Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An investment in our securities involves
a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained
in this annual report, the prospectus associated with our IPO and the registration statement of which such prospectus forms a part
before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and
operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you
could lose all or part of your investment.
Summary of Risk Factors
Our business is subject
to numerous risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with:
· being a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues;
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· our ability to complete our initial business combination, including risks arising from the uncertainty
resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic;
· our public shareholders’ ability to exercise redemption rights;
· the requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the completion window;
· the possibility that NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange;
· being declared an investment company under the Investment Company Act;
· complying with changing laws and regulations;
· the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;
· our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
· the pool of prospective target businesses available to us and the ability of our officers and
directors
· to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
· the issuance of additional Class A common stock in connection with a business combination
that may dilute the interest of our shareholders;
· the incentives to our sponsor, officers and directors to complete a business combination to avoid
losing their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed;
· our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts
of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
· our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or
directors following our initial business combination;
· our ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
· our ability to amend the terms of warrants in a manner that may be adverse to the holders of public
warrants;
· our ability to redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise;
· our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; and
· provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law that may
have the effect of inhibiting a takeover of us and discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
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Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or
Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity
to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate
in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do
not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder
vote to approve our initial 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 reasons. For instance,
the NYSE 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 any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of
our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable
law or stock exchange rules, 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. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the
vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding
public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see “Proposed Business — Stockholders
may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination” for additional information.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless
of how our public stockholders vote.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors
have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor
of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need
77,625,001, or 37.5%, of the 207,000,000 public shares sold in the IPO to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued
and outstanding shares are voted) in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders
and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholder
vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder
approval will be received than would be the case if our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees 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 such business combination.
At the time of your investment
in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Additionally,
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. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your
only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your
redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed
to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
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. 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 and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial
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 do not then become 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 initial 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. If we are able to consummate
an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to
pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
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The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption
rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize
our capital structure.
At the time we enter into
an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights
and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted
for redemption. If our initial 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
is 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. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to
the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B common stock results in the issuance of shares of Class A
common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business
combination. In addition, the amount of deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters is not required to be adjusted
for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability
to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption
rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would
be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our initial business
combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to
have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful increases.
If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we
liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market;
however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation,
you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until
we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business
combination within the completion window 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.
Any potential target business
with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business
combination within the completion window.
Consequently, such target
business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business
combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target
business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct
due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive
investigation.
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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination
within the completion window, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem
our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount
in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have
agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. We may not be able to find a suitable
target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business
combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks
described herein.
If we have not completed our initial business
combination within such time period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly
as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 (net of permitted withdrawals and
up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption
will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating
distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) 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 receive only $10.00 per share, or less than $10.00 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire
worthless. Please 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
herein.
If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale
of the private placement warrants 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 initial business combination and we will depend on loans from
our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are
unable to obtain such loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
If we are required to seek additional
capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to
liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their respective affiliates is under any obligation or
other duty to loan funds to us in such circumstances. Any such loans would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account
or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business
combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust
account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants
will expire worthless.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the
trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the aggregate value of the assets held in the trust account
such that the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than your anticipated per share redemption
amount.
The funds in the trust account
will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet
certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations.
While short-term U.S. government treasury bills currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative
interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open
Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the
United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds
held in the trust account, plus any interest income not released to us, net of taxes payable. Negative interest rates could impact
the per share redemption amount that may be received by public stockholders.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants
from the public, 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 initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant
to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public
shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or
following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation or other duty to do so. Such
a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such public 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 sponsor,
directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions
from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling public stockholders would be
required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different
than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial
business combination. 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 our initial 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 initial
business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. 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 our initial 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 initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement
would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants
outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial
business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that
may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the
Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In addition, if such purchases
are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities
may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national
securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer
to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial 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 initial 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 initial 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 or proxy
materials documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial
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 procedures, its 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.
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Our public stockholders
will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial
business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly
elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted
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 provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination
or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and
(3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion
window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we are unable to complete an initial business
combination within the completion window 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 the completion window 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. Holders of warrants
will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your
investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition
for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are
unable to complete our initial business combination, 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 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, including, without limitation,
M. Klein and Company and our Strategic and Operating Partners, 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 will be numerous target businesses we could
potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with
respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources.
