Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the risks described below, together
with the other information contained in this Report, before deciding to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our
business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities
could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks
Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
We
may not be able to complete the Business Combination pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement. If we are unable to do so, we will
incur substantial costs associated with withdrawing from the transaction and may not be able to find additional sources of financing
to cover those costs.
In
connection with the Business Combination Agreement, we have incurred substantial costs researching, planning and negotiating the transaction.
These costs include, but are not limited to, costs associated with securing sources of financing, costs associated with employing and
retaining third-party advisors who performed the financial, auditing and legal services required to complete the transaction, and the
expenses generated by our officers, executives, and employees in connection with the transaction. If, for whatever reason, the transactions
contemplated by the Business Combination fail to close, we will be responsible for these costs, but will have no source of revenue with
which to pay them. We may need to obtain additional sources of financing in order to meet our obligations, which we may not be able to
secure on the same terms as our existing financing or at all. If we are unable to secure new sources of financing and do not have sufficient
funds to meet our obligations, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.
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We
have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We
are an exempted company, incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results. Because we lack an operating history,
you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination
with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning
a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination,
we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past
performance by our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information
regarding performance is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience or
performance of our management team or their respective affiliates is not a guarantee of either
(i) our ability to successfully identify and execute a transaction or (ii) success
with respect to any business combination that we may consummate. You should not rely on the
historical record of our management team and as indicative of the future performance of an
investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. Our management
has no experience in operating special purpose acquisition companies.
Our
shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our
initial business combination even though a majority of our shareholders do not support such a combination.
We
may choose not to hold a shareholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require
shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target
business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would typically not be required to seek shareholder
approval to complete such a transaction. Except for as required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, the decision
as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders 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 shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete
our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business
combination we complete.
Your
only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your
right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At
the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target
businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders
may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, 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
shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
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If
we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote
in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our
Sponsor owned, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of the
initial public offering. Our Sponsor and members of our management team also may from time-to-time purchase Class A ordinary shares
prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we seek shareholder
approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the ordinary shares, represented in person or by proxy
and entitled to vote thereon, voted at a shareholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination. Accordingly, if we seek
shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our Sponsor and each member of our management team to vote
in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for
such initial business combination.
You
will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate
your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our
public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion
of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly
elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection
with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or
timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection
with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within
the combination period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary
shares, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business within the combination period,
subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection
with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account
upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not consummated an initial business combination
within the combination period, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a public
shareholder 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.
The
ability of our public shareholders 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 shareholders 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. Consequently, if
accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than such amount necessary to satisfy
a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead
search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into
a business combination transaction with us.
The
ability of our public shareholders 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 shareholders may exercise their redemption
rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted
for redemption. If a large number of shares are submitted for redemption, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater
portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for additional third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may
involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit
our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The per-share amount
we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission
and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting
commissions.
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The
ability of our public shareholders 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 to redeem your shares.
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
is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust
account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the
open market; however, at such time our shares 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 shares in the open market.
The
requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within the combination period 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 shareholders.
Any
potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must consummate
an initial business combination within the combination period. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating
a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our 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
time frame 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.
We
may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the combination period, in which case we would cease all operations
except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We
may not be able to find a suitable target business and consummate an initial business combination within the combination 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 consummated an initial business combination within such applicable
time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible
but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the
aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously
released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding
public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to
receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject
to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and
(iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our
amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation
of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as
promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either such
case, our public shareholders may receive only $10.00 per public share, or less than $10.00 per public share, on the redemption of their
shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the
trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per public
share” and other risk factors herein.
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If
we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor, management team, directors and their affiliates may elect
to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float”
of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
If
we seek shareholder 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, executive officers, directors or their affiliates may purchase public shares
or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business
combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage
in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account
will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions.
In
the event that our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from
public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke
their prior elections to redeem their shares.
The
purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of
obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants
on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) satisfy
a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing
of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our securities
may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases
are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial
holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our
securities on a national securities exchange. 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. See “Business—Effecting Our Initial
Business Combination—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities” for a description of how
our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private
transaction.
