Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together
with the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and related notes, before making
a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating
results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could
lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks
and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that
adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. For risk factors related to the proposed Sema4 Business
Combination, see the “Risk Factors” section of the Sema4 Disclosure Statement that we will file with the SEC.
Risks
Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our
stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial Business Combination, and even if we hold a vote,
holders of our Founder Shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial Business Combination even
though a majority of our Public Stockholders do not support such a combination.
We
may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial Business Combination if the Business Combination would not require
stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Except for as required by applicable law or stock
exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or will
allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based
on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require
us to seek stockholder approval. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of our Founder Shares will participate in the
vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial Business Combination even if a majority of our Public Stockholders
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.
You
may not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial Business Combination. Since our
board of directors may complete a Business Combination without seeking stockholder approval, Public Stockholders may not have
the right or opportunity to vote on the Business Combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity
to affect the investment decision regarding our initial Business Combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights
within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our Public
Stockholders in which we describe our initial Business Combination.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to
vote in favor of such initial Business Combination, regardless of how our Public Stockholders vote.
Our
initial stockholders own a substantial percentage of our outstanding common stock. Our initial stockholders and management team
also may from time to time purchase Class A Common Stock prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination. Our second
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial Business Combination,
such initial Business Combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to
vote at such meeting, including the Founder Shares. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination,
the agreement by our initial stockholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial Business Combination will increase
the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial Business Combination.
9
The
ability of our Public Stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential
Business Combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to consummate a Business Combination with a target.
We
may seek to enter into a Business Combination transaction agreement with minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration
to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the
retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. If too many Public Stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not
be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the Business Combination. Furthermore,
in no event will we redeem our Public Shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001
or make us unable to satisfy a minimum cash condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related
Business Combination and may instead search for an alternate Business Combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these
risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a Business Combination transaction with us.
The
ability of our Public Stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us
to complete the most desirable Business Combination or optimize our capital structure.
At
the time we enter into a Business Combination Agreement, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption
rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be
submitted for redemption. If our initial Business Combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust
Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion
of the cash in the Trust Account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number
of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater
portion of the cash in the Trust Account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve
dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would
increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B Common Stock results in the issues of shares
of Class A Common Stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the shares of Class B Common Stock at
the time of our initial Business Combination. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the
underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination. The per
share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred
underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the
entire deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable Business
Combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The
ability of our Public Stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the
probability that our initial Business Combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order
to redeem your 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 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 your
exercise of redemption rights until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
10
The
requirement that we complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering
or during any Extension 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 stockholders.
Any
potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a Business Combination will be aware that we must complete
our initial Business Combination within 24 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension
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 timeframe described above. In addition,
we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial Business Combination on terms that we would have
rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
Our
search for a Business Combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a Business Combination, may be
materially adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In
December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to
spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health
Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”
On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the
United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health
Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has and a significant outbreak
of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial
markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a Business Combination could be
materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a Business Combination if continued concerns relating
to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s
personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent
to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a Business Combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain
and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to
contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global
concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a Business Combination, or the operations of a target
business with which we ultimately consummate a Business Combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In
addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may
be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity
in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
We
may not be able to complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering
or during any Extension 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 complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months after the
closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension 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. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the
impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial Business Combination,
including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable
on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek
to acquire. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations
except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter,
redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust
Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less
up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption
will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating
distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of
our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case, to our obligations under
Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
11
If
we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our Sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers,
advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from Public Stockholders, which may influence a
vote on a proposed Business Combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A Common Stock or public warrants.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial
Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors
or their respective affiliates may purchase Public Shares or public 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. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their respective
affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, other than
as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or transactions
and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or transactions. None of the funds in the Trust Account
will be used to purchase Public Shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such purchases may include a contractual acknowledgment
that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore
agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.
In
the event that our Sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their respective affiliates purchase
shares in privately negotiated transactions from Public Stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights,
such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such purchases
of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining the
requisite stockholder approval of the Business Combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that
requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial Business Combination, where
it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to
reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for
approval in connection with our initial Business Combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion
of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible. We expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant
to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In
addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A Common Stock or public warrants and the number
of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing
or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If
a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our Public Shares in connection with our initial Business Combination,
or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We
will comply with the 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 stockholder fails to receive our proxy materials or tender
offer documents, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy
materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our Public Shares in connection with our
initial Business Combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or submit
Public Shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our Public Stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights,
whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver
their stock certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically prior to the date
set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up
to two business days prior to the date on which the vote on the proposal to approve the initial Business Combination is to be
held. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote, we intend to require a public stockholder
seeking redemption of its Public Shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days
prior to the vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a stockholder fails
to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not
be redeemed.
12
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 with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check”
company under the United States securities laws. However, because we had net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon
the completion of the Initial Public offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and we 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 became 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, we were subject to
Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the Trust Account to us unless and
until the funds in the Trust Account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial Business Combination.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer
rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our Class A Common Stock, you
will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A Common Stock.