Our sponsor, any of its affiliates or any of their respective clients may make additional investments in us, although our sponsor
and its affiliates have no obligation or other duty to do so.
This inherent competitive
limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, in the event we seek
stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for public shares that are redeemed,
it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place
us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing a business combination. If we are unable to complete
our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances,
on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the funds available to us outside of the trust account
are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us
outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window, assuming that our
initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition
plans. However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional
financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis
regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
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We believe that the funds
available to us outside of the trust account, including permitted withdrawals and loans or additional investments from our sponsor,
will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is
accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist
us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no- shop”
provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping”
around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a
particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of
intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required
to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching
for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination,
our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of
our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination,
we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant
negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, 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 identify all material issues
that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary
amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result
of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or
other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected
risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even
though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of
this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may
cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a
target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders
who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the
value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds
held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00
per share.
Our placing of funds in
the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service
providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses 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. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less
attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of
potential target businesses that we might pursue. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses
to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management
to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable
to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive
any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and
will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete
our initial business combination within the completion window, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our
initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be
brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders
could be less than the per share amount initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
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Our sponsor has agreed that
it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting
firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into
a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the
actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00
per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims
by a third party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether any such waiver
is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its
indemnity obligations and we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. We have not asked our
sponsor to reserve for such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the
funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In
such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share
in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third
parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our independent directors may decide not to enforce the
indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for
distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds
in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the actual amount per share
held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions
in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy
its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine
whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our
independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us,
it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in certain instances.
For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable
or the independent directors may 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 the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having
breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive
damages.
If, after we distribute
the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition
is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor
and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a
bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may
be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith by paying public stockholders
from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
27
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 public
stockholders in connection with our liquidation would 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 initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company
under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including, without limitation, restrictions on the nature of
our investments, and restrictions on the issuance of our 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, without limitation, 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.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal
activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee
only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in
United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment
of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in
Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance
with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder
our ability to consummate a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders
may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply
with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business
combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and
regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC
and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming
and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes
could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with
applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our
ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
28
Because we are neither limited to evaluating target businesses
in a particular industry nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination,
you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We may seek to complete
a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, we will not, under our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar
company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a
business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations,
results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business
combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we
combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected
by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers
and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly
ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore,
some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks
will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be
more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly,
any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination
could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for
such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines
that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with
a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial
business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified
general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which
we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business
combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful
as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective
business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may
exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that
requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is
required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons,
it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does
not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders
may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and
our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in acquisition targets
that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business
combination in sectors which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such business combination candidate
is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event
we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may
not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information regarding the areas of our management’s expertise
would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able
to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any stockholders
or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer
a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction
in value.
29
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage
company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject
us to volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete
our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established
record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine.
These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile
revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and
directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain
or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of
these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely
impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent
investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent
source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial
business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking
firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders
from a financial point of view.
In addition, if our board
of directors is not able to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, in connection with the NYSE rules that
require that an initial business combination be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal
to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes,
if applicable, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount), 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.
Other than the two circumstances
described above, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA
or from an independent accounting firm. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board
of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards
used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business
combination.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common
stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our
initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common
stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions
described herein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 400,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and
100,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock,
par value $0.0001 per share. There are 7,651,469 (excluding 199,348,531 shares subject to possible redemption) and 51,750,000 authorized
but unissued shares of Class A and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into
account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not upon the conversion of the Class B common
stock. Shares of Class B common stock are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time
of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. There are
no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
30
We may issue a substantial number of additional
shares of Class A common stock, and may issue shares of preferred stock, in order to complete our initial business combination
or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation will provide that we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from
the trust account). We may also issue shares upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one
at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein. However, our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we
may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account
or (2) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
· may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the IPO;
· 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 are issued, which may affect, among other
things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our
present officers and directors; and
· may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, common stock and/or warrants.
