concluded that, while the SEC Statement did not
expressly refer to a multi-class structure (such as a structure where a SPAC had two classes of common stock), the SEC Statement
with respect to a tender offer provision in a warrant agreement applied to a multi-class structure (such as a Class A and Class
B structure) and not a single class structure like LACQ’s. Certain other SPACs, including those with single class structures,
have taken different approaches in their recent public filings with the SEC and have classified similar warrants as liabilities.
LACQ
classified its private warrants as liabilities because they provide for potential changes to the settlement amounts dependent upon the
characteristics of the holder of the warrant (i.e., certain rights differ if the warrants are held by the original holder and its permitted
transferees or by a subsequent transferee). Prior to the closing of the business combination with Ensysce, LACQ intends to enter into
exchange agreements with the holders of its private warrants under which each holder will exchange its private warrants for warrants
on the same terms as the private warrants, except that they are non-transferable except to certain permitted transferees. (who under
the terms of the warrants have the same rights as the initial holder). LACQ believes that as a result of the exchange agreements
which LACQ intends to enter into, the private warrants would be appropriately classified as equity and not liabilities subsequent to
the date of such agreements.
The
classification of any of the warrants as a liability would reduce LACQ’s net tangible assets below $5,000,001, which could
prevent LACQ from redeeming any of the LACQ common stock under the provision in its charter that provides that LACQ shall not redeem
or repurchase any LACQ common stock to the extent that such redemption would result in LACQ’s failure to have net tangible
assets in excess of $5 million and would prevent LACQ from closing the transaction with Ensysce. However, LACQ believes that, as
result of the exchange agreements LACQ intends to enter into with the holders of the private warrants, it will have
net tangible assets in an amount exceeding $5 million at the time of the closing. In addition, If LACQ were required to treat any of
its warrants as liabilities, it would reduce its stockholders’ equity and could result in the LACQ shares not meeting the
continued or initial listing requirements of Nasdaq and could affect our ability to close the proposed transaction with Ensysce. See
“We could be delisted from Nasdaq and may become subject to “penny stock” rules, which could damage our reputation
and the ability of investors to sell their shares.”
The
accounting treatment of warrants issued by SPACs is subject to substantial uncertainty and there can be no assurance that, either
prior to or subsequent to the business combination, future guidance might not require LACQ to change its position and restate
its financial statements or treat its private warrants as liabilities on a pro forma basis, which could have a material adverse
effect on LACQ.
We
could be delisted from Nasdaq and may become subject to “penny stock” rules, which could damage our reputation and
the ability of investors to sell their shares and could affect our ability to close the proposed transaction with Ensysce.
The
closing of transaction with Ensysce is not conditioned on listing of the post-combination company on Nasdaq. As a result of the
treatment of the private warrants as liabilities, we do not satisfy the initial listing requirements, which we must meet upon
the closing of our business combination with Ensysce. If the LACQ common stock is delisted by Nasdaq, the LACQ common stock may
be eligible for quotation on an over-the-counter quotation system or on the pink sheets. While LACQ believes that the waiver by
the holders of its private warrants of their right to transfer the private warrants will result in the private warrants being
classified as equity on a pro forma basis and result in LACQ being in compliance with the Nasdaq’s minimum stockholders’
equity requirements, there can be no assurance that the LACQ common stock will be approved for listing on completion of the business
combination with Ensysce or maintain its listing on Nasdaq which could have a material adverse effect on LACQ..
Upon
any delisting, our common stock could become subject to the regulations of the SEC relating to the market for penny stocks. Penny
stocks are securities) with a price of less than $5.00 per share unless (i) the securities are traded on a “recognized”
national exchange or (ii) the issuer has net tangible assets less than $2,000,000 (if the issuer has been in continuous operation
for at least three years) or $5,000,000 (if in continuous operation for less than three years), or with average annual revenues
of less than $6,000,000 for the last three years.
The
procedures applicable to penny stocks requires a broker-dealer to (i) obtain from the investor information concerning his financial
situation, investment experience and investment objectives; (ii) reasonably determine, based on that information, that transactions
in penny stocks are suitable for the investor and that the investor has sufficient knowledge and experience as to be reasonably
capable of evaluating the risks of penny stock transactions; (iii) provide the investor with a written statement setting forth
the basis on which the broker-dealer made the determination in (ii) above; and (iv) receive a signed and dated copy of such statement
from the investor, confirming that it accurately reflects the investor’s financial situation, investment experience and
investment objectives. The regulations applicable to penny stocks may severely affect the market liquidity for our common stock
and could limit the ability of stockholders to sell the LACQ commons stock in the secondary market.
37
Compliance
obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our Business Combination, require substantial
financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls. As long as we maintain our status
as an “emerging growth company,” we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm
attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance
with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target
company with which we seek to complete our Business Combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Provisions
in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the
price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders
may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors
to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage
transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We
are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these
provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment
of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
If
we effect our Business Combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject
to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If
we effect our Business Combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject
to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
●
higher
costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal
requirements of overseas markets;
●
rules
and regulations regarding currency redemption;
●
complex
corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
●
laws
governing the manner in which future Business Combinations may be effected;
●
tariffs
and trade barriers;
●
regulations
related to customs and import/export matters;
●
longer
payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
38
●
tax
issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
●
currency
fluctuations and exchange controls;
●
rates
of inflation;
●
cultural
and language differences;
●
employment
regulations;
●
crime,
strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
●
deterioration
of political relations with the United States; and
●
government
appropriations of assets.
We
may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may
adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Risks
Related to the Company after a Business Combination
Subsequent
to the completion of our Business Combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment
or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock
price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even
if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will
surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all
material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our
control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure
our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully
identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with
our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and would not have an immediate impact on our liquidity,
unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with LACQ’s risk analysis.
Even though some of these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on LACQ’s liquidity, charges of
this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about LACQ or its securities. Accordingly, LACQ’s stockholders
following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares .
We
may issue additional common or preferred shares to complete our Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after
completion of our Business Combination, any one of which would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other
risks.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value
$0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of March 10, 2021, there were 75.4
million authorized but unissued shares of common stock available for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved
for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants, and there were no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
39
We
may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our Business Combination or under
an employee incentive plan after completion of our Business Combination. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides, among other things, that prior to our Business Combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that
would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the Trust Account or vote on any Business Combination. The issuance of
additional shares of common or preferred stock:
●
may
significantly dilute the equity interest of existing stockholders;
●
may
subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common
stock;
●
could
cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things,
our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present
officers and directors; and
●
may
adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, common stock and/or warrants.
Resources
could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts
to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders
may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our
Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements,
disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants,
attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific Business Combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the
proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business,
we may fail to complete our Business Combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event
will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate
and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination, our public stockholders may
receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a Business Combination, which may adversely
affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although
we have no commitments as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise
incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our Business Combination. We have agreed that we will
not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind
in or to the monies held in the Trust Account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption
from the Trust Account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
●
default
and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a Business Combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
●
acceleration
of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain
covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
●
our
immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
●
our
inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain
such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
●
our
inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
40
●
using
a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for
dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund
other general corporate purposes;
●
limitations
on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
●
increased
vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government
regulation;
●
limitations
on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and
execution of our strategy; and
●
other
disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We
may only be able to complete one Business Combination, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may
have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
We
may effectuate our Business Combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a
short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our Business Combination with more than one target business because
of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma
financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if
they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our Business Combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification
may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations
or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to
complete several Business Combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects
for our success may be:
●
solely
dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
●
dependent
upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This
lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may
have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our business combination.
We
may attempt to complete our Business Combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may
result in a Business Combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In
pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our Business Combination with a privately held company. Very little
public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue
a potential Business Combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a Business Combination with a company
that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Risks
Related to Our Sponsor, Management, Directors and Employees
We
are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our
operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors.
We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have completed
our Business Combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of
time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities,
including identifying potential Business Combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement
with, or key man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of
one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
41
Our
ability to successfully effect our Business Combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts
of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our Business Combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively
impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our
ability to successfully effect our Business Combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key
personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with
the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our Business Combination, it is likely that some or all
of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage
after our Business Combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These
individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have
to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In
addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our Business Combination. The departure
of a Business Combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination
business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our Business Combination cannot be
ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will
remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our Business Combination, it is possible that members of the management
of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations
and profitability of our post-combination business.
Past
performance by our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in our company.
Information
regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team, including Mr. Weil and Mr. Silvers is presented
for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team, including with respect to Mr. Weil’s involvement
with two successor entities of blank check companies, is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to locate a suitable
candidate for our Business Combination or (ii) of success with respect to any Business Combination we may consummate. You should
not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance as indicative of future performance.
We
may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our Business
Combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company,
which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
When
evaluating the desirability of effecting our Business Combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the
target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities
of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications
or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary
to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly,
any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of
their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
42
Our
officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination
as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete
our Business Combination.
Our
officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict
of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a Business Combination and their other businesses.
We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our Business Combination. Each of our officers is
engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not
obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers
or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote
substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote
time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our Business Combination.
Our
sponsors and our strategic investor, and their affiliates, have no obligation to provide us with potential investment opportunities
or to devote any specified amount of time or support to our company’s business.
Although
we expect to benefit from our sponsors’ and our strategic investor’s network of relationships and processes for sourcing,
evaluating and allocating investment opportunities among itself, us, and other parties, our sponsors and strategic investor have
no legal or contractual obligation to seek on our behalf or to present to us investment opportunities that might be suitable for
our business. Our sponsors and our strategic investor may allocate potential investments at their discretion to any of our sponsors,
the strategic investor, us, or other parties. We have no investment management, advisory, consulting or other agreement in place
with our sponsors or strategic investor that obligate any of them to undertake efforts on our behalf or that govern the manner
in which they will allocate investment opportunities. Even if our sponsors and our strategic investor refer an opportunity to
us, no assurance can be given that such opportunity will result in an acquisition agreement or a Business Combination.
Certain
of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business
activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their
time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until
we consummate our Business Combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses.
Our sponsors, strategic investor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are
engaged in a similar business. In addition, our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement,
not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company until we have entered
into a definitive agreement regarding our Business Combination or we have failed to complete our Business Combination during the
Combination Period.
Our
officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the
other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.
Accordingly,
they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These
conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation
to us. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for the waiver of any requirement to present
corporate opportunities to us to the extent it would conflict with competing duties owed to other entities. Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer
unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company
and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to
pursue.
Our
officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with
our interests.
We
have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct
or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which
we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated
with our sponsors, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits
any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons
or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
43
Our
Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer are parties to certain agreements that limit the types of companies that we can
target for a Business Combination, among other restrictions, which could limit our prospects for a Business Combination.
Each
of A. Lorne Weil, our Executive Chairman, and Daniel B. Silvers, our Chief Executive Officer, is party to an employment agreement
with Inspired. These employment agreements contain non-competition provisions that provide that neither Mr. Weil nor Mr. Silvers
shall directly or indirectly engage in any business which is directly competitive with any business conducted by Inspired and
its associated companies that it controls (collectively, the “Inspired Group”) during his employment, in any geographic
area in which such business was so conducted by the Inspired Group. These agreements are collectively referred to as the non-competition
agreements. In light of the non-competition agreements, we will not seek a Business Combination with any company with operations
in the businesses described above. In addition, if our Business Combination does not cause Mr. Weil or Mr. Silvers to violate
the non-competition agreements, no assurance can be given that the combined company would not in the future engage in competitive
activities which would cause Mr. Weil or Mr. Silvers to be in breach of the non-competition agreements. If a court were to conclude
that a violation of either or both of the non-competition agreements had occurred, it could extend the term of Mr. Weil’s
or Mr. Silvers’ non-competition restrictions and/or enjoin Mr. Weil or Mr. Silvers from participating in our company, or
enjoin us from engaging in aspects of the business which compete with Inspired Group, as applicable. The court could also impose
monetary damages against Mr. Weil or Mr. Silvers or us. This could materially harm our business and the trading prices of our
securities. Even if ultimately resolved in our favor, any litigation associated with the non-competition could be time consuming,
costly and distract management’s focus from locating suitable acquisition candidates and operating our business.