If
a shareholder 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 proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business
combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials,
as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or
tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination
will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. In the event that
a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Business—Effecting Our Initial
Business Combination—Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
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.
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Because
of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete
our initial business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public
shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust
account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors
(which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing
for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience
in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries.
Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial
resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target
businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants,
our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available
financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses.
Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial
business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce
the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage
in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time
period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation
of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds
held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00
per public share” and other risk factors herein.
If
the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are
insufficient to allow us to operate for the combination period, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business
or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our Sponsor, its affiliates
or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of
the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,800,000 was available
to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that the funds available to us outside
of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our Sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team, and
third parties will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least until the combination period expires; however, we cannot assure
you that our estimate is accurate, and our Sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team are under no obligation to advance
funds to us in such circumstances. Of the funds available to us, we expect to use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees
to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund
a “no-shop” provision(a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping”
around for transactions with other companies 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 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.
Unless
funded by the proceeds of loans available from our Sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team, and third parties the amount
of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account
will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow
funds from our Sponsor, its affiliates, members of our management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate.
Neither our Sponsor, members of our management team nor their affiliates is under any obligation to us in such circumstances. Any such
advances may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business
combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.50
per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of
our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor, its affiliates or members of our
management team as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights
to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period
because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently,
our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per public share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares,
and our warrants will expire worthless. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account
could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per public share”
and other risk factors herein.
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We
may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which
could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We
may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements.
While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements,
the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To
the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we
may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent
us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business
and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors until we complete our business
combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated,
we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and
leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business.
Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
Our
shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption
of their shares.
If
we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment
if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall
due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders.
Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad
faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing
the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and
officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were
unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine
of $18,292.68 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We
may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We
will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination target is presented
to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will
endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination target, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain
or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to
be less favorable to investors in the initial public offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business
combination target. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s
expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this Report regarding the areas
of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result,
our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any holders who choose
to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders
are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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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 shareholders do not agree.
Our
amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. As a result, we
may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with
the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder 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 or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration
we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be
returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
To
effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters
and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended
and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete
our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In
order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters
and 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. Amending our amended
and restated memorandum and articles of association will require at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman
Islands law, meaning the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a shareholder
meeting of the company, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants and,
solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect
to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and
restated memorandum and articles of association will require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their
public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would
modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares
redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial
business combination within the combination period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders
of our Class A ordinary shares. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of
the securities offered through our initial public offering, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected
securities.
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Our
Sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially
in a manner that you do not support.
Upon
closing of the initial public offering, our Sponsor owns, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary
shares (assuming it does not purchase any units in the initial public offering). Accordingly, it may exert a substantial influence on
actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated
memorandum and articles of association. If our Sponsor purchases any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in
privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its control. Neither our Sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or
directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this Report. Factors that would be
considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary
shares. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our Sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each
of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold
an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all
of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting,
as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for
election and, due to the conversion of all of our Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, our board of directors will control
the outcome, as only holders of our Class B ordinary shares had the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors
prior to our initial business combination, and, per Article 29.2 of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association,
such right to elect directors reverted to the board of directors upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. Accordingly, our Sponsor
will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to
enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our Sponsor.
After
our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and
all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws
or their other legal rights.
It
is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States
and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible,
for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers
or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers
under United States laws.
You
will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since
the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an
initial business combination, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However,
because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 following the completion of the initial public offering and the sale of the
private placement warrants and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact,
we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors
will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means 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 initial public offering 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 an initial
business combination.
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 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 maybe 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 holders who choose to retain their securities following
the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such
reduction in value.
28
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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per public 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 (except our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities
with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held
in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute
such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent
inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver,
in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If
any third-party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform
an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third-party that has not executed a waiver
if management believes that such third-party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples
of possible instances where we may engage a third-party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant
whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would
agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition,
there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of,
any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption
of our public shares, if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the combination period, 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 ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption
amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims
of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to our initial public offering registration
statement, 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 amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public
share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account
if less than $10.00 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be
withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target
business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity
of the underwriter of the initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover,
if an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third-party, our Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability
for such third-party claims.