Resources could be wasted in researching initial business
combinations 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 initial 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 initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction
likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete
our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a
loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge
with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only
approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will
expire worthless.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations
with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased
costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously
acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase
of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult
for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also
face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence
investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations
and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these
risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination
with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that
is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition
strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information
generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial
business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not
as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
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Our management may not be able to maintain control of
a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business,
new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial
business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of
the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction
company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest
in the target business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of
the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority
interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business
combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in
exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However,
as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction
could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority
stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s
stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our
control of the target business.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold.
The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial 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 do not then become
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 initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business
combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their
shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with
our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell
their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective 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.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination,
blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments,
including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation or governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete
our initial business combination that some of our stockholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate an
initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and
modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition
of business combination, increased redemption thresholds extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with
respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities.
We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial
business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
32
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing
the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of not less than 65% of our common stock,
which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend
our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business
combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment of directors,
which require the approval by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-business
combination activity (including the requirement to fund 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 at least
65% of our common stock, 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. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation will provide that it may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock, subject to applicable provisions
of the DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially
own 20% of our common stock, may 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 will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than
some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you
do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our sponsor, officers and
directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection
with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination
within the completion window, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A
common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit
in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement
that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries
of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors
for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder
derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete
our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure
or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that
the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial
business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements
for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient,
either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target
business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection
with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial
business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing (including from M. Klein and Company) or to abandon the proposed
business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. M. Klein and Company
is not obligated to provide, or seek, any such financing or, except as expressly set forth herein, to provide any other services
to us. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination,
we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative
target business candidate. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination,
we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing
could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors
or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we
are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share,
or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
33
Our search for a business combination, and any target
business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent novel coronavirus
(“COVID-19”) outbreak.
On March 11, 2020,
the World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak of the COVID-19 a “pandemic.” A significant outbreak
of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies
and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination
could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns
relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s
personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent
to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain
and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain
COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for
an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which
we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies
evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This
could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate
an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number
of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special
purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose
acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration.
As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources
to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there
are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the
competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies
to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry
sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or
operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability
to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination
on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Legal proceedings in connection with the business combination,
the outcomes of which are uncertain, could delay or prevent the completion of the business combination.
On March 3, 2021, Richard Hofman, a purported stockholder
of ours, filed a complaint, individually and on behalf of other of our stockholders, in the Superior Court of the State of
California against us, Lucid, and other unnamed defendants. The complaint alleges claims for fraud, negligent
misrepresentation, and false advertising and unfair business practices in connection with allegedly false and misleading
statements and omissions in our public filings, concerning the proposed merger between us and Lucid. The complaint seeks
injunctive relief, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.
Additional lawsuits may be filed against us or our directors
and officers in connection with the Transactions. Defending such additional lawsuits could require us to incur significant
costs and draw the attention of our management team away from the Transactions. Further, the defense or settlement of any
lawsuit or claim that remains unresolved at the time the Transactions are consummated may adversely affect the combined
company's business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Such legal proceedings could delay or prevent
the business combination from becoming effective within the agreed upon timeframe.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its
exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading
restrictions.
Our units, Class A
common stock and warrants are listed on the NYSE. We cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed
on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE
prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general,
we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination,
we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than
the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For
instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4 per share. We cannot assure you that we will be able to
meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
34
If the NYSE delists any of our securities
from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such
securities could be quoted on an over-the- counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences,
including:
· a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
· reduced liquidity for our securities;
· a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our
Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in
the secondary trading market for our securities;
· a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional
financing in the future.
The National Securities
Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain
securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A
common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered
securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute
does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity,
then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having
used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho,
certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these
powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the
NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state
in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded
to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of
the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with
a target business, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because
we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 and filed a Current Reports on Form 8-K, including an audited balance
sheet of our company demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank
check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules.
Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our
initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the IPO 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 our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders
are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess
of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval
of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant
to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 15% of the shares sold in the IPO, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.”
However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of
their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares
will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on
your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions
with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold the
Excess Shares and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your Excess Shares in open market transactions,
potentially at a loss.
35
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third
parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders
may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution.
The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the
event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window may be considered a liquidating distribution
under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure
that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims
can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional
150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect
to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed
to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However,
it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of the
IPO in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing
procedures.