Our
Executive Chairman is party to a certain agreement that will limit his ability to solicit or hire employees of Inspired, which
could make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies.
In
the employment agreement entered into by A. Lorne Weil, our Executive Chairman, with Inspired, there are also provisions preventing
him from being able to directly or indirectly solicit or entice away or endeavor to solicit or entice away from the Inspired Group
for the purposes of employment or engagement of any person who on the date of the termination of Mr. Weil’s employment is
employed or engaged by the Inspired Group in a senior management capacity and with whom Mr. Weil worked closely during the period
of 12 months prior to the date of termination of Mr. Weil’s employment (whether or not such person would commit a breach
of his contract of employment by doing so). To the extent a target company may be interested in hiring personnel from the Inspired
Group, we might be a less attractive buyer as a result of the non-competition agreements.
We
may engage in a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated
with our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In
light of the involvement of our sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire
one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsors, strategic investor, officers or directors. Our directors also serve as officers
and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described in “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers
and Corporate Governance” herein. Such entities may compete with us for Business Combination opportunities. Although we
will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction
if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a Business Combination and such transaction was approved by
a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm
that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point
of view of a Business Combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors
or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the Business Combination may
not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
44
Since
our sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our Business Combination is
not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular Business Combination target is appropriate
for our Business Combination.
Our
initial stockholders hold in the aggregate 5,000,000 founder shares, representing 80.3% of the total outstanding shares as of
December 31, 2020. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete our Business Combination. In addition, affiliates
of our Hydra Sponsor and Matthews Lane Sponsor, our strategic investor and certain members of management hold an aggregate of
6,825,000 private placement warrants and an aggregate of 1,000,001 working capital warrants that will also be worthless if we
do not complete a Business Combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of
any proposed Business Combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a
proposed Business Combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsors, strategic investor, affiliates of our sponsors
or strategic investor or an officer or director, and we may pay our sponsors, strategic investor, officers, directors and any
of their respective affiliates’ fees and expenses in connection with identifying, investigating and consummating a Business
Combination.
The
personal and financial interests of our sponsors, strategic investor, their affiliates or our officers and directors may influence
their motivation in identifying and selecting a target Business Combination, completing a Business Combination and influencing
the operation of the business following the Business Combination. This risk may become more acute at the end of the Combination
Period.
Since
our sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors will not be eligible to be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses
from the funds held in the Trust Account if our Business Combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining
whether a particular Business Combination target is appropriate for our Business Combination.
At
the closing of our Business Combination, our sponsors, strategic investor, officers and directors, or any of their respective
affiliates, may 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 from the funds held in the Trust Account.
In the event our Business Combination is completed, there is no cap or ceiling on any such reimbursement from the funds held in
the Trust Account of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. However, our sponsors, strategic
investor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will not be eligible for any such reimbursement from the
funds held in the Trust Account if our Business Combination is not completed. These financial interests of our sponsors, strategic
investor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target Business Combination and
completing a Business Combination. As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate amount of unreimbursed expenses was approximately $10,000.
Item
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item
2. Properties
Our
executive office is located at 250 West 57 th Street, Suite 415, New York, NY 10107. Effective June 30, 2020, the Hydra
sponsor agreed to stop charging us the $10,000 monthly administrative fee that we had agreed to pay for office space, utilities
and general office, receptionist and secretarial and administrative support, following our initial public offering. We consider
our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item
3. Legal Proceedings
We
are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any material legal proceeding threatened
against us or any of our officers or directors in their corporate capacity.
Item
4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not
applicable.
45
PART
II
Item
5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market
Information
Our
units, common stock and warrants are traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “LACQU,” “LACQ”
and “LACQW,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on December 1, 2017, and our common stock and warrants
commenced public trading on December 28, 2017.
Holders
On
March 1, 2021, there was one holder of record of our units, 17 holders of record of shares of our common stock and nine holders
of record of our warrants. This number does not include beneficial owners whose units, shares and/or warrants were held in street
name (e.g., all of the public shares). The actual number of holders of our units, common stock and warrants is greater than this
number of record holders and includes holders who are beneficial owners, but whose securities are held in street name by brokers
or held by other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include holders whose securities may be held in trust
by other entities.
Dividends
We
have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and
general financial condition subsequent to completion of our Business Combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent
to our Business Combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors
is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we
incur any indebtedness in connection with our Business Combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive
covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Securities
Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings
On
December 5, 2017, we consummated our Initial Public Offering of 20,000,000 units, with each unit consisting of one share of our
common stock, and one-half (1/2) of one warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock
at a price of $11.50. The units in the Initial Public Offering were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating total
gross proceeds of $200,000,000. Morgan Stanley & Co., LLC acted as the book running manager and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. acted
as lead manager of the offering. The securities sold in the offering were registered under the Securities Act on registration
statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-221330). The SEC declared the registration statement effective on December 1, 2017.
We
paid a total of $4,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions and $548,735 for other costs and expenses related to the
Initial Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters agreed to defer $7,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions, and
up to this amount will be payable upon consummation of the Business Combination. After deducting the underwriting discounts and
commissions (excluding the deferred portion of $7,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions, which will be released from
the Trust Account upon consummation of the Business Combination, if consummated) and the estimated offering expenses, the total
net proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and the private placement was $202,276,265, of which $200,000,000 (or $10.00 per
unit sold in the Initial Public Offering) was placed in the Trust Account.
In
connection with special stockholders meetings at which the completion window for a Business Combination was extended, an aggregate
of 18,775,732 public shares were redeemed for cash from the trust account, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately
$196.4 million. As of December 31, 2020, there was approximately $12,628,170 held in the trust account. In addition, On January
31, 2021, the underwriters agreed to reduce the total deferred underwriting fee that is to be paid to such underwriters upon the
consummation of our Business Combination to $2,000,000, which have the right, under certain situations, to pay in the form of
our common stock.
There
has been no material change in the planned use of proceeds from our Initial Public Offering as described in our final prospectus
dated December 1, 2017 which was filed with the SEC.
Purchases
of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
Item
6. Selected Financial Data
Not
required for smaller reporting companies.
46
Item
7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The
following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction
with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements
and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis
set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We
are a blank check company incorporated on September 11, 2017 in Delaware and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital
stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or
more target businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering,
the sale of the Private Placement Warrants that occurred simultaneously with the completion of our Initial Public Offering, the
sale of the Private Placement Units under the Contingent Forward Purchase Contract, if any (which has been waived in connection
with the Business Combination with Ensysce), our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
We
are incurring significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business
Combination will be successful.
Recent
Developments
On
November 26, 2019, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders at which our stockholders approved extending our Combination
Period deadline from December 5, 2019 to April 5, 2020 (the “First Extension”). Our public stockholders were able
to elect to redeem their shares in connection with the First Extension for a pro rata portion of the amount then on deposit in
the Trust Account ($10.00 per share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously
released to us to pay franchise and income taxes). With respect to public shares not redeemed in connection with the Special Meeting,
we agreed to make Contributions of $0.03 for each public share that was not redeemed by stockholders for each of the four monthly
periods covered by the extension (commencing on December 6, 2019 through the end of the First Extension), subject to certain conditions.
The number of shares of redeemed by public stockholders in connection with the First Extension was 1,123,749 for an aggregate
cash redemption amount of $11,583,473.
On
December 5, 2019, the Company entered into the Expense Advancement Agreement with GTWY Holdings pursuant to which GTWY Holdings
committed to provide $566,288 to fund Contributions to the Trust Account, representing the amount needed to fund the first monthly
Contribution during the First Extension. The Company drew down the full amount under the Expense Advancement Agreement to fund
the required Contribution to the Trust Account for the period December 6, 2019 to January 5, 2020 by issuing an unsecured promissory
note to GTWY Holdings. The note does not bear interest. If we complete our initial business combination, the amount borrowed under
the Expense Advancement Agreement would be repaid out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to it. Otherwise, amounts
borrowed under the Expense Advancement Agreement would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. Amounts borrowed
pursuant to the Expense Advancement Agreement were deposited to the Trust Account on December 6, 2019. The note was converted
into warrants on January 31, 2021 at a price of $1.00 per warrant and subject to the same terms and conditions as our private
placement warrants.
On
January 6, 2020, the Company deposited $566,288 to the Trust Account to fund the required Contribution to the Trust Account for
the period January 6, 2020 to February 5, 2020.
On
January 15, 2020, we drew down $1,000,000 under the Expense Advancement Agreement with our sponsors and strategic investor dated
December 1, 2017 to fund general corporate purposes in exchange for issuing unsecured promissory notes. The holders had the option
to convert the promissory notes into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant subject to the same terms and conditions as private
placement warrants. The notes were converted into warrants on June 25, 2020. Notes issued under the Expense Advancement Agreement
do not bear interest. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay amounts borrowed under the Expense Advancement
Agreement out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to it; provided, however, that the sponsors and strategic investor
have the option to convert promissory notes into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant subject to the same terms and conditions
as our private placement warrants. Otherwise, amounts borrowed under the Expense Advancement Agreement would be repaid only out
of funds held outside the Trust Account. The expense advancement agreement was amended to increase the total amount of advances
available to us under the agreement by $125,000 on June 29, 2020 and by an additional $75,000 on October 26, 2020 and an additional
$100,000 on November 30, 2020, for a total of $300,000, of which we drew down $225,000 pursuant to promissory notes issued in
October and November 2020, with a resulting balance of $225,000 under the promissory notes as of December 31, 2020. On February
23, 2021, we entered into the Fourth Expense Advancement Amendment to the Expense Advancement Agreement to increase the total
amount of advances available to the Company under the agreement to $1,460,000. The November 2020 Promissory Notes were amended
and restated on February 24, 2021 in order to reflect the incremental increase of the total amount of advances available to the
Company thereunder to $460,000 from $300,000 and all of such increase was drawn on February 24, 2021.
47
On
each of February 4, 2020 and March 4, 2020, we deposited $566,288 into the Trust Account to fund the required Contribution to
the Trust Account for the remaining monthly periods covered by the Extension.
On
March 26, 2020, we held a special meeting pursuant to which our stockholders approved extending the Combination Period from April
5, 2020 to June 30, 2020 (the “Second Extension Date”). In connection with the approval of the extension, stockholders
elected to redeem an aggregate of 16,837,678 shares of our common stock. As a result, an aggregate of $176,283,492 (or approximately
$10.47 per share) was released from our Trust Account to pay such stockholders. Of the amount paid to redeeming stockholders,
$136,283,492 was paid as of March 31, 2020 and the balance of $40,000,000 was paid on April 1, 2020.
On
June 26, 2020, we held a special meeting pursuant to which our stockholders approved extending the Combination Period from June
30, 2020 to December 1, 2020 (the “Third Extension Date”). In connection with the approval of the extension, stockholders
elected to redeem an aggregate of 776,290 shares of our common stock. As a result, an aggregate of $8,099,292 (or approximately
$10.43 per share) was released from our Trust Account to pay such stockholders.
On
July 16, 2020, we elected to terminate the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated December 27, 2019 (the “GTWY Merger Agreement”),
with GTWY Holdings, and a related subsidiary, GTWY Merger Sub Corp. Pursuant to its terms, we had the ability to terminate the
GTWY Merger Agreement to the extent the business combination had not been completed by July 15, 2020.
On
November 24, 2020, our stockholders approved extending the Combination Period from December 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (the “Fourth
Extension Date”). In connection with the approval of the extension, stockholders elected to redeem an aggregate of 38,015
shares of the Company’s common stock. As a result, an aggregate of $393,380 (or approximately $10.34 per share) was released
from our Trust Account to pay such stockholders, and we have 6,224,268 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 15, 2021.