However,
we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor
has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company.
Therefore, we cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully
made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than
$10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser
amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims
by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our
directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in
the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In
the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual
amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per public
share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations,
and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular
claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification
obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary
duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations,
the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per public
share.
29
If,
after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition
or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency 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 shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition
or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by
shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer”
or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received
by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or
having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust
account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If,
before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition
or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such
proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received
by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If,
before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition
or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust
account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the
claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account,
the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Although
we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may
enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target
business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria
and guidelines.
Although
we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business
with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial
business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a
combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business
combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law
or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult
for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and
guidelines. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may
receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our
warrants will expire worthless.
We
are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting or investment banking 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 shareholders 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to
our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board
of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used
will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Resources
could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate
and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period,
our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation
of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements,
disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants,
attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the
proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we
may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will
result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire
or merge with another business. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public
shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust
account and our warrants will expire worthless.
30
Compliance
obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial
financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2023. Because we qualify as an emerging growth company, we are not 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 acquisition.
The
provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to the rights of holders of our Class A
ordinary shares (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended
with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary
shares who attend and vote at a shareholder meeting of the company, 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 memorandum and articles of association to facilitate
the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision
in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to the rights of a company’s
shareholders, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions
typically requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles
of association will provide that any of its provisions related to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares (including
the requirement to deposit proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not
release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may
be amended if approved by special resolution, meaning holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote
at a shareholder meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust
account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our ordinary shares; provided that the provisions of our amended and
restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination
may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at
our shareholder meeting. Our Sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who collectively beneficially own, on an as-converted basis,20%
of our Class A ordinary shares upon the closing of the initial public offering, will participate in any vote to amend our amended
and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination
behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with
which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles
of association.
Our
Sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our
amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide
holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination
or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the combination period or (B) with
respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, unless we provide our public shareholders
with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the
trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares.
Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, this agreement and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue
remedies against our Sponsor, executive officers or directors for any breach of this agreement. As a result, in the event of a breach,
our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
31
Our
letter agreement with our Sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our
letter agreement with our Sponsor, officers and directors contains provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares
and private placement warrants, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions
from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval (although releasing the parties from the restriction
not to transfer the founder shares for 180 days following the date of our final prospectus will require the prior written consent of
the representative). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement 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 the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders
and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We
may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target
business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business
combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less
in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
If
the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because
of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation
to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination
or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to
seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available
on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing.
To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be
compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business
candidate. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive
only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants
will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may
require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have
a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders
is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.
Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
32
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 shareholders’ investment in us.
Although
we have no commitments as of the date of this Report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt
following the initial public offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our
officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest
or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount
available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
●
default
and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt
obligations;
●
acceleration of our obligations
to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require
the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
●
our immediate payment of
all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
●
our inability to obtain
necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is
outstanding;
●
our inability to pay dividends
on our Class A ordinary shares;
●
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 Class A
ordinary shares 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.
We
may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement
warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This
lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The
net proceeds from the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants
provided us with $319,216,340 that we may use to complete our initial business combination,
which amount was reduced to approximately $35.6 million following redemptions in connection
with the extraordinary general meetings of shareholders held on March 15, 2023, and September
13, 2023.
33
We
may effectuate our initial business combination with a single-target business or multiple-target businesses simultaneously or within
a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business
because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma
financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they
had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification
may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations
or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete
several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success
may be:
●
solely dependent upon the
performance of a single business, property or asset; or
●
dependent upon the development
or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This
lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial
adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
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
(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.
Because
we must furnish our shareholders 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 meeting certain financial significance
tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement
disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial
statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, 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 statements in time for us to
disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time
frame.
34
If
we have not consummated an initial business combination within the combination period, our public shareholders may be forced to wait
beyond such combination period before redemption from our trust account.
If
we have not consummated an initial business combination within the combination period, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account,
including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up
to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described
herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated
memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind up, liquidate the trust account
and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation
and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond
the combination period before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their
pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our
redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended
and restated memorandum and articles of association, and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A
ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete
our initial business combination and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation
of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as
promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
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.