Because we do not intend
to comply 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, consultants, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan
of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating
distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the
stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot
assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could
potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders
may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to
our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination
within the completion window is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is
deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could
then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until
after we consummate our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided
by such a meeting.
We may not hold an annual
meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by the NYSE) and thus may not
be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes
of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such
a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial business combination,
they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of
the DGCL. Moreover, our Class B stockholders will be entitled to elect all of our directors prior to the completion of our
initial business combination and may elect to do so by written consent without a meeting.
36
We are not registering the shares of Class A common
stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration
may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its
warrants except on a “cashless basis” and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the
shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws
at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later
than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file with
the SEC, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement
covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current
prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you
that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information
set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein
are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not
registered under the Securities Act, 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 or qualification is available. Notwithstanding the
above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange
such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act,
we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis”
in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file
or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our reasonable 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 no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares
upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such
warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event,
holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares
of Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption
right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable
state securities laws.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders
and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise
of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement
entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in the IPO, our initial stockholders and their permitted
transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares after those shares convert to shares of our Class A
common stock at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand
that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise
of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand
that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. 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 Class A common stock. In addition, the
existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to complete. This is because
the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration
to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the common stock owned
by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants owned by our sponsor or warrants issued
in connection with working capital loans are registered for resale.
37
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 to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following the IPO,
we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial 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 an initial business combination are insufficient to repay
our debt obligations;
· acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we
breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation
of that covenant;
· our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
· our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such
financing while the debt security is outstanding;
· our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
· using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available
for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and 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; and limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions,
debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who
have less debt.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of
our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a
result, they will elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and may exert a substantial
influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial stockholders
own 20% of our outstanding common stock. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, entitle
the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public
shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result,
you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our initial stockholders nor, to
our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed
in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current
trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial
stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other 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 aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions,
this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence
over actions requiring a stockholder vote.
38
Our sponsor contributed $25,000, or approximately $0.001
per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A
common stock.
Our sponsor acquired the
founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to the dilution of holders of our Class A common stock. This
dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance
of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial
business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust. In addition,
because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection
with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that
may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants.
As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the warrants could be converted into cash or stock (at a ratio
different than initially provided), the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common
stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants
will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant
agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to
cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding
public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly,
we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding
public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at
least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other
things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially
provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our initial stockholders may purchase public warrants with the intention of reducing the number of public warrants outstanding
or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to warrantholders for approval, including amending the terms of the public warrants
in a manner adverse to the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. While our initial stockholders have no current
commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for such transactions,
there is no limit on the number of our public warrants that our initial stockholders may purchase and it is not currently known
how many public warrants, if any, our initial stockholders may hold at the time of our initial business combination or at any other
time during which the terms of the public warrants may be proposed to be amended.
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 closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits,
stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending
on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. 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 to: (1) exercise your
warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so (2) sell your warrants
at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants; or (3) accept the nominal redemption
price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market
value of your warrants.
39
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect
on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 41,400,000
shares of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part
of the units offered in the IPO. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we also issued in a private placement an aggregate
of 42,850,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50
per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our initial stockholders currently hold 51,750,000 founder shares. The founder
shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein.
In addition, if our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans,
up to $1,500,000 of such 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.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A
common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares
of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle
to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce
the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. 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 the IPO except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees:
(1) they will not be redeemable by us; (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these
warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the
completion of our initial business combination; (3) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (4) the
holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to
registration rights.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business
financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective
target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require
that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination include historical and/or pro forma financial statement
disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not
they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or
be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial
reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the
historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses
we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial
statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may
make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources,
and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.
Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an
accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered
public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain
an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation
requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with
the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target
business with which we seek to complete our initial 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 initial business combination.
40
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the
future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider
to be in their best interests. These provisions include three-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to
designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may
discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Section 203 of the
DGCL affects the ability of an “interested stockholder” to engage in certain business combinations, for a period of
three years following the time that the stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder.” We will elect in our certificate
of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Nevertheless, our certificate of incorporation will contain
provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that it will provide that affiliates of our sponsor
and their transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting
stock owned by them, and will therefore not be subject to such restrictions. These charter provisions may limit the ability of
third parties to acquire control of our company.