NASDAQ
Notice
On
November 30, 2020, we received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC stating that
we were not in compliance with Listing Rule IM-5101-2 (the “Rule”), which requires that a special purpose acquisition
company complete one or more business combinations within 36 months of the effectiveness of the registration statement filed in
connection with its initial public offering, and that we were also not in compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum publicly held
shares requirement under Listing Rule 5550(a)(4), which requires a listed company’s primary equity security to maintain
a minimum of 500,000 publicly held shares.
On
January 27, 2021, the Panel granted our request for continued listing of our equity securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant
to an extension, subject to certain milestones, through June 1, 2021. See “ Item 1A. Risk Factors — The Nasdaq may
not continue to list our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject
us to additional trading restrictions” .
Merger
Agreement
On
January 31, 2021, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Ensysce and Merger Sub, relating to a proposed business combination
transaction between us and Ensysce.
Pursuant
to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into Ensysce, with Ensysce surviving such merger as our wholly owned subsidiary
and the stockholders of Ensysce becoming our stockholders (the “Merger”).
48
Ensysce’s
issued and outstanding share of common stock as of immediately prior to the closing of the Merger (including shares issuable on
conversion of convertible notes of Ensysce) will, at the closing (the “Closing”) of the transactions contemplated
by the Merger Agreement (collectively, the “Transaction”), be canceled and converted into the right to receive our
common stock, calculated based on an exchange ratio of 0.06585 (the “Exchange Ratio”).
The
Transaction will be consummated subject to the deliverables and provisions as further described in the Merger Agreement.
We
are incurring significant costs in the pursuit of its acquisition plans. We may be required to seek additional resources in the
future to fund general corporate purposes and cannot assure you that our plans to complete the Transactions will be successful.
Restatement
and Revision of Previously Issued Financial Statements
This
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations has been amended and restated to give
effect to the restatement and revision of our Original Financial Statements. We are restating our historical financial results
to reclassify our Derivative Instruments as derivative liabilities pursuant to ASC 815-40. We have continued to classify our public
warrants as components of equity. The impact of the restatement is reflected in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below. Other than as disclosed in the Explanatory Note and with respect to the
impact of the restatement, no other information in this Item 7 has been amended and this Item 7 does not reflect any events occurring
after the Original Filing. The impact of the restatement is more fully described in Note 2 to our financial statements included
in Item 15 of Part IV of this Amendment and Item 9A: Controls and Procedures, both contained herein.
Results
of Operations
Our
only activities from inception through December 31, 2020 were organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for the
Initial Public Offering, identifying a target for our Business Combination and seeking to complete an initial business combination,
including activities in connection with the proposed acquisition of Ensysce and the announced and subsequently terminated acquisition
of GTWY Holdings. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination.
We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities. We are incurring expenses as a result
of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence and
transaction expenses in connection with completing a Business Combination.
For
year ended December 31, 2020, we had a net income of $4,310,769, which consists interest income on marketable securities held in the
Trust Account of $719,646, a non-cash change in the fair value of warrant liability of $1,906,250, change in value of conversion
option liability of $220,000, and the forgiveness of accounts payable of $3,298,207, offset by operating costs of $1,368,841 and a provision
for income taxes of $244,493 and the amortization of debt discount on convertible promissory note of $220,000.
For
the year ended December 31, 2019, we had net loss of $1,067,296, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in
the Trust Account of $4,249,828 offset by a non-cash change in fair value of warrant
liability of $1,433,250, operating costs of $3,328,674 and a provision for income taxes of $555,200.
For
the year ended December 31, 2018, we had net income of $2,053,783, which consists of interest income on marketable securities
held in the Trust Account of $3,626,792, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $68,250 and an unrealized
gain on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $8,397, offset by operating costs of $1,559,245, and a provision for income
taxes of $553,916. In addition, we received a $600,005 reimbursement of due diligence expenses that we incurred in connection with evaluating
a potential Business Combination that did not materialize.
For
the period from September 11, 2017 (inception) through December 31, 2017, we had a net loss of $1,123,193, which consists of operating
costs of $146,695, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $1,092,000, an unrealized loss on marketable securities
held in our Trust Account of $38,251 and a provision for income taxes of $3,635, offset by interest income on marketable securities held
in the Trust Account of $157,388.
For
the three months ended September 30, 2020, we had a net income of $4,209,573, which consists interest income on marketable securities
held in the Trust Account of $1,840 and a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of 3,990,750, offset by operating
costs of $287,254 and a benefit for income taxes of $504,237.
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we had a net income of $6,889,453, which consists of the forgiveness of previously recorded
professional fees of $3,298,207, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $4,410,250 and interest income on marketable
securities held in the Trust Account of $719,353, offset by operating costs of $1,274,109 and a provision for income taxes of $264,248.
For
the three months ended September 30, 2019, we had net income of $353,223, which consists of interest income on marketable securities
held in the Trust Account of $1,107,955, offset by a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of 136,500, unrealized
loss on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $19,496 and operating costs of $584,418 and a provision for income taxes of
$14,318.
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we had net income of $1,889,288, which consists of interest income on marketable securities
held in the Trust Account of $3,497,481, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $204,750 and an unrealized gain
on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $42,475, offset by operating costs of $1,399,530 and a provision for income taxes
of $455,888.
49
For
the three months ended September 30, 2018, we had net loss of $1,128,601, which consists
of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $969,387, offset by a
non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $1,706,250, operating costs of $848,192, a non-cash
change in fair value of marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $13,426 and a provision for income taxes of
$130,125. In addition, we received a $600,005 reimbursement of due diligence expenses that we incurred in connection with evaluating
a potential Business Combination that did not consummate.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, we
had a net loss of $239,175, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $2,515,625, offset
by operating costs of $1,329,864, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $1,638,000, an unrealized loss
on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $13,915 and a provision for income taxes of $373,026. In addition, we received
a $600,005 reimbursement of due diligence expenses that we incurred in connection with evaluating a potential Business Combination that
did not consummate.
For the three months ended June 30, 2020, we had
a net income of $887,162, which consists of the forgiveness of previously recorded professional fees of $3,298,207, a non-cash
change in fair value of the conversion liability of $230,000 and interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account
of $77,559, offset by a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $1,764,500, interest expense of $188,572, operating
costs of $71,672, and a provision for income taxes of $693,860.
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, we had a
net income of $2,679,880, which consists of the forgiveness of previously recorded professional fees of $3,298,207, a non-cash change
in fair value of warrant liability of $419,500 and interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $717,513,
offset by operating costs of $986,855 and a provision for income taxes of $768,485.
For the three months ended June 30, 2019, we had
net income of $418,902, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $1,209,556 and a non-cash
change in fair value of marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $62,498, offset by operating costs of $625,938 and a provision
for income taxes of $227,214.
For the six months ended June 30, 2019, we had net
income of $1,536,065, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $2,389,526, a non-cash
change in fair value of warrant liability of $341,250 and an non-cash change in fair value of marketable securities held in
our Trust Account of $61,971, offset by operating costs of $815,112 and a provision for income taxes of $441,570.
For the three months ended June 30, 2018, we had
net income of $142,110, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $855,071 and a non-cash
change in fair value of marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $1,363, offset by operating costs of $311,538, a non-cash
change in fair value of warrant liability of $273,000 and a provision for income taxes of $129,786.
For the six months ended June 30, 2018, we had net
income of $889,426, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $1,546,238 and a non-cash
change in fair value of warrant liability of $68,250, offset by operating costs of $481,672, an unrealized loss on marketable securities
held in our Trust Account of $489 and a provision for income taxes of $242,901.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2020, we had a net income of $1,792,718, which consists of interest income on marketable securities
held in the Trust Account of $639,954 and a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $2,184,000, offset by operating
costs of $915,183, interest expense of $31,428, loss on conversion liability of $10,000 and a provision for income taxes of $74,625.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2019, we had net income of $1,117,163, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held
in the Trust Account of $1,179,970 and a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $341.250, offset by operating costs
of $189,174, an unrealized loss on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $527 and a provision for income taxes of $214,356.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2018, we had net income of $747,316, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held
in the Trust Account of $691,167 and a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $341,250, offset by operating costs
of $170,134, an non-cash change in fair value of marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $1,852 and a provision for
income taxes of $113,115.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
As
of December 31, 2017, we had cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $200,119,137 (including approximately
$119,000 of interest income, net of unrealized losses). As of March 31, 2018, we had cash and marketable securities held in the
Trust Account of $200,747,032 (including approximately $747,000 of interest income, net of unrealized losses). As of June 30,
2018, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $201,331,632 (including approximately $1,332,000 of interest income,
net of unrealized losses). As of December 31, 2018, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $202,915,739 (including
approximately $2,916,000 of interest income and unrealized gains). As of March 31, 2019, we had marketable securities held in
the Trust Account of $203,943,978 (including approximately $3,944,000 of interest income, net of unrealized losses). As of June
30, 2019, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $204,888,032 (including approximately $4,888,000 of interest
income, net of unrealized losses). As of September 30, 2019, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $205,832,491
(including approximately $5,832,000 of interest income, net of unrealized losses). As of December 31, 2019, we had marketable
securities held in the Trust Account of $195,312,177 (including approximately $5,983,000 of interest income). As of March 31,
2020, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $61,327,451 (including $697,092 of interest income). As of June
30, 2020, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $13,225,718 (including $451,414 of interest income). As of
September 30, 2020, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $13,187,558 (including $413,254 of interest income).
As of December 31, 2020, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $12,628,170 (including approximately $239,000
of interest income) consisting of money market funds. Interest income on the Trust Account will be used by us to pay franchise
and income taxes. Through December 31, 2020, we withdrew $2,001,144 of interest earned on the Trust Account to pay franchise and
income taxes, of which $326,352 was withdrawn during the year ended December 31, 2020.
We
intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on
the Trust Account (less deferred underwriting commissions and interest income that is used to pay franchise and income taxes)
to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration
to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance
the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
As
of December 31, 2017, we had cash of $2,090,074 held outside the Trust Account. As of March 31, 2018, we had cash of $1,902,667
held outside the Trust Account. As of June 30, 2018, we had cash of $1,722,360 held outside the Trust Account. As of September
30, 2018, we had cash of $1,754,266 held outside the Trust Account. As of March 31, 2019, we had cash of $1,506,596 held outside
the Trust Account. As of June 30, 2019, we had cash of $1,402,157 held outside the Trust Account. As of September 30, 2019, we
had cash of $1,273,926 held outside the Trust Account. As of December 31, 2019, we had cash of $1,061,151 held outside the Trust
Account. As of March 31, 2020, we had cash of $167,951 held outside the Trust Account. As of June 30, 2020, we had cash of $123,883
held outside the Trust Account. As of September 30, 2020, we had cash of $53,492 held outside the Trust Account. As of December
31, 2020, we had cash of $49,202 held outside the Trust Account. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily
to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from
the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate
documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination,
and we have also used such funds to make Contributions to the Trust Account in connection with the First Extension (see “Recent
Developments” above).
50
For the year ended December 31, 2020, cash used in
operating activities was $864,439. Net income of $4,310,769 was impacted by interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust
Account of $719,646, the forgiveness of accounts payable in the amount of $3,298,207, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant
liabilities of $1,906,250, a change in value of conversion option liability of $220,000 and amortization of debt discount on convertible
promissory note of $220,000. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $748,895 of cash from operating activities.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, cash used in
operating activities was $1,424,792. Net loss of $1,067,296 was offset by interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust
Account of $4,249,828, a deferred tax benefit of $1,764 and a non-cash change in fair value of warrant
liabilities of $1,433,250. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $2,460,846 of cash from operating activities.
For the year ended December 31, 2018, cash used in
operating activities was $1,238,263. Net income of $2,053,783 was offset by interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust
Account of $3,626,792, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $68,250 an unrealized gain on marketable securities
held in our Trust Account of $8,397 and a deferred tax provision of $1,764. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $273,129
of cash from operating activities.
For the period September 11, 2017 (inception) through
December 31, 2017, cash used in operating activities was $251,831, consisting primarily of a net loss of $1,123,193, interest earned
on cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account and not available for operations of $157,388, offset by a non-cash change
in fair value of warrant liability of $1,092,000 and an unrealized loss on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $38,251.
Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $101,501 of cash from operating activities.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, cash
used in operating activities was $468,847. Net income of $6,889,453 includes interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust
Account of $719,353, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $4,410,250 and the forgiveness of previously recorded
professional fees in the amount of $3,298,207. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $1,069,510 of cash from operating
activities.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, cash
used in operating activities was $999,036. Net income of $1,889,288 was impacted by interest earned on marketable securities held in
the Trust Account of $3,497,481, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $204,750, a non-cash change in fair
value of marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $42,475 and a deferred tax provision of $7,156. Changes in operating
assets and liabilities provided $849,226 of cash from operating activities.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, cash
used in operating activities was $779,622. Net loss of $239,175 was mainly offset by interest earned on marketable securities held in
the Trust Account of $2,515,625, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $1,638,000 and an unrealized loss on
marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $13,915. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $323,263 of cash from
operating activities.
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, cash used
in operating activities was $358,456. Net income of $2,679,880 includes interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account
of $717,513, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $419,500 and the forgiveness of previously recorded professional
fees in the amount of $3,298,207. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $1,396,884 of cash from operating activities.
For the six months ended June 30, 2019, cash used
in operating activities was $726,805. Net income of $1,536,065 was impacted by interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust
Account of $2,389,526, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $341,250, an unrealized gain on marketable securities
held in our Trust Account of $61,971 and a deferred tax provision of $11,250. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $518,627
of cash from operating activities.
For the six months ended June 30, 2018, cash used
in operating activities was $668,968. Net income of $889,426 was mainly offset by interest earned on marketable securities held in the
Trust Account of $1,546,238, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $68,250 and an unrealized loss on marketable
securities held in our Trust Account of $489. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $55,605 of cash from operating activities.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2020, cash used in operating activities was $234,388. Net income of $1,792,718 includes interest earned
on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $639,954 and a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability of $2,184,000
offset by interest expense of $31,428 and a loss of conversion liability of $10,000. Changes in operating assets and liabilities
provided $755,420 of cash from operating activities.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2019, cash used in operating activities was $294,366. Net income of $1,117,163 was affected by interest
earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $1,179,970, a non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability
of $341,250, an unrealized loss on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $527 and a deferred tax provision of $1,874.
Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $111,038 of cash from operating activities.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2018, cash used in operating activities was $216,827, consisting primarily of interest earned on cash
and marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $691,167, offset by net income of $747,316, a non-cash change in fair value
of warrant liability of $341,250 and an unrealized loss on marketable securities held in our Trust Account of $1,852. Changes in
operating assets and liabilities provided $66,422 of cash from operating activities.
On
December 5, 2019, the Company entered into the Expense Advancement Agreement with GTWY Holdings pursuant to which GTWY Holdings
committed to provide $566,288 to fund Contributions to the Trust Account, representing the amount needed to fund the first monthly
Contribution during the First Extension. The Company drew down the full amount under the Expense Advancement Agreement to fund
the required Contribution to the Trust Account for the period December 6, 2019 to January 5, 2020 by issuing an unsecured promissory
note to GTWY Holdings (the “GTWY Promissory Note”). The GTWY Promissory Note does not bear interest. Amounts borrowed
pursuant to the Expense Advancement Agreement were deposited to the Trust Account on December 6, 2019. On January 31, 2021, we
entered into an amendment to the GTWY Promissory Note to permit conversion of all or a portion of the GTWY Promissory Note into
warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. In connection with such amendment, GTWY Holdings elected to convert the full principal
balance of the GTWY Promissory Note into 566,288 warrants.
On
December 1, 2017, HG Vora entered into a Contingent Forward Purchase Contract with us to purchase, in a private placement for
gross proceeds of $62,500,000 to occur concurrently with the consummation of our Business Combination, 6,250,000 Units on the
same terms as the sale of Units in the Initial Public Offering at $10.00 per unit. The funds from the sale of the Private Placement
Units may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the Business Combination; any excess funds from the Private Placement
Units may be used for working capital in the post-transaction company. This commitment is independent of the percentage of stockholders
electing to redeem their shares and provides us with an increased minimum funding level for the Business Combination. HG Vora’s
obligation to purchase our Units under the Contingent Forward Purchase contract is contingent upon, among other things, HG Vora
approving the Business Combination, which approval can be withheld for any reason. In connection with previously proposed business
combination transaction with GTWY Holdings, an amendment to the Contingent Forward Purchase Contract was effected on December
27, 2019 to provide that the Contingent Forward Purchase Contract would terminate as of, and contingent upon, the closing of the
transaction with GTWY Holdings such that the strategic investor would instead purchase 3,000,000 units of GTWY Holdings’
equity securities (with each unit consisting of one GTWY Holdings Share and one-half of one GTWY Holdings Warrant) for a purchase
price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, HG Vora waived its rights under the Contingent Forward Purchase Contract to purchase Private
Placement Units in connection with the proposed Merger with Ensysce.
In
order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Hydra Sponsor,
an affiliate of the Matthews Lane Sponsor and HG Vora (the “Funding Parties”) loaned an aggregate of $1,000,000 to
the Company, in accordance with unsecured promissory notes issued on January 15, 2020 to the Funding Parties, pursuant to an expense
advance agreement dated December 1, 2017 which were subsequently converted by the holders into warrants on June 25, 2020. The
expense advancement agreement was amended to increase the total amount of advances available to the Company under the agreement
by an additional $300,000 pursuant to amendments effected through November 30, 2020, of which the Company drew down an aggregate
of $225,000 through December 31, 2020. The agreement was further amended on February 23, 2021 to increase the total amount of
advances available to the Company by an additional $160,000 which was drawn down, on February 24, 2021, resulting in aggregate
loans outstanding of $460,000 at March 10, 2021. The Funding Parties may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company additional
funds from time to time or at any time, as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Under the expense advancement
agreement, Working Capital Loans would either be paid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the
holder’s discretion, could be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to
the Private Placement Warrants. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the
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. As of December 31, 2020, there were $225,000 amounts outstanding under the Working Capital
Loans (the $1,000,000 previously loaned by the Funding Parties having been converted into warrants on June 25, 2020).
51
As
of December 31, 2020, we had $49,202 in our operating bank accounts, $12,628,170 in securities held in the Trust Account to be
used for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its common stock in connection therewith and working capital deficit
of $127,869, which excludes $93,929 of prepaid income and franchise taxes.
We
will need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsors, HG Vora, stockholders, officers,
directors, or third parties. Our sponsors and HG Vora may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any
time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet our working capital needs. Accordingly, we may
not be able to obtain additional financing. If we are unable to raise additional capital, we may be required to take additional
measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the
pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. We cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be
available to us on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue
as a going concern through June 30, 2021, the date that we will be required to cease all operations, except for the purpose of
winding up, if a Business Combination is not consummated. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to
the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue
as a going concern.
Off-Balance
Sheet Financing Arrangements
We
have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2020.
We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often
referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet
arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities,
guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual
Obligations
As
of December 31, 2020, we do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities,
other than an agreement dated December 1, 2017 to pay our Hydra sponsor a monthly fee of up to $10,000 for office space, utilities
and secretarial and administrative support provided to us until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination and
our liquidation. We began incurring these fees on December 1, 2017. Effective September 30, 2020, Hydra Sponsor agreed to stop
charging the Company the monthly administrative fee and forgave the $71,000 outstanding balance due under the agreement.
The
underwriters are entitled to underwriting discounts and commissions of 5.5%, of which 2.0% ($4,000,000) was paid at the closing
of the Initial Public Offering, and 3.5% ($7,000,000) was deferred. The deferred discount will become payable to the underwriters
from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of
the underwriting agreement. The underwriters are not entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred discount. On November 23,
2020, the underwriters agreed to waive $250,000 of the deferred fee that is to be paid upon consummation of the Business Combination,
as a result of which $6,750,000 remained payable. On January 31, 2021, the underwriters agreed to reduce the total deferred underwriting
fee that is to be paid to such underwriters upon the consummation of our Business Combination to $2,000,000, which have the right,
under certain situations, to pay in the form of our common stock.
52
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses
during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical
accounting policies:
Derivative
Instruments
We
account for debt and equity issuances as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of
the instruments specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and
ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the instruments are freestanding financial
instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all
of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s
own common shares and whether the holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside
of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional
judgment, is conducted at the time of issuance of the instruments and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the
instruments are outstanding.
For
issued or modified instruments that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the instruments are required to be recorded as
a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified instruments that do not meet all the criteria
for equity classification, the instruments are required to be recorded as a liability at their initial fair value on the date
of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the instruments are recognized as a non-cash
gain or loss on the statements of operations.
Common
Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
We
account for our common stock subject to possible conversion in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification
(“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption
is classified as a liability instrument and measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock
that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence
of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified
as stockholders’ equity. Our common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control
and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at
redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets.
Net
Income (Loss) Per Common Share
We
apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Net income per common share, basic and diluted for redeemable common
stock is calculated by dividing the interest income earned on the Trust Account, net of applicable taxes, if any, by the weighted
average number of shares of redeemable common stock outstanding for the period. Net loss per common share, basic and diluted for
non-redeemable common stock is calculated by dividing net income less income attributable to redeemable common stock, by the weighted
average number of shares of non-redeemable common stock outstanding for the period presented.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
Management
does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have
a material effect on our financial statements.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Not
applicable for smaller reporting companies.
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
This
information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item
9A. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
Disclosure
controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed
in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures
designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated
and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure.
As
required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation
of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020. Based upon their
evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that due to a material weakness in internal control
over financial reporting, solely due to the events that led to the Company’s restatement of its financial statements to reclassify
the Company’s Derivative Instruments as described in the Explanatory Note to this Amendment, as of December 31, 2020, our disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective.
In
light of this material weakness, we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements
were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Accordingly, management believes that the financial
statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K/A present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results
of operations and cash flows for the period presented.
53
Management’s
Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
As
required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing
and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed
to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements
for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies
and procedures that:
(1)
pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions
of the assets of our company,
(2)
provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance
with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management
and directors, and
(3)
provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets
that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our
financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls
may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2020. 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 concluded that our internal
control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2020 due to a material weakness in our internal control
over financial reporting, described below. Notwithstanding this material weakness, management has concluded that our audited financial
statements included in this Amendment are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with GAAP for each of the periods
presented herein...
In
connection with the restatement described in “Note 2— Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements” to the
accompanying financial statements included in this Annual Report, management identified a material weakness in our internal control over
financial reporting related to the accounting for a significant and unusual transaction related to our Derivative Instruments. This material
weakness resulted in a material misstatement of our derivative liabilities, change in fair value of loss on derivative liabilities, additional
paid-in capital and retained earnings (accumulated deficit) as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, as of December
5, 2017; as of and for the period ended September 11, 2017 (inception) to December 31, 2017; and as of and for the periods ended
March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018, September 30, 2018, March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019, September 30, 2019, March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and
September 30, 2020.
To
respond to this material weakness, we have devoted, and plan to continue to devote, significant effort and resources to the remediation
and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to identify and appropriately apply
applicable accounting requirements, we plan to enhance these processes to better evaluate our research and understanding of the
nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced
access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among 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.
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of internal controls from our independent registered public
accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over
financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal
control over financial reporting. Due solely to the events that led to our restatement of our financial statements, management has
identified a material weakness in internal controls related to the accounting for Derivative Instruments, as described in Note 2 to the
Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements. In light of the restatement of our Original Financial Statements included in this Amendment,
we plan to enhance our processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements to better evaluate and understand
the nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced
access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among 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.
Item
9B. Other Information
None.
54
PART
III
Item
10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Directors
and Executive Officers
Our
current directors and executive officers as of the date of this Report are as follows:
Name
Age
*
Position
A.
Lorne Weil
75
Executive
Chairman
Daniel
B. Silvers
44
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
Marc
J. Falcone
47
Director
Steven
M. Rittvo
72
Director
David
L. Weinstein
54
Director
George
Peng
50
Chief
Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
Eric
Carrera
31
Senior
Vice President — Finance and Business Development
*
As
of March 1, 2021.