On
January 24, 2024, the SEC adopted a series of new rules relating to SPACs (the “SPAC Rules”) that provided guidance describing
the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. Whether
a SPAC is an investment company will be a question of facts and circumstances. We can give no assurance that a claim will not be made
that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company.
If
we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
●
restrictions on the nature
of our investments; and
●
restrictions
on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
In
addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
●
registration as an investment
company with the SEC;
●
adoption of a specific
form of corporate structure; and
●
reporting, record keeping,
voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations to which we are currently not subject.
In
order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must
ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities
do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our
assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete
a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses
or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive
investor.
35
We
do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. Since our initial public offering,
the proceeds held in the trust account have only been invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning
of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain
conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury
obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the
investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long
term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being
deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. An investment in our securities is not intended
for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended
as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the
redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum
and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary
shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares
if we do not complete our initial business combination within the combination period or (B) with respect to any other provision
relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; or (iii) absent our completing an initial business combination
within the combination period, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption
of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act.
If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional
expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we have not consummated
our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public
share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
To
mitigate further risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we intend to instruct
the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account and instead hold the funds in the Trust Account in an interest-bearing
demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. Following
such liquidation, the Company may receive less interest on the funds held in the Trust Account than the interest the Company would have
received pursuant to the original Trust Account investments; however, interest previously earned on the funds held in the Trust Account
still may be released to us to pay taxes, if any, and certain other expenses as permitted. Consequently, the transfer of the funds in
the Trust Account to an interest-bearing demand deposit account could reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive
upon any redemption or liquidation.
Our
independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about
our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
If
we are unable to raise additional capital, we may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include,
but not necessarily be limited to, suspending the pursuit of a Business Combination. We cannot provide any assurance that new financing
will be available to us on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. Further, our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial
business combination may not be successful. We currently have a mandatory liquidation date of June 18, 2024, unless such date is extended
by our Board, pursuant to our amended and restated articles of association , to complete a Business Combination. Although we expect to
complete a business combination prior to the expiration of the combination period, it is uncertain whether we will be able to do so.
These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through our liquidation date. The
financial statements contained elsewhere in this Report do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate
a Business Combination or our inability to continue as a going concern.
Risks
Relating to our Securities
The
securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest
income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount
received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The
net proceeds of the initial public offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants are be held in an interest-bearing
trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. Treasury obligations having a maturity of 185
days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. Treasury
obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks
in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled
out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields,
the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete
our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held
in the trust account, plus any interest income.
36
If
we seek shareholder 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 shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will
lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If
we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provide that a public
shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as
a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect
to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,”
without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all 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 that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in
order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq
may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities
and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our
units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are listed on Nasdaq. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to
our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain
a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300
public holders).
Additionally,
our units will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination,
we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the
Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance,
our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our shareholders’ equity would generally be required
to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders (with at least 50% of such round
lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial
listing requirements at that time.
If
Nasdaq delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities
exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant
material adverse consequences, including:
●
a limited availability
of market quotations for our securities;
●
reduced liquidity for our
securities;
●
a determination that our
Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares
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.” Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants
are listed on Nasdaq, and, as a result, qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating
the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud,
and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular
case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check
companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these
powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were
no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute, and we would be subject to regulation
in each state in which we offer our securities.
37
We
may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee
incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion
of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination because of the anti-dilution
provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest
of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize
the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares,
par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. There are 488,763,998 authorized but unissued
Class A ordinary shares available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise
of outstanding warrants. As of December 31, 2023, there were no Class B ordinary shares or preference shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional
Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after
completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares in connection with our redeeming the warrants
as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants.” However, our amended
and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business
combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account
or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with
the completion of an initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association,
like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance
of additional ordinary or preference shares:
●
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the initial public offering;
●
may subordinate the rights
of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A
ordinary shares;
●
could cause a change in
control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to
use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
●
may have the effect of
delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control
of us;
●
may adversely affect prevailing
market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and
●
may not result in adjustment
to the exercise price of our warrants.