Risks Relating to Our Management
Team
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to
other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This
conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors
are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating
their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other responsibilities. We do not intend
to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged
in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers and directors
are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
Mr. Klein is the founder
and managing partner of M. Klein and Company and acts as a strategic advisor to its clients. Mr. Klein has a fiduciary duty
to M. Klein and Company. As a result, Mr. Klein may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to clients of M. Klein
and Company. Mr. Klein will have no duty to offer acquisition opportunities to the Company unless presented to him solely
in his capacity as an officer or director of the Company.
Mr. August is
the Founder and CEO of OHA and acts as a strategic advisor to its clients. Mr. August has a fiduciary duty to OHA. As
a result, Mr. August may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to clients of OHA. Mr. August will
have no duty to offer acquisition opportunities to the Company unless presented to him solely in his capacity as a director of
the Company.
If our officers’ and
directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current
commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to
complete our initial business combination.
41
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their
departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent
upon a relatively small group of individuals. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and
directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man
insurance on the life of any of our other directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors
or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business
combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following
our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-
combination business.
Our ability to successfully
effect our initial 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 initial business combination, we do not currently expect that any of them
will do so. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure
you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements
of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar
with such requirements.
In addition, the officers
and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial 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 initial business combination cannot be ascertained
at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated
with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an
acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability
of our post-combination business.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting
agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may
be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may cause our key personnel to have conflicts
of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. However, we do not expect that any of our
key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination.
Our key personnel may be
able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment
or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the
negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments
and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations
also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial
interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe
the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining
factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination, as we do not expect that any
of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. The determination as to whether
any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
42
We may have a limited ability to assess the management
of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management
may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability
of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s
management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s
management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected.
Should the target business’s
management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability
of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain
a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.
Such stockholders or warrant
holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors
of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial 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 initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business
combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s
management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination,
it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. As a result, we may
need to reconstitute the management team of the post-transaction company in connection with our initial business combination, which
may adversely impact our ability to complete an initial business combination in a timely manner or at all.
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 determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other
transaction should be presented.
Until we consummate our
initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our
sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment
vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will
limit their ability to work at other businesses. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation
of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination.
As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination
opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. In particular, M. Klein and Company,
Mr. Klein and the Operating Partners, as well as our board of directors, have formed and are actively engaged in Churchill
Capital Corp V, Churchill Capital Corp VI and Churchill Capital Corp VII, special purpose acquisition corporations that completed
their initial public offerings in August 2020, December 2020, February 2021 and February 2021, respectively.
Churchill Capital Corp V, Churchill Capital Corp VI and Churchill Capital Corp VII, like us, may pursue initial business combination
targets in any businesses or industries and have until August 3, 2022, December 18, 2022, February 17, 2023 and
February 17, 2023, respectively, to do so (absent an extension in accordance with their charters). Any such companies, including
Churchill Capital Corp V, Churchill Capital Corp VI and Churchill Capital Corp VII may present additional conflicts of interest
in pursuing an acquisition target. M. Klein and Company, Mr. Klein and the Operating Partners are also actively engaged in
AltC Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition corporation that is in the process of completing its initial public offering
as of the date of this filing and may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
43
Each of our officers and
directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties
to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination
opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity
which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or
she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present
it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may
not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered
to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as
a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake
and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity
to us without violating another legal obligation.
In addition, none of the
Operating Partners are officers or directors of our company and therefore owe us no fiduciary duties as such. While we expect that
they will assist us in identifying business combination targets, they have no obligation to do so and may devote a substantial
portion of their business time to activities unrelated to us. Each Operating Partner may have fiduciary, contractual or other obligations
or duties to other organizations to present business combination opportunities to such other organizations rather than to us. Accordingly,
if any Operating Partner becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which
he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor those obligations and duties to present
such business combination opportunity to such entities first and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity
and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential business
may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
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 M. Klein and Company,
our sponsor or our directors or officers. 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.