A.
Lorne Weil has served as our Executive Chairman since our formation in September 2017 and has been a principal of Hydra Management,
an investment vehicle formed by Mr. Weil, since September 2014. Mr. Weil serves as Executive Chairman of Inspired Entertainment,
Inc., a position he has held since December 2016. Previously, Mr. Weil served as Chairman and CEO of Inspired’s predecessor,
Hydra Industries Acquisition Corp., since October 2014. Mr. Weil previously served as Chairman of the Board of Scientific Games
Corporation (and its predecessor Autotote Corporation) from October 1991 to November 2013. Mr. Weil also served as the Chief Executive
Officer of Scientific Games Corporation (and its predecessor Autotote Corporation) from 1992 to 2008 and from November 2010 to
November 2013 (Mr. Weil had retired in 2008) and as the President from August 1997 to June 2005. Under Mr. Weil’s stewardship,
the company made a number of significant acquisitions and joint ventures, including the privatization of the off-track betting
operations of the State of Connecticut, and the acquisitions of Scientific Games Holdings Corp., IGT Online Entertainment Systems,
Global Draw and WMS Industries, and the privatization of the Illinois, New Jersey and Italian lotteries. Prior to joining Scientific
Games, Mr. Weil was President of Lorne Weil, Inc., a firm he founded which provided strategic planning and corporate development
services to technology-based industries, a role he maintained from 1979 to November 1992. From 1974 to 1979, Mr. Weil was Vice
President — Corporate Development at General Instrument Corporation. From 1970 to 1974, Mr. Weil was a manager with the
Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Weil received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto, an M.S. degree from the London
School of Economics and an M.B.A. from Columbia University, where he served for more than 10 years on the Board of Overseers.
From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Weil was a director of Avantair Inc. In 2012, Mr. Weil was the sponsor and Chairman of the Board of Andina
Acquisition Corp., a Nasdaq-listed blank check company, and currently serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of the
successor entity, Tecnoglass Inc.
We
believe Mr. Weil is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive business experience in
strategic planning and corporate development, his experience successfully overseeing the IPO of Hydra Industries Acquisition Corp.
and its subsequent merger with Inspired Gaming Group, the IPO of Andina and its subsequent merger with Tecnoglass, the contacts
he has fostered over the course of his extensive career, as well as his vast operational experience.
Daniel
B. Silvers has served as Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Company since our formation in September 2017. Additionally,
he has served as Managing Member of Matthews Lane Capital Partners LLC, an investment firm, since June 2015 and also has served
as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Inspired Entertainment, Inc., a company involved in the gaming equipment
supplier industry, since December 2016. At Inspired, Mr. Silvers is also a member of the Office of the Executive Chairman. He
is the former President of Spring Owl Asset Management LLC, an investment management firm, a position he held from March 2009
to June 2015 (including predecessor entities). From April 2009 to October 2010, Mr. Silvers also served as President of Western
Liberty Bancorp, an acquisition oriented holding company that acquired and recapitalized a community bank in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mr. Silvers joined a predecessor of Spring Owl from Fortress Investment Group, a leading global alternative asset manager, where
he worked from 2005 to 2009. At Fortress, Mr. Silvers’ primary focus was to originate and oversee due diligence on and asset
management for real estate and gaming investments in Fortress’ Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund. Prior to joining Fortress,
Mr. Silvers was a senior member of the real estate, gaming and lodging investment banking group at Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc.
Mr. Silvers serves as a director of Avid Technology, Inc., a global media technology provider. Mr. Silvers previously served on
the board of directors of Forestar Group, Inc., International Game Technology, bwin.party digital entertainment plc, Universal
Health Services, Inc., PICO Holdings, Inc., Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. and India Hospitality Corp. Mr. Silvers holds a B.S.
in Economics, as well as an M.B.A with a concentration in Finance, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
55
We
believe Mr. Silvers is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience in corporate
finance, capital allocation, capital markets and public company governance.
Marc
J. Falcone has served as a member of our board of directors since December 1, 2017. Mr. Falcone has served as the President
and Chief Financial Officer of Sightline Payments LLC, a leading digital commerce platform for the gaming industry, since February
2019. Mr. Falcone is also the principal of MF Ventures LLC, a diversified investment platform with investments in companies involved
in the hospitality, gaming and leisure industries, including Kentucky Downs located in Franklin, Kentucky, which operates 750
historical horse racing machines. Mr. Falcone served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Red
Rock Resorts, Inc. from October 2015 until May 2017 and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Station Casinos
LLC from June 2011 until May 2017. Mr. Falcone served as Treasurer of Station Casinos LLC since January 2013 until May 2017. Mr.
Falcone also served as Chief Financial Officer of Fertitta Entertainment LLC from October 2010 through May 2016. From June 2008
to October 2010, Mr. Falcone worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. where he focused on restructuring transactions in the hospitality
and gaming sectors under that firm’s Whitehall division. From May 2006 to June 2008, Mr. Falcone was a senior analyst at
Magnetar Capital, LLC (an alternative asset management firm), covering the gaming, lodging, leisure, REIT and airline industries.
From May 2002 to June 2006, Mr. Falcone was a Managing Director for Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. covering gaming, lodging and
leisure companies and was recognized as one of the industry’s top analysts. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.,
Mr. Falcone worked for Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., covering the gaming, lodging and leisure industries. Mr. Falcone holds a
bachelor’s degree in Real Estate Finance and Hotel Administration from Cornell University.
We
believe Mr. Falcone is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his significant experience as an executive
officer at a public company in the leisure sector and investment experience with the leisure sector and leisure-related businesses.
Steven
M. Rittvo has served as a member of our board of directors since December 1, 2017. Since February 2017, Mr. Rittvo serves
as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Project Development, a multi-disciplinary development management services
company focused on leisure- and residential-related developments. Mr. Rittvo has been with Innovation Project Development since
November 2005. In May 1993, Mr. Rittvo co-founded The Innovation Group, Inc., a gaming, hospitality and leisure sector consulting
firm headquartered in Denver with offices in New Orleans, Atlantic City, Aspen, Minneapolis and Orlando. Mr. Rittvo served as
President of Innovation Group until February 2017. In Mr. Rittvo’s various roles with The Innovation Group, he advised and
participated in gaming studies for clients ranging from Caesars Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Mandalay Resort
Group, Isle of Capri, Harrah’s Entertainment, Trump Hotels and Casinos, as well as numerous Native American tribes and government
agencies throughout the United States and the World. Mr. Rittvo holds a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering and a master’s
degree in Transportation Engineering and Planning from the Polytechnic Institute of New York.
We
believe Mr. Rittvo is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his significant experience managing
leisure-related developments and advising owners, operators and other stakeholders in the leisure sector and leisure-related businesses.
56
David
L. Weinstein has served as a member of the LACQ board of directors since December 1, 2017. Mr. Weinstein is a partner at Belvedere
Capital, a real estate investment firm based in New York, and is primarily focused on Belvedere’s investment in Industry
City, a six million square foot redevelopment project in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Mr. Weinstein serves as Chief Executive Officer
of GreenAcreage Real Estate Corp., a REIT, a position he assumed in August 2020, and also serves as a director of GreenAcreage.
Mr. Weinstein was previously a partner at Belvedere Capital from September 2008 until October 2013 and rejoined as a partner in
2016. From February 2015 until August 2016, Mr. Weinstein was a member of the board of directors of Forestar Group, Inc. Mr. Weinstein
previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of MPG Office Trust, Inc., a publicly traded office REIT, from November
2010 until the sale of the Company in October 2013. He was a member of the board of directors of MPG Office Trust, Inc. from August
2008 until October 2013. From April 2007 until August 2008, Mr. Weinstein was a Managing Director of West bridge Investment Group/Westmont
Hospitality Group, a real estate investment fund focused on hospitality. From 1996 until January 2007, Mr. Weinstein worked at
Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York, first as a Vice President in the real estate investment banking group (focusing on mergers,
asset sales and corporate finance) and then, from 2004, as a Vice President in the Special Situations Group (focused on real estate
debt investments). Mr. Weinstein holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, magna cum laude, from The Wharton School of
the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is a member of
the New York State Bar Association.
We
believe Mr. Weinstein is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his real estate banking, investment
and management experience, including as a chief executive officer of a publicly traded real estate company, as well as his corporate
governance experience through service as a board member of a public company will be valuable to the Company’s board of directors.
George
Peng has served as our Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary since our formation in September 2017. Additionally,
Mr. Peng has been a Principal of Hydra Management, LLC, an investment vehicle of Mr. Weil’s since July 2014 and as Vice
President of Finance at Inspired Entertainment, Inc., since January 2017. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer of Hydra
Industries Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition corporation that acquired Inspired Entertainment, Inc., from August
2015 until January 2017. Before that, Mr. Peng was a consultant to Scientific Games Corporation from May 2013 to April 2014, where
he assisted in its integration of the acquisition of WMS Industries. Mr. Peng was focused on the financial and operational impacts
of integrating the accounting and finance functions of both companies, including human resource allocation, budgeting, and cost
reductions. Prior to consulting to Scientific Games, Mr. Peng was a consultant primarily focused on financial planning and analysis
for various industries, including retail and financial services. Previously, he was an Associate in the Investment Banking division
of Credit Suisse, focusing on private equity, high yield, and leveraged lending products. Mr. Peng holds an A.B. in Economics
from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as well as an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from the Anderson School at UCLA.
Mr. Peng is a CFA Charter holder, which he was awarded in 2006.
Eric
Carrera has served as our Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Development since September 2017. Additionally, Mr.
Carrera has served as the Senior Associate of Hydra Management, LLC, an investment vehicle of Mr. Weil, since June 2015 and as
Manager of Finance/M&A of Inspired Entertainment, Inc. since January 2017. Mr. Carrera was Senior Vice President at Andina
Acquisition Corp. II, a special-purpose acquisition corporation, from November 2015 to March 2018 when it successfully completed
its business combination with Lazydays R.V. Center, Inc., a premier RV dealership destination. From June 2011 to February 2015,
Mr. Carrera was an international business development associate with Scientific Games Corporation, a supplier of technology-based
products, systems and services to gaming markets worldwide. From September 2011 to December 2013, Mr. Carrera acted as an advisor
to Andina Acquisition Corp. and was a member of the team that successfully completed a business transaction with Tecnoglass S.A.,
a Colombian manufacturer of glass and windows. Mr. Carrera received a B.S. from Boston University School of Management and is
also a CFA Charter holder.
Number
and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our
Board is presently comprised of five (5) members and is divided into three separate classes of directors. One class of directors
is normally elected at each annual meeting of stockholders for a term of three (3) years. Mr. Falcone, our Class I director, was
elected at our first annual meeting of stockholders in 2018 for a three-year term expiring at our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders.
Messrs. Rittvo and Weinstein, our Class II directors, were each elected at our 2019 Special Meeting for a three-year term expiring
at our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders. Messrs. Weil and Silvers were each elected at our 2020 Special Meeting for a three-year
term expiring at our 2023 annual meeting of stockholders.
57
Our
officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific
terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate.
Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial
Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director
Independence
Nasdaq
listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined
generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship
which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent
judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Falcone, Rittvo
and Weinstein are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules.
Committees
of the Board of Directors
Our
Board has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Our committees are comprised solely of independent
directors.
Audit
Committee
The
members of our audit committee are Messrs. Falcone, Rittvo and Weinstein. Mr. Falcone currently serves as Chairman of the audit
committee. All members of the audit committee qualify as independent directors under applicable rules and regulations of the SEC
and Nasdaq.
Each
member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Falcone qualifies as
an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We
have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
●
the
appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent
registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
●
pre-approving
all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting
firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
●
reviewing
and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued
independence;
●
setting
clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;
●
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 auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal
quality-control procedures and (ii) 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;
●
reviewing
and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by
the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
●
reviewing
with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters,
including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that
raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting
standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
58
Compensation
Committee
The
members of our compensation committee are Messrs. Falcone, Rittvo and Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein currently serves as Chairman of
the compensation committee. All members of the compensation committee qualify as independent directors under applicable rules
and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq.