Holders
of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior
to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders
of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. As of December 31, 2023, there were
no founder shares outstanding. As a result, per Article 29.2 of the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association the power
to elect directors now resides solely with our board of directors. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, holders of
a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say
in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
38
We
are not registering the Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file
with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of such shares, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause
the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness
of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are
redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental
change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by
reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above requirements, we will be required to permit holders to exercise
their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of Class A ordinary shares that you will receive upon cashless exercise
will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to
adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares
to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under
the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above,
if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that
they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, 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 commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an
exemption is not available. Exercising the warrants on a cashless basis could have the effect of reducing the potential “upside”
of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of Class A ordinary shares
upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities
or other compensation in exchange for the warrants if 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 Class A ordinary shares included in the units. There may be a circumstance
where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding
exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units sold in the initial public offering. In such an
instance, our Sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise
their warrants and sell the ordinary shares underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise
their warrants and sell the underlying ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares for sale under all applicable state securities
laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
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 exercise
period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased,
all without your approval.
Our
warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant
agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the
purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the
description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in the final prospectus related to our initial public offering,
or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance
with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant
agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the
rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public
warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly,
we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public
warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision
of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement
warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public
warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants,
convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise
of a warrant.
39
We
may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We
have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at
a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share
(as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) for any 20 trading days
within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that
certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are
unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem
the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants
could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you
to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept
the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially
less than the market value of your warrants.
In
addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their
expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that the closing
price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable
upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third
trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met, including that holders will
be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption
date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be
less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price
is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares
received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the
warrants.
None
of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us as so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our
warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate
our initial business combination.
We
issued warrants to purchase 6,384,327 of our Class A ordinary shares as part of the units sold in our initial public offering and,
simultaneously issued in a private placement an aggregate of 6,256,218 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A
ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. In addition, if the Sponsor, its affiliates or a member of our management
team makes any working capital loans, it may convert up to $1,500,000 of such loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement
warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares in connection with our redemption of our
warrants.
To
the extent we issue ordinary shares for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of
a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition
vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary
shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants
may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because
each unit contains one-fifth of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less
than units of other blank check companies.
Each
unit contains one-fifth of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued
upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive
a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary
shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share
and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the
dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-fifth of
the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more
attractive merger partner for target businesses.
Nevertheless,
this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if a unit included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
40
A
provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike
most blank check companies, if (i) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising
purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share,
(ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon,
available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net
of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to
be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will
be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per
share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued
Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
The
warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, and you will not have any
information regarding such other security at this time.
In
certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable
for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities
pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant
to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the
security underlying the warrants within twenty business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
Provisions
in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors
might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles
of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best
interests. These provisions will include a staggered board of directors, the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms
of and issue new series of preference shares, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders
of our founder shares, which have been issued to our Sponsor, are entitled to vote on the election of directors, 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.
The
grant of registration rights to our Sponsor 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 ordinary shares.
Pursuant
to an agreement entered into on or prior to the closing of the public initial offering, our Sponsor and its permitted transferees can
demand that we register the resale of the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, the private placement
warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued
upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such warrants. The registration
rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares and the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares
issuable upon exercise of such private placement 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 ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination
more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders 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 securities that is
expected when the securities owned by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees are registered for resale.
Risks
Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
We
are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our
operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe
that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business
combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs
and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential
business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance
on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers.
The
unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
41
Our
ability to successfully effect our 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, director or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all
of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after
our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals
may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and
resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
Our
key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination,
and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may
provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts
of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our
key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to
negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously
with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments
and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could
make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such
individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. In addition, pursuant to an agreement entered
into on or prior to the closing of the initial public offering, our Sponsor, upon and following consummation of an initial business combination,
will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the Sponsor holds any securities covered
by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
The
officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business
combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The
role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained
at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated
with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition
candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Our
executive officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination
as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial
business combination.
Our
executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict
of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We
do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers
and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive
officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors
also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs
require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their
ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For
a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management—Officers
and Directors.”
42
Our
officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other
entities, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular
business opportunity should be presented.