In particular, affiliates
of our sponsor, our directors and our officers have invested, and may in the future invest, in a broad array of sectors, including
those in which our company may invest. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable
business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more
target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with M. Klein and Company, our sponsor, officers
or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement
of our sponsor, officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with or
competitive with M. Klein and Company, our sponsor, officers and directors, and their respective affiliates. Such entities may
compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific
opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have
been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically
focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that
such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent
and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member
of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of a
business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with M. Klein and Company, our sponsor, officers
or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be
as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
44
We may engage M. Klein and Company, or another affiliate
of our sponsor, as our lead financial advisor on our business combinations and other transactions. Any fee in connection with such
engagement may be conditioned upon the completion of such transactions. This financial interest in the completion of such transactions
may influence the advice such affiliate provides.
We may engage M. Klein and
Company, or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and pay
such affiliate a customary financial advisory fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory fee for comparable
transactions. Pursuant to any such engagement, the affiliate may earn its fee upon closing of the initial business combination.
The payment of such fee would likely be conditioned upon the completion of the initial business combination. Therefore, our sponsor
may have additional financial interests in the completion of the initial business combination. These financial interests may influence
the advice any such affiliate provides us as our financial advisor, which advice would contribute to our decision on whether to
pursue a business combination with any particular target.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire
investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold),
a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial
business combination.
In May 2020, our sponsor purchased
an aggregate of 21,562,500 shares of our founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.001 per
share. Our Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock, on a one-for-one basis,
upon the completion of a business combination. On July 14, 2020, we effected a stock dividend of one-third of a share of Class B
common stock for each outstanding share of Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate
of 28,750,000 founder shares. On July 27, 2020, we effected a stock dividend of 0.50 of a share of Class B common stock
for each outstanding share of Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 43,125,000
founder shares. On July 30, 2020, we effected a stock dividend of 0.20 of a share of Class B common stock for each outstanding
share of Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 51,750,000 founder shares. The
number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding
shares of common stock upon completion of the IPO.
In addition, our sponsor purchased an aggregate
of 42,850,000 private placement warrants for a purchase price of $42,850,000, or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless
if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase
one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
The founder shares are identical to the
shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in the IPO, except that: (1) only holders of the founder
shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination; (2) the founder shares
are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (3) our sponsor, officers and directors have
entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to: (a) waive their redemption rights with respect
to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination,
(b) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder
vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our
obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100%
of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window; and (c) waive
their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to
complete our initial business combination within the completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions
from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within
the completion window); (4) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock
at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution
rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
45
The personal and financial interests of
our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination,
completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial business combination nears.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability
insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market
for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and
our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums
charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends
may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased
availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate
an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result
of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms
or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the
post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after
we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from
claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect
our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any
such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination
entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our
investors.
Risks Associated with Acquiring
and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If our management team pursues a company with operations
or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection
with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be
subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues
a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject
to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing
our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local
governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination
with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international
setting, including any of the following:
· costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with 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;
46
· longer payment cycles;
· tax consequences;
· currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
· rates of inflation;
· challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
· 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;
· obligatory military service by personnel; and government appropriation of assets.
We may not be able to adequately
address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination or,
if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business,
results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination
is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could
lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination,
any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the Company, and the management of the target business
at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S.
securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming
familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely
affect our operations.
General Risk Factors
Past performance by M. Klein and Company and members of
our management team or our Strategic and Operating Partners may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance
by, or businesses associated with, M. Klein and Company and other members of our management team or our Strategic and Operating
Partners is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance, including related to acquisitions,
of M. Klein and Company and members of our management team or our Strategic and Operating Partners is not a guarantee either: (1) that
we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results
with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record and performance
of M. Klein and Company and members of our management team or our Strategic and Operating Partners as indicative of the future
performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not
an investment in M. Klein and Company or our Strategic and Operating Partners.
47
Certain agreements related to the IPO may be amended without
stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including
the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers and directors, and
the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements
contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. While we do not expect our board to approve
any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising
its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection
with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders,
may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse
effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of
the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth 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 the
end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such
fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions.
If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our
securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading
prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of
the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards
until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not
have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting
standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements
that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such 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.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name,
actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in
the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed
to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. This provision may have the effect of discouraging
lawsuits against our directors and officers.
48
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We currently maintain our executive offices
at 640 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10019. The cost for this space is included in the $50,000 per month fee that we will
pay an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.