We
have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
●
reviewing
and approving the corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer, evaluating the
performance of the Chief Executive Officer in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the compensation
of the Chief Executive Officer;
●
reviewing
and approving the compensation of the other executive officers;
●
reviewing
executive compensation policies and plans;
●
administering
equity-based compensation plans;
●
reviewing
and approving the terms of employment agreements, severance agreements and similar arrangements for executive officers;
●
producing
a report on executive compensation to be included in the annual proxy statement in accordance with applicable rules and regulations
of the SEC in effect from time to time; and
●
reviewing,
modifying and approving (or, as it deems appropriate, recommending to the board for determination and approval) the compensation
for non-employee directors.
It
is likely that prior to the consummation of a 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 Business Combination.
The
charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation
consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of
the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel
or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required
by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Director
Nominations
We
do not have a standing nominating committee. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq Rules, a majority of the independent
directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent
directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation
of a standing nominating committee. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter
in place.
The
board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as
they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special
meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to the Board should follow the procedures
set forth in our bylaws. Stockholder recommendations should be submitted in writing to: Leisure Acquisition Corp., 250 West 57th
Street, Suite 415, New York, New York 10107, Attention: Secretary.
59
We
have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors
to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background,
diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and
the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None
of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee
of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors, except that Mr. Weil, our Executive Chairman, is
Executive Chairman of Inspired Entertainment, Inc. and Mr. Silvers, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors,
is an executive officer of Inspired Entertainment, Inc.
Code
of Ethics
We
have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, executive officers and employees that complies with the rules and regulations
of the Nasdaq. The Code of Ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business. We have
previously filed copies of our form Code of Ethics, our form of Audit Committee Charter and our form of Compensation Committee
Charter as exhibits to our registration statement in connection with our Initial Public Offering. You may review these documents
by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. Copies of our Code of Ethics and our audit committee
and compensation committee charters are available, without charge, on our website at www.leisureacq.com or upon request from us.
We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Conflicts
of Interest
Each
of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations
to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity.
Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity
to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual
obligations to present such opportunity to such entity and not to us. 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 Business Combination.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for the waiver of any requirement to present corporate
opportunities to us to the extent it would conflict with competing duties owed to other entities. Our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless
such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and
such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
In
addition, our sponsors, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement, not to
participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company until we have entered into
a definitive agreement regarding our Business Combination or we have failed to complete our Business Combination during the Combination
Period. Our management team is not currently involved in any other blank check offering.
Potential
investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
●
None
of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts
of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities.
●
In
the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities
that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management
may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
60
●
Our
initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them in connection
with the consummation of our Business Combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption
rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our Business Combination during Combination
Period. If we do not complete our Business Combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds from our Initial Public
Offering and Concurrent Private Placement held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares,
any founder shares will be worthless, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions,
the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until 180 days after the completion
of our Business Combination. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the common stock underlying
such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees until
30 days after the completion of our Business Combination. Since our sponsors, strategic investor and officers and directors
may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining
whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our Business Combination.
●
Our
officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the
retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement
with respect to our Business Combination. Should one or more member of the management team seek to enter into an employment
contract with a target, we would refer such matter of employment to a committee of disinterested directors of our board of
directors for consideration.
●
Each
of A. Lorne Weil, our Executive Chairman, and Daniel B. Silvers, our Chief Executive Officer, is party to an employment agreement
with Inspired. These agreements contain non-competition provisions that provide that neither Mr. Weil nor Mr. Silvers shall
directly or indirectly engage in any business that is directly competitive with any business conducted by the Inspired Group
during his employment, in any geographic area in which such business was so conducted by the Inspired Group. In Mr. Weil’s
employment agreement with Inspired there are also non-solicitation provisions. In light of the non-competition agreements,
we will not seek a Business Combination with any company with operations in the businesses described above. In addition, if
our Business Combination does not cause Mr. Weil or Mr. Silvers to violate the non-competition agreements, no assurance can
be given that the combined company would not in the future engage in competitive activities that would cause Mr. Weil or Mr.
Silvers to be in breach of the non-competition agreements. If a court were to conclude that a violation of either or both
of the non-competition agreements had occurred, it could extend the term of Mr. Weil’s or Mr. Silvers’ non-competition
restrictions and/or enjoin Mr. Weil or Mr. Silvers from participating in our company, or enjoin us from engaging in aspects
of the business which compete with Inspired Group, as applicable. The court could also impose monetary damages against Mr.
Weil or Mr. Silvers or us. This could materially harm our business and the trading prices of our securities. Even if ultimately
resolved in our favor, any litigation associated with the non-competition agreements could be time consuming, costly and distract
management’s focus from locating suitable acquisition candidates and operating our business.
●
Our
sponsors, strategic investor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a Business
Combination and financing arrangements as we obtained loans from our sponsors or strategic investor or an affiliate of our
sponsors or strategic investor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended
Business Combination. Up to $460,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the
option of the lender and would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability
and exercise period.
The
conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
61
In
general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present
business opportunities to a corporation if:
●
the
corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
●
the
opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
●
it
would not be fair to our company and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.
Accordingly,
as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting
business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or
directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations
they may have.
Below
is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual
obligations.
Individual
Entity
Entity’s
Business
Affiliation
A.
Lorne Weil
Hydra
Management
Investment
Vehicle
Principal
Inspired
Entertainment
Gaming
Technology
Executive
Chairman
Tecnoglass
Manufacturer
of glass products for use in high end commercial real estate construction
Non-Executive
Chairman
Daniel
B. Silvers
Matthews
Lane Capital Partners
Investment
Vehicle
Principal
Inspired
Entertainment
Gaming
Technology
Chief
Strategy Officer
Avid
Technology, Inc.
Global
Media Technology Provider
Director
George
Peng
Hydra
Management
Investment
Vehicle
Principal
Inspired
Entertainment
Gaming
Technology
Vice
President Finance
Eric
Carrera
Hydra
Management
Investment
Vehicle
Senior
Associate
Inspired
Entertainment
Gaming
Technology
Manager,
Finance & M&A
Marc
J. Falcone
ECL
Entertainment
Entertainment
Principal
Sightline
Payments LLC
Gaming
Technology
Officer
MF
Ventures LL
Investment
Vehicle
Principal
Steven
M. Rittvo
Innovation
Project Development
Development
Management Services
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
David
L. Weinstein
GreenAcreage
Real Estate Corp.
Belvedere Capital
REIT
Real Estate Investment Firm
Chief
Executive Officer and Director Partner
Accordingly,
a scenario could arise whereby business opportunities may be provided to one of the above-listed entities by our officers or directors
instead of us. For example, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable
for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary
or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity and not to us. 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 Business Combination.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for the waiver of any requirement to present corporate
opportunities to us to the extent it would conflict with competing duties owed to other entities. Our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless
such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and
such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
62
We
are not prohibited from pursuing a Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsors, strategic investor,
officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our Business Combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent
directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA, or from an independent
accounting firm, that such a Business Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In
the event that we submit our Business Combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed
to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our Business
Combination and our officers and directors have also agreed to vote any public shares purchased during or after the offering in
favor of our Business Combination.
Limitation
on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest
extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for
breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in
bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or
unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.
We
have entered into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification
provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to secure insurance on behalf
of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would
permit such indemnification. We have obtained a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures
our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures
us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
These
provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These
provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against officers and directors, even though
such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment
may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant
to these indemnification provisions.
We
believe that these provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the directors’ and officers’
liability insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Item
11. Executive Compensation
None
of our officers or directors has received any cash (or non-cash) compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on December
1, 2017, under an administrative services agreement, we agreed to pay our Hydra sponsor a total of up to $10,000 per month for
office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Effective June 30, 2020, our Hydra Sponsor agreed to stop
charging the monthly administrative fee and forgave the $71,000 outstanding balance due under the agreement.
We
may pay our sponsors or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s
fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our Business Combination.
These individuals will also 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. In addition, to
facilitate the Company’s business interests in identifying potential target businesses, we have reimbursed certain professional
networking organization membership fees. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsors,
strategic investor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of
expenses that will be reimbursed.
63
After
the completion of our Business Combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting
or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known,
in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed Business
Combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors
or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed Business Combination,
because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining 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 Business Combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or
consulting arrangements to remain with us after our 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 Business Combination
will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential Business Combination. We are not party to any agreements
with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
We
have no compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance.
The
following table sets forth information available to us at March 1, 2021 with respect to the beneficial ownership of our Common
Stock held by:
●
each
person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding Common Stock;
●
each
of our directors and executive officers that beneficially own shares of our Common Stock; and
●
all
of our directors and executive officers as a group.
Unless
otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all
shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.
Number of
Shares
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)
Beneficially
Owned
Percentage
A. Lorne
Weil and affiliated entities (2)
1,134,742
18.2 %
Daniel B. Silvers and
affiliated entities (3)
1,128,370
18.1 %
Marc J. Falcone
25,000
*
Steven M. Rittvo
25,000
*
David L. Weinstein
25,000
*
George Peng
87,014
1.4 %
Eric Carrera
54,701
*
All executive officers and directors as a group (seven individuals)
2,479,827
39.8 %
Greater than 5% holders
HG Vora Capital Management,
LLC (4)
3,462,500
55.6 %
*
Less
than one percent.
64
(1)
This
table is based on 6,224,268 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 1, 2021. Beneficial ownership is determined in
accordance with the rules of the SEC which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if such
person possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, including options and warrants that are currently
exercisable or exercisable within 60 days. We believe that each person listed above has sole voting and investment power with
respect to the shares listed except as described in the footnotes below and subject to applicable community property laws
and similar laws. The Company’s warrants are not exercisable currently or within 60 days; accordingly, any such holdings
of the persons listed are not reflected in this table. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following
entities or individuals is c/o Leisure Acquisition Corp., 250 West 57th Street, Suite 415, New York, New York 10107
(2)
Represents
266,900 shares held of record by Mr. Weil and represents 867,842 shares held of record by Hydra LAC, LLC. Mr. Weil is the
managing member of Hydra LAC, LLC. Mr. Weil expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares as to which he does not
have a pecuniary interest.
(3)
Represents
887,127 shares held of record by MLCP GLL Funding, LLC, of which Matthews Lane Capital Partners LLC is the manager, and represents
241,243 shares held of record by Matthews Lane Capital Partners LLC. Mr. Silvers is the managing member of Matthews Lane Capital
Partners LLC.
(4)
Based
on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2019 and a Form 4 filed with the SEC on January 17, 2018 by HG Vora
Capital Management, LLC, the investment manager of HG Vora Special Opportunities Master Fund, Ltd. The business address of
HG Vora Capital Management is 330 Madison Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, New York 10017.
Our
directors and officers and other initial stockholders and their respective affiliates (including the Sponsors) have agreed to
vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed Business Combination.
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions
Issuance
of Founder Shares
On
September 11, 2017, we issued an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares to our sponsors, the strategic investor and certain members
of management or their affiliates for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 in cash, or approximately $0.003 per share. The number
of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding
shares upon completion of our Initial Public Offering. In October 2017, our Hydra sponsor transferred 203,957 of its founder shares
to certain of our officers and professionals. In October 2017, certain of our initial stockholders transferred 711,250 shares
to our strategic investor, with 355,625 shares subject to return to such stockholders if the if certain specified market price
levels for our common stock are exceeded following the closing of the Business Combination. In November 2017, Our Hydra sponsor
transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Falcone, Rittvo and Weinstein, our independent directors. In December 2017,
in connection with the completion of our Initial Public Offering, and on January 16, 2018, following the expiration of the underwriter’s
over-allotment option, certain of our initial stockholders forfeited 1,437,500 and 750,000 shares, respectively. In each case,
our initial stockholders forfeited such founder’s shares so as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at
20% of our outstanding shares immediately following the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. The founder shares may not,
subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Private
Placement Warrants
Affiliates
of our Hydra Sponsor and Matthews Lane Sponsor, the Strategic Investor and certain members of management purchased an aggregate
of 6,825,000 private placement warrants for a purchase price of $1.00 per whole warrant in the Concurrent Private Placement. As
such, these related parties’ aggregate interest in this transaction is valued at approximately $6,825,000. Each private
placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants
(including the common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned
or sold by the holder.