Until
we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses
or entities. Our Sponsor, officers, and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar
business. 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. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability
to complete our initial business combination.
Our
Sponsor, officers, and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and
the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining
to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential
target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles
of association provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer
shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same
or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered
an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer
, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Our
executive 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 executive officers, directors, security holders or affiliates from having a direct
or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are
a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our Sponsor,
our directors or executive officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons
from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have
a conflict between their interests and ours.
The
personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target
business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and
selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of
a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a
breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals
for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them
for such reason.
We
may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated
with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In
light of the involvement of our Sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses
or entities affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or initial shareholders. Our directors also serve as officers
and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
Our Sponsor, officers, and directors may Sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period
in which we are seeking an initial business combination. 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. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with
any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria and guidelines
for a business combination as set forth in “Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Evaluation of a Target
Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent
and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent
entity that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination
with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, 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 shareholders
as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
43
Our
management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. Upon the loss of control
of a target business, new management may not possess the skills, qualifications, or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We
may structure our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders 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-business combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires
a controlling interest in the target 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-business combination company owns
50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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 the business combination.
For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for
all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests 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 Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately
prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction.
In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger
share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not
be able to maintain control of the target business.
Since
our Sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed
(other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after the initial public offering), a conflict of interest may arise
in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On January 13, 2021, our Sponsor paid $25,000,
or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in consideration of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares,
par value $0.0001. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible.
The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number of founder shares
issued. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, on April 14, 2021, our
Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 6,256,218 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($9,384,327 in the aggregate), in a private placement that closed
simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering. If we do not consummate an initial business within the combination period,
the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The personal and financial interests of our executive officers and directors may
influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and
influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the Termination
Date nears, which is the deadline for our consummation of an initial business combination.
Certain
of our officers and directors have direct and indirect economic interests in us and/or our Sponsor after the consummation of the initial
public offering and such interests may potentially conflict with those of our public shareholders as we evaluate and decide whether to
recommend a potential business combination to our public shareholders.
Certain of our officers and directors may own membership
interests in our Sponsor and indirect interests in our Class A ordinary shares and private placement warrants which may result in
interests that differ from the economic interests of the investors in the initial public offering, which includes making a determination
of whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. There may
be a potential conflict of interest between our officers and directors that hold membership interests in our Sponsor and our public shareholders
that may not be resolved in favor of our public shareholders. See “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
We
may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We
have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have
agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against
the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership
of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds
outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and
directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These
provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though
such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be
adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these
indemnification provisions.
44
General
Risk Factors
Cyber
incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We
depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of
third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure,
or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary
information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early-stage company without significant investments in data security protection,
we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or
to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of
them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Changes
in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability
to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We
are subject to the laws and regulations, and interpretations and applications of such laws and regulations, of national, regional, state,
and local governments and non-U.S. jurisdictions. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC and other legal and regulatory
requirements, and our consummation of an initial business combination may be contingent upon our ability to comply with certain laws,
regulations, interpretations and applications and any post-business combination company may be subject to additional laws, regulations,
interpretations and applications. Compliance with, and monitoring of, the foregoing 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, including our ability to negotiate and complete an initial business combination. 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 an initial business combination. The SEC has, in the past year, adopted certain rules and may, in the
future adopt other such rules, which may have a material effect on our activities and on our ability to consummate an initial business
combination, including the SPAC Rules described below.
The
SEC has recently issued rules relating to certain activities of SPACs. Certain of the procedures that we, a potential business combination
target or others may determine to undertake in connection with such proposals may increase our costs and the time needed to complete
our initial business combination and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination. The
need for compliance with the SPAC Rules may cause us to liquidate the funds in the Trust Account or liquidate Plum at an earlier time
than we might otherwise choose.
The
SPAC Rules require, among other items, (i) additional disclosures relating to SPAC business combination transactions; (ii) additional
disclosures relating to dilution and to conflicts of interest involving sponsors and their affiliates in both SPAC initial public offerings
and SPAC initial business combinations; (iii) the use of projections by SPACs in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination
transactions; and (iv) both the SPAC and the target company’s status as co-registrants on de-SPAC transaction registration statements.