65
Warrant
Surrender Agreement
On
January 31, 2021, in connection with entering into the Merger Agreement, LACQ entered into a Warrant Surrender Agreement, by and
among LACQ and our Sponsors, pursuant to which each of our Sponsors agreed to irrevocably forfeit and surrender 250,000 Private
Placement Warrants immediately prior to, and contingent upon, the Closing.
Contingent
Forward Purchase Contract with Strategic Investor
On
December 1, 2017, our strategic investor entered into a Contingent Forward Purchase Contract with us to purchase, in a private
placement for gross proceeds of approximately $62,500,000 to occur concurrently with the consummation of the business combination,
6,250,000 units on substantially the same terms as the sale of units in our initial public offering at $10.00 per unit. On December
27, 2019, in connection with the previously proposed business combination with GTWY Holdings, an amendment to the contingent forward
purchase contract was effected to provide that the contingent forward purchase contract would terminate as of, and contingent
upon, the closing of the transaction with GTWY Holdings such that the strategic investor would instead purchase 3,000,000 units
of GTWY Holdings’ equity securities for a purchase price of $10.00 per unit.
In
addition, HG Vora waived its rights under the Contingent Forward Purchase Contract to purchase private placement units in connection
with the proposed Merger with Ensysce. The original terms of the contingent forward purchase contract remain operative for a business
combination with another target.
Administrative
Services Agreement
On
December 1, 2017, we entered into an administrative services agreement with our Hydra Sponsor under which we agreed to pay our
Hydra Sponsor, or its affiliates or assignees, a total of up to $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial
and administrative support until completion of our business combination. Effective June 30, 2020, our Hydra Sponsor agreed to
stop charging the monthly administrative fee and forgave the $71,000 outstanding balance due under the agreement.
Promissory
Notes
We
entered into promissory notes with our sponsors whereby they agreed to loan us up to an aggregate of $400,000 to be used for a
portion of the expenses of our Initial Public Offering. These loans, which were repaid on the IPO Closing Date, were non-interest
bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of June 30, 2018 or the IPO Closing Date.
Expense
Advance Agreement
In
order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended business combination, we entered into an Expense Advancement
Agreement with our Sponsors and Strategic Investor on December 1, 2017 under which they committed to loan us an aggregate of $1,000,000
pursuant to drawdowns from time to time in the event that funds held outside of the trust are insufficient to fund our expenses
after our IPO and prior to our business combination (including investigating and selecting a target business and other working
capital requirements). On January 15, 2020, we issued promissory notes pursuant to drawdowns under the agreement in the aggregate
amount of $1,000,000, which the holders elected to convert on June 25, 2020 in accordance with the terms thereunder into warrants
at a price of $1.00 per warrant. We entered into amendments to our Expense Advancement Agreement with our sponsors and Strategic
Investor dated June 29, 2020, October 26, 2020, November 30, 2020 and February 23, 2021 which, in the aggregate increased the
total amount of advances available to us under the agreement to $1,460,000. We issued unsecured promissory notes to such parties
on October 26, 2020 and October 27, 2020 which were amended and restated on November 30, 2020 and February 24, 2021. Such promissory
notes cover outstanding loans in aggregate amount of $460,000 as of March 10, 2021. The promissory notes do not bear any interest.
The Company expects to repay any such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released upon completion of a business
combination. Alternatively, the sponsors and Strategic Investor would have the option to convert the outstanding loaned amounts
under the promissory notes to warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. In the event the Company does not complete the business
combination, it may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds
from the trust account would be used for such repayment. Accordingly, if the business combination is not completed, the Company
will most likely not be able to repay the loans.
66
Potential
Payments after the Business Combination
After
our 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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender
offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. 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 stockholder meeting held to consider
our Business Combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive
and director compensation. In connection with the Business Combination with Ensysce, none of our directors, officers or management
team will continue with us, other than two of the directors will be selected by us, which may include persons who are our officers
or directors.
Registration
Rights
The
holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans
(and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon
conversion of working capital loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into
by us on the IPO Closing Date, which requires us to register such securities for resale. Each of our sponsors (collectively with
their respective affiliates) and strategic investor is entitled to make up to two demands, excluding short form demands, that
we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to
registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of our Business Combination and rights to require us to register for
resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that
we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable
lock-up period, which occurs (i) in the case of the founder shares, on the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our
Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to our Business Combination, the last sale price of the common stock equals or
exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for
any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our Business Combination, or (B) the date
following the completion of our Business Combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar
transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities
or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective common stock underlying such warrants,
30 days after the completion of our Business Combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of
any such registration statements.
Director
Independence
Nasdaq
listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined
generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship
which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent
judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Falcone, Rittvo
and Weinstein are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our
independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
67
Item
14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The
following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum LLP, or Marcum, for services rendered for 2020 and 2019.
Audit
Fees . Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements
and services that are normally provided by Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum for
professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included
in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC and review of proxy and other registration
statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 totaled $80,845 and $53,684, respectively. The above amounts include
interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Audit-Related
Fees . Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance
of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include
attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting
standards. We paid Marcum $0 and $4,161 for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the year
ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Tax
Fees . We did not pay Marcum for tax planning and tax advice for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
All
Other Fees . We did not pay Marcum for other services for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
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).
Item
15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
The
following documents are filed as part of this Report:
(1)
The
financial statements listed in the Index to the Financial Statements on page F-1.
(2)
No
financial statement schedules have been filed as part of this Report because they are not applicable, not required or because
the information is otherwise included in the Financial Statements or notes thereto.
(3)
Exhibits
listed on page 69.
68
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
INDEX
TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
F-2
Financial
Statements (As Restated):
Balance Sheets
F-3
Statements of Operations
F-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity
F-5
Statements of Cash Flows
F-6
Notes to Financial Statements
F-7
to F-28
F- 1
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Leisure
Acquisition Corp.
Opinion
on the Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Leisure Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020
and 2019, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years ended
December 31, 2020 and 2019, 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, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019,
in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Restatement of the Financial Statements
As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements,
the accompanying financial statements as of December 31, 2020, and 2019 have been restated.
Explanatory
Paragraph – Going Concern
The
accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed
in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent on the completion of a business combination
and the Company’s cash and working capital as of December 31, 2020 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities.
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 this uncertainty.
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) (the “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 2017 .
West
Palm Beach, FL
March
15, 2021, except for the effects of the restatements discussed in Note 2 and Contingent Forward Purchase Contract in Note 7, as to
which the date is June 7, 2021.
F- 2
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE
SHEETS
(As
Restated)
2020
2019
December 31,
2020
2019
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash
$ 49,202
$ 1,061,151
Prepaid expenses
157,483
—
Prepaid income taxes
19,779
138,571
Total Current Assets
226,464
1,199,722
Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account
12,628,170
195,312,177
TOTAL ASSETS
$ 12,854,634
$ 196,511,899
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 260,404
$ 2,771,025
Total Current Liabilities
260,404
2,771,025
Promissory note
566,288
566,288
Convertible promissory notes - related party
225,000
—
Warrant liability
6,260,000
7,166,250
Deferred underwriting fee payable
6,750,000
7,000,000
TOTAL LIABILITIES
14,061,692
17,503,563
Commitments
-
-
Common stock subject to possible redemption, 0 and 16,808,829 shares at redemption value at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively
—
174,008,335
Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity
Preferred stock, $ 0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
—
—
Common stock, $ 0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 6,224,268 and 7,067,422 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 16,808,829 shares subject to possible redemption) at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively
622
707
Additional paid-in capital
—
5,136,000
Accumulated Deficit
( 1,207,680 )
( 136,706 )
Total Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity
( 1,207,058 )
5,000,001
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY
$ 12,854,634
$ 196,511,899
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F- 3
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS
(As
Restated)
2020
2019
Year Ended December 31,
2020
2019
Operating costs
$ 1,368,841
$ 3,328,674
Loss from operations
( 1,368,841 )
( 3,328,674 )
Other income (expense):
Interest income
719,646
4,249,828
Amortization of debt discount on convertible promissory note
( 220,000 )
—
Change in fair value of conversion option liability
220,000
—
Change in fair value of warrant liability
1,906,250
( 1,433,250 )
Forgiveness of accounts payable
3,298,207
—
Other income, net
5,924,103
2,816,578
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes
4,555,262
( 512,096 )
Provision for income taxes
( 244,493 )
( 555,200 )
Net income (loss)
$ 4,310,769
$ ( 1,067,296 )
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Common stock subject to possible redemption
3,949,616
18,270,950
Basic and diluted net income per share, Common stock subject to possible redemption
$ 0.00
$ 0.17
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Common stock
6,642,759
6,621,293
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share, Common stock
$ 0.65
$ ( 0.63 )
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F- 4
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS
OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(As
Restated)
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit)
(Deficit)
Common Stock
Additional
Paid in
Retained Earnings/
(Accumulated
Total Stockholders’
Equity
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit)
(Deficit)
Balance – January 1, 2019
6,064,800
$ 660
$ 4,068,751
$ 930,590
$ 5,000,001
Change in value of common stock subject to possible redemption
463,342
47
1,067,249
—
1,067,296
Waiver of a portion of deferred underwriting fee
-
-
-
-
-
Net income (loss)
—
—
—
( 1,067,296 )
( 1,067,296 )
Balance – December 31, 2019
7,067,422
707
5,136,000
( 136,706 )
5,000,001
Balance – December 31, 2019
7,067,422
707
5,136,000
( 136,706 )
5,000,001
Change in value of common stock subject to possible redemption
( 843,154 )
( 85 )
( 5,136,000 )
( 5,631,743 )
( 10,767,828 )
Waiver of a portion of deferred underwriting fee
—
—
—
250,000
250,000
Net income
—
—
—
4,310,769
4,310,769
Balance – December 31, 2020
6,224,268
$ 622
$ —
$ ( 1,207,680 )
$ ( 1,207,058 )
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F- 5
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS
OF CASH FLOWS
(As
Restated)
2020
2019
Year Ended December 31,
Year Ended December 31,
2020
2019
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income (loss)
$ 4,310,769
$ ( 1,067,296 )
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:
Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account
( 719,646 )
( 4,249,828 )
Forgiveness of accounts payable
( 3,298,207 )
—
Change in fair value of warrant liability
( 1,906,250 )
1,433,250
Amortization of debt discount on convertible promissory note
220,000
—
Change in fair value of conversion option liability
( 220,000 )
—
Deferred tax benefit
—
( 1,764 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses
( 157,483 )
87,083
Prepaid income taxes
118,792
31,964
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
787,586
2,341,799
Net cash used in operating activities
( 864,439 )
( 1,424,792 )
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Investment of cash in Trust Account
( 1,698,862 )
( 566,288 )
Cash withdrawn from Trust Account for redemption of common stock
184,776,163
11,583,473
Cash withdrawn from Trust Account for franchise taxes and income taxes
326,352
836,205
Net cash provided by investing activities
183,403,653
11,853,390
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Proceeds from promissory note
—
566,268
Proceeds from convertible promissory notes – related parties
1,225,000
—
Redemption of common stock
( 184,776,163 )
( 11,583,473 )
Payment of offering costs
—
( 8,640 )
Net cash used in financing activities
( 183,551,163 )
( 11,025,845 )
Net Change in Cash
( 1,011,949 )
( 597,247 )
Cash – Beginning
1,061,151
1,658,398
Cash – Ending
$ 49,202
$ 1,061,151
Supplementary cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes
$ 125,701
$ 525,000
Non-Cash investing and financing activities:
Change in value of common stock subject to possible redemption
$ 10,767,828
$ ( 1,067,296 )
Waiver of a portion of deferred underwriting fee payable
$ 250,000
$ —
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F- 6
LEISURE
ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
1. — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Leisure
Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on September 11, 2017 . The Company
was formed for the purpose of acquiring, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization,
recapitalization, exchangeable share transaction or other similar business transaction, with one or more operating businesses
or assets (a “Business Combination”).