In
addition, the SEC’s adopting release provided guidance describing circumstances in which a SPAC could become subject to regulation
under the Investment Company Act, including its duration, asset composition, business purpose, and the activities of the SPAC and its
management team in furtherance of such goals.
Compliance
with the SPAC Rules and related guidance may increase the costs and the time needed to negotiate and complete an initial business combination,
may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination.
Our
Warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our Warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.
On
April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued
a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies entitled
“Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”)”
(the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on warrants that have certain settlement terms and provisions
related to certain tender offers or warrants which do not meet the criteria to be considered indexed to an entity’s own stock,
which terms are similar to those contained in the warrant agreement governing our Warrants. As a result of the SEC Statement, we reevaluated
the accounting treatment of our 6,384,326 Public Warrants and 6,256,218 Private Placement Warrants and determined that the Warrants should
be reclassified as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.
As
a result, included on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, contained elsewhere in this Annual Report are derivative liabilities
related to embedded features contained within our Warrants. Accounting Standards Codification 815-40, “Derivatives and Hedging
—Contracts on an Entity’s Own Equity”, provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each
balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the
statement of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our financial statements and results of operations may
fluctuate quarterly, based on factors, which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that
we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our Warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be
material.
45
We
face risks related to the restatement of our previously issued consolidated financial statements with respect to the Affected Periods.
As
discussed in the Explanatory Note and in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K, we reached a determination
to restate certain financial information and related footnote disclosures in our previously issued consolidated financial statements
for the Affected Periods. As a result, we have become subject to a number of additional risks and uncertainties, which may affect investor
confidence in the accuracy of our financial disclosures and may raise reputational issues for our business. We expect to continue to
face many of the risks and challenges related to the restatement, including the following:
● we
may face potential for litigation or other disputes, which may include, among others, claims
invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising
from the restatement; and
● the
processes undertaken to effect the restatement may not have been adequate to identify and
correct all errors in our historical financial statements and, as a result, we may discover
additional errors and our financial statements remain subject to the risk of future restatement.
We
cannot assure that all of the risks and challenges described above will be eliminated or that general reputational harm will not persist.
If one or more of the foregoing risks or challenges persist, our business, operations and financial condition are likely to be materially
and adversely affected.
We
have identified three material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to develop and maintain
an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a
timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.
Following
issuance of the SEC Staff Statement on April 12, 2021, and after consultation with our independent registered public accounting
firm, our management and our audit committee concluded that, in light of the SEC Statement, it was appropriate to restate our previously
issued audited balance sheet as of March 18, 2021, which we filed with the SEC on Form 8-K on March 24, 2021, to account for
the warrants as liabilities measured at fair value, rather than equity securities (the “Restatement”). See “—Our
warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.”
As a result of these events, which led to the Restatement, we have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial
reporting.
Second,
our management re-evaluated our application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to our accounting classification of public shares. After consultation
with our independent registered public accounting firm, our management and our audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate
our previously issued Restated Balance Sheet and unaudited interim financial statements included in our current report on Form 8-K filed
with the SEC on March 24, 2021 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2021 and June 30,
2021, filed with the SEC on May 28, 2021 and August 16, 2021, respectively. As part of such process, we identified an additional
material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.
Third,
in the course of preparing a response to a comment letter received by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on February
1, 2024, related to our Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed January 5, 2024, our management has re-evaluated our application of
ASC 470 to our executed Subscription Agreements during 2023. After consultation with our independent registered public accounting firm,
our management and our audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate our previously issued Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q
for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on May 23, 2023,
August 21, 2023, and November 22, 2023, respectively. As part of this process, we identified a third material weakness in our internal
control over financial reporting.
Finally,
as required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out
an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023. Based
upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures
were not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the material weakness in our internal controls during the year ended 2023 and
2022 over accounting and reporting complex financial instruments including the accounting of subscription agreements, proper classification
of warrants as liabilities and redeemable Class A ordinary shares as temporary equity and prepaid expenses between current and non-current,
and under accrual of liabilities. These material weaknesses in our internal controls have not been remediated as of December 31, 2023.
In light of this material weakness, we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our unaudited interim financial
statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Accordingly, management believes that the
financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results
of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.