At
December 31, 2020, the Company had not yet commenced operations. All activity through December 31, 2020 relates to the Company’s
formation, its initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, identifying a target
company for a Business Combination, activities in connection with the proposed acquisition of Ensysce Biosciences, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (“Ensysce”) (see Note 12) and activities in connection with the previously proposed business combination
with GTWY Holdings Limited, a Canadian corporation (“GTWY Holdings”), which was terminated on July 16, 2020.
The
registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on December 1, 2017. On December
5, 2017, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (“Units” and, with respect to the
common stock included in the Units, the “Public Shares”), generating gross proceeds of $ 200,000,000 , which is described
in Note 4.
Simultaneously
with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 6,825,000 warrants (the “Private Placement
Warrants”) at a price of $ 1.00 per warrant in a private placement to Hydra LAC, LLC, an affiliate of Hydra Management, LLC
(the “Hydra Sponsor”), MLCP GLL Funding LLC, an affiliate of Matthews Lane Capital Partners, LLC (the “Matthews
Lane Sponsor,” and, together with the Hydra Sponsor, the “Sponsors”), HG Vora Special Opportunities Master Fund,
Ltd. (“HG Vora”) and certain members of the Company’s management team, generating gross proceeds of $ 6,825,000 ,
which is described in Note 5.
Following
the closing of the Initial Public Offering on December 5, 2017, an amount of $ 200,000,000 ($ 10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds
of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the
“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 180 days or less or
in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions
of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business
Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.
Transaction
costs amounted to $ 11,548,735 , consisting of $ 4,000,000 of underwriting fees, $ 7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $ 548,735
of Initial Public Offering costs.
The
Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public
Offering and Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward
consummating a Business Combination. The Company’s initial 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 (excluding deferred underwriting
commissions and franchise and income taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing of an
agreement to enter into a Business Combination. 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.
F- 7
The
Company will provide its stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion
of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii)
by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or
conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The stockholders will be entitled to redeem their
shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then on deposit in the Trust Account ($ 10.00 per share, plus any deposits made to
the Trust Account in connection with extension payments and any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account
and not previously released to the Company to pay franchise and income taxes). The per share amount to be distributed to stockholders
who redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters
(see Note 8).
The
Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $ 5,000,001 upon consummation
of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted
in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder
vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation,
conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, a stockholder approval of the
transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, the
Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the
tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsors and the
Company’s other initial stockholders (collectively, the “Initial Stockholders”) have agreed to vote their Founder
Shares (as defined in Note 6) and any Public Shares held by them in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each
public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder,
together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group”
(as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted
from redeeming its shares with respect to an aggregate of 20% or more of the common stock sold in the Initial Public Offering.
The
Company has until June 30, 2021 to consummate a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is
unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for
the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100 %
of the outstanding Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the
Trust Account, including interest earned and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes (less up to $ 75,000 of
interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely
extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions,
if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval
of the remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby
a formal dissolution of the Company, subject in each case to its obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements
of applicable law. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust
Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such
amounts will be included with the funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Company’s
Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for
distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the $10.00 per Unit in the Initial Public Offering.
On
November 26, 2019, the Company held a special meeting pursuant to which the Company’s stockholders approved extending the
Combination Period from December 5, 2019 to April 5, 2020 (the “Initial Extension Date”). In connection with the approval
of the extension, stockholders elected to redeem an aggregate of 1,123,749 shares of the Company’s common stock. As a result,
an aggregate of $ 11,583,473 (or approximately $ 10.31 per share) was released from the Company’s Trust Account to pay such
stockholders.
F- 8
The
Company agreed to contribute (the “Contribution”) $ 0.03 for each share of the Company’s common stock that was
not redeemed in connection with the extension for each of the four monthly periods covered by the extension (commencing on December
6, 2019 through the Initial Extension Date), subject to certain conditions.
On
each of December 5, 2019, January 3, 2020, February 4, 2020 and March 4, 2020, the Company made a Contribution of $ 0.03 for each
of the public shares outstanding, for an aggregate Contribution of $ 2,265,150 , which amounts were deposited into the Trust Account.
On
December 5, 2019, the Company entered into an expense advancement agreement with GTWY Holdings (the “GTWY Expense Advance
Agreement”), pursuant to which GTWY Holdings committed to provide $ 566,288 to fund contributions to the Trust Account. The
Company drew down the full amount under the GTWY Expense Advance Agreement to fund the required Contribution to the Trust Account
for the period December 6, 2019 to January 5, 2020 by issuing an unsecured promissory note to GTWY Holdings. The note was converted
into warrants on January 31, 2021 (see Note 7).
On
January 15, 2020, the Company drew down $ 1,000,000
under the expense advancement agreement with
the Company’s Sponsors and strategic investor dated December 1, 2017 in exchange for issuing unsecured promissory notes to fund
its working capital requirements and to fund required Contributions to the Trust Account. The holders had the option to convert the promissory
notes into warrants at a price of $ 1.00
per warrant subject to the same terms and conditions
as private placement warrants. The notes were converted into warrants to purchase 1,000,001 shares of the Company’s common stock
at an exercise price of $ 11.50 per share on June 25, 2020 (see Note 6).
On
March 26, 2020, the Company held a special meeting pursuant to which the Company’s stockholders approved extending the Combination
Period from April 5, 2020 to June 30, 2020 (the “Second Extension Date”). In connection with the approval of the extension,
stockholders elected to redeem an aggregate of 16,837,678 shares of the Company’s common stock. As a result, an aggregate
of $ 176,283,492 (or approximately $ 10.47 per share) was released from the Company’s Trust Account to pay such stockholders.
Of the amount paid to redeeming stockholders, $ 136,283,492 was paid as of March 31, 2020 and the balance of $ 40,000,000 was paid
on April 1, 2020.
On
June 26, 2020, the Company held a special meeting pursuant to which the Company’s stockholders approved extending the Combination
Period from June 30, 2020 to December 1, 2020 (the “Third Extension Date”). In connection with the approval of the
extension, stockholders elected to redeem an aggregate of 776,290 shares of the Company’s common stock. As a result, an
aggregate of $ 8,099,292 (or approximately $ 10.43 per share) was released from the Company’s Trust Account to pay such stockholders.
On
November 24, 2020, the Company’s stockholders approved extending the Combination Period from December 1, 2020 to June 30,
2021 (the “Fourth Extension Date”). In connection with the approval of the extension, stockholders elected to redeem
an aggregate of 38,015 shares of the Company’s common stock. As a result, an aggregate of $ 393,380 (or approximately $ 10.34
per share) was released from the Company’s Trust Account to pay such stockholders.
The
Initial Stockholders have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares in connection with
the completion of a Business Combination, (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with
respect to their Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and (iii)
not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect
the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete
a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares in conjunction
with any such amendment.
F- 9
In
order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsors have agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent
any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the
Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser
of (i) $ 10.00 per Public Share or (ii) such lesser amount per share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation
of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims
by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust
Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover,
in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsors will not be responsible
to the extent of any liability for such third -party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsors
will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective
target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right,
title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Nasdaq
Notifications
On
November 30, 2020, the Company received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC stating
that the Company was not in compliance with Listing Rule IM-5101-2 (the “Rule”), which requires that a special purpose
acquisition company complete one or more business combinations within 36 months of the effectiveness of the registration statement
filed in connection with its initial public offering. Since the Company’s registration statement became effective on December
1, 2017, it was required to complete an initial business combination by no later than December 1, 2020. The Rule also provides
that failure to comply with this requirement will result in the Listing Qualifications Department issuing a Staff Delisting Determination
under Rule 5810 to delist the Company’s securities. In addition, the Nasdaq Notice states that the Company was not in compliance
with Nasdaq’s minimum publicly held shares requirement under Listing Rule 5550(a)(4), which requires a listed company’s
primary equity security to maintain a minimum of 500,000 publicly held shares.
The
Listing Qualifications Department has advised the Company that its securities would be subject to delisting unless the Company
timely requests a hearing before an independent Hearings Panel (the “Panel”). Accordingly, the Company intends to
timely request a hearing. The hearing request will stay any suspension or delisting action pending the completion of the hearing
and the expiration of any additional extension period granted by the Panel following the hearing.
On
January 27, 2021, the Panel granted the Company’s request for continued listing of the Company’s equity securities
on the Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to an extension, subject to certain milestones, through June 1, 2021 (see Note 12). See
Item 1A. Risk Factors— The Nasdaq may not continue to list our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to
make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Risks
and Uncertainties
Management
continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus
could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company,
the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not
include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Liquidity
and Going Concern
As
of December 31, 2020, the Company had $ 49,202 in its operating bank accounts, $ 12,628,170 in securities held in the Trust Account
to be used for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its common stock in connection therewith and working capital
deficit of $ 127,869 , which excludes $ 93,929 of prepaid income and franchise taxes.
As
of December 31, 2020, the Company had $ 75,000 available for drawdown under the Company’s expense advancement agreement with
the Company’s Sponsors and HG Vora (see “Related Party Loans” in Note 6).
F- 10
The
Company will need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsors, HG Vora, stockholders,
officers, directors, or third parties. The Company’s Sponsors and HG Vora may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company
funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s
working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise
additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily
be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company
cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions
raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through June 30, 2021, the date that
the Company will be required to cease all operations, except for the purpose of winding up, if a Business Combination is not consummated.
These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification
of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
NOTE
2. — RESTATEMENT OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company previously accounted for its outstanding Private Placement Warrants issued in connection with its Initial Public Offering and
its working capital warrants issued on conversion of its convertible promissory notes (collectively, the “Private Warrants”)
as components of equity instead of as derivative liabilities. In addition, the Company did not account for its convertible promissory
notes as a derivative liability (together with the Private Warrants, the “Derivative Instruments”). The Warrant
Agreement governing the Private Warrants (the “Warrant Agreement”) includes a provision that provides for potential
changes to the settlement amounts dependent upon the characteristics of the holder of the warrant. In addition, the Warrant Agreement
includes a provision that in the event of a tender offer or exchange offer made to and accepted under circumstances in which, upon
completion of such tender offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group of which such maker is a part own beneficially
more than 50 %
of the outstanding shares of more than 50 %
of the Company’s common stock, all holders of the Private Warrants and Public Warrants would be entitled to receive cash for their
Warrants (the “tender offer provision”).
On
April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the Securities and Exchange
Commission together issued a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition
companies entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition
Companies (“SPACs”)” (the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on potential changes
to the settlement amounts dependent upon the characteristics of the holder of the warrant and provisions related to certain tender offers
following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the Warrant Agreement, although the Company does
not believe the portion of the SEC Statement referring to the tender offer are applicable to the Company’s warrants because the
Company has only a single class of Common Stock..
In
further consideration of the SEC Statement, the Company’s management further evaluated the warrants under Accounting Standards
Codification (“ASC”) Subtopic 815-40, Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity. ASC Section 815-40-15 addresses equity
versus liability treatment and classification of equity-linked financial instruments, including warrants, and states that a warrant
may be classified as a component of equity only if, among other things, the warrant is indexed to the issuer’s common stock.
Under ASC Section 815-40-15, a warrant is not indexed to the issuer’s common stock if the terms of the warrant require an
adjustment to the exercise price upon a specified event and that event is not an input to the fair value of the warrant. Based
on management’s evaluation, the Company’s audit committee, in consultation with management, concluded that the Company’s
Private Placement Warrants are not indexed to the Company’s common stock in the manner contemplated by ASC Section 815-40-15
because the holder of the instrument is not an input into the pricing of a fixed-for-fixed option on equity shares. In addition,
based on management’s evaluation, the Company’s audit committee, in consultation with management, concluded that the
Private Warrants fail the “classified in stockholders’ equity” criteria as contemplated by ASC Section 815-40-25,
but that the Public Warrants could continue to be classified as stoc
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