A
material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is
a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected
and corrected on a timely basis. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud.
We continue to evaluate steps to remediate the material weakness. If we identify any new material weakness in the future, any such newly
identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result
in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with
securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements,
investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and the price of our securities may decline as a result. We cannot assure you
that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material
weaknesses.
46
We
are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of
certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to “emerging growth companies” or “smaller reporting companies,”
this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public
companies.
We
are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage
of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging
growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor 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 shareholder approval of any
golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may
deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status
earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million
as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December
31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors
find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower
than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may
be more volatile.
Further,
Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial
accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective
or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting
standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements
that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt
out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for
public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt
the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging
growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because
of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally,
we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies
may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial
statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our
ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues
exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds
$700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison
of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Our
warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New
York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which
could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our
warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating
in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New
York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction,
which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive
jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by
the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive
forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and
to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the
forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District
Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall
be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in
connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having
service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in
the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
47
This choice-of-forum provision
may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company,
which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable
with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving
such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Because
we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to
protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We
are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service
of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts
against our directors or officers.
Our
corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may
be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We are also subject to the federal securities
laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the
fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman
Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands
as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the
Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different
from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands
has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed
and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders’
derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We
have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce
against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of
the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated
upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed
by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of
judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign
court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes
upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign
judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in
respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the
grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy
of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court
may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As
a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken
by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States
company.
An
investment in us may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An
investment in us may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly
address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in the initial public offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect
to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary shares and the one-fifth of a warrant to purchase one Class A
ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences
of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in the initial public offering is unclear under current law.
Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s
holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary
shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends”
for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax
consequences when holding or disposing of our securities.
48
Since
only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq,
Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for
exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After
completion of the initial public offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors.
As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq corporate governance standards.
Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or
another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including
the requirements that:
●
we have a board that includes
a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of Nasdaq;
●
we have a compensation
committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s
purpose and responsibilities; and
●
we have a nominating committee
of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose
and responsibilities.
We
do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules.
However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to
shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
We
may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences
to U.S. investors.
If
we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary
shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting
requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception
and the timing of our initial business combination. Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception
may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly,
there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual
PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine
we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal
Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to
make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required
information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their
tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules with respect to their particular circumstances.
We
may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in
taxes imposed on shareholders.
We
may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate
in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder
or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in
which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or
warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to
their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
49
Risks
Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If
we pursue a target 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 initial business combination, and if we effect
such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If
we pursue a target 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;
●
rules and regulations regarding
currency redemption;
●
complex corporate withholding
taxes on individuals;
●
laws governing the manner
in which future business combinations may be effected;
●
exchange listing and/or
delisting requirements;
●
tariffs and trade barriers;
●
regulations related to
customs and import/export matters;
●
local or regional economic
policies and market conditions;
●
unexpected changes in regulatory
requirements;
●
longer payment cycles;
●
tax issues, such as tax
law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
●
currency fluctuations and
exchange controls;
●
rates of inflation;
●
challenges in collecting
accounts receivable;
●
cultural and language differences;
●
employment regulations;
●
underdeveloped or unpredictable
legal or regulatory systems;
●
corruption;
●
protection of intellectual
property;
●
social unrest, crime, strikes,
riots, and civil disturbances;
●
regime changes and political
upheaval;
●
terrorist attacks, natural
disasters and wars; and
●
deterioration of political
relations with the United States.
We
may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business
combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
50
If
our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States 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, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management
of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar
with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States 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.
After
our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue
may be derived from our operations in any such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant
extent, to the economic, political and social conditions and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which
we operate.
The
economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect
our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be
sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected,
there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially
and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and
if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange
rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In
the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar
equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency.
The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic
conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target
business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally,
if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target
business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
We
may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may
govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In
connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another
jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The
system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as
in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss
of business, business opportunities or capital.
51
We
are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased
both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We
are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection
of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable
law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased
general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from seeking a business combination target.
Moreover,
because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time
as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs
necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations
and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
Not
applicable.
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.