If
we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial
Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides
that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting
in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking
redemption rights with respect to the Excess Shares without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’
ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial Business Combination. Your inability
to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial Business Combination and you could
suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will
not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial Business Combination. And as
a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required
to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because
of our limited resources and the significant competition for Business Combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for
us to complete our initial Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within the required
time period, our Public Stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available
for distribution to Public Stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
expect to encounter 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 similar or greater technical, human and other resources to ours 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 stockholder 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 are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within the required time period,
our Public Stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution
to Public Stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
13
As
the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for
an initial Business Combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial Business Combination and
may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial Business Combination.
In
recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies
have entered into Business Combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition
companies seeking targets for their initial Business Combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies
currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort
and resources to identify a suitable target for 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 a suitable target for and/or complete our initial Business Combination.
If
the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering not being held in the Trust Account are insufficient to allow us to operate for
at least the 24 months following the closing of the offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target
business or businesses and complete our initial Business Combination, and we will depend on loans from our Sponsor or management
team to fund our search and to complete our initial Business Combination.
Of
the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, only $1,000,000 will be 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 will be sufficient
to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of the Initial Public Offering; however, we cannot
assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to
pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down
payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target
businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such
target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed Business Combination, although we do not have any current intention to
do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target
business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have
sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business.
In
the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,000,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the
Trust Account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the Trust Account would decrease by a corresponding
amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,000,000, the amount of funds we intend
to be held outside the Trust Account would increase 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, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our Sponsor, members
of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such
advances would 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
or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against
any and all rights to seek access to funds in our Trust Account. If we are unable to complete 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 Stockholders 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.
14
Changes
in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate
and complete an initial Business Combination.
In
recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed
in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability
coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become
less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The
increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more
expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial Business Combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability
insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-Business Combination entity might need to
incur greater expense and/or accept less favorable terms. Furthermore, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability
insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-Business Combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers
and directors.
In
addition, after completion of any initial Business Combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability
from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such initial Business Combination. As a result, in order to
protect our directors and officers, the post-Business Combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect
to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the
post-Business Combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination
on terms favorable to our investors.
If
third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount
received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per 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, prospective target businesses and other entities (except for our independent registered public
accounting firm) with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind
in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our Public Stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements,
or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account, including, but
not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging
the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including
the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held
in the Trust Account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only
enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the
best interests of the company under the circumstances. The underwriters of the Initial Public Offering as well as our registered
independent public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account.
Examples
of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party
consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants
that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver.
In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of,
or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for
any reason. Upon redemption of our Public Shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required
time 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 10 years following
redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by Public Stockholders 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 dated as of
September 1, 2020, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services
rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we will enter into a written letter of intent, confidentiality
or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser
of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the
liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less
taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed
a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it
apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). 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.
15
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 Stockholders.
In
the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per 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 less taxes payable, 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 Stockholders may be reduced below
$10.00 per public share.
If,
after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members
of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members
of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If,
after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under
applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.”
As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board
of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, by paying
Public Stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims
of punitive damages.
If,
before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over
the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with
our liquidation may be reduced.
If,
before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary
bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable
bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the
claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the Trust Account, the per-share amount that would
otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If
we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance
requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination.
If
we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
● restrictions
on the nature of our investments; and
● restrictions
on the issuance of securities,
each
of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome
requirements, including:
● registration
as an investment company with the SEC;
16
● adoption
of a specific form of corporate structure; and
● reporting,
record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are not currently subject to.
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.
We
do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds
held in the Trust Account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of
Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 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 stockholder
vote to amend our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation
to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing
of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’
rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (iii) absent an initial Business Combination within 24 months
from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, our return of the funds held in the Trust Account
to our Public Stockholders as part of our redemption of the Public Shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above,
we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance
with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder
our ability to complete a Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within the required
time period, our Public Stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available
for distribution to Public Stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes
in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our
ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, and results of operations.
We
are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to
comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may
be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from
time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In
addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect
on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, and results of operations.
Our
stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption
of their shares.
Under
the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received
by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our Public Stockholders upon the redemption
of our Public Shares in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of
the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If
a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable
provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought
against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting
period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating
distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the
stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it
is our intention to redeem our Public Shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24 th month from the
closing of the Initial Public Offering in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination and, therefore, we do
not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
17
Because
we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known
to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought
against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating
company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims
to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of
distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution
is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder,
and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you
that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially
be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may
extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our
Public Stockholders upon the redemption of our Public Shares in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination
within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period is not considered a liquidating
distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of
legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174
of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution,
instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We
may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial Business Combination, which could delay
the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
In
accordance with Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later
than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are,
however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws
unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to
elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial Business Combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b)
of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation
of our initial Business Combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court
of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
Because
we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry, sector or geographic region nor have we selected
any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial Business Combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits
or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
Our
efforts to identify a prospective initial Business Combination target will not be limited to a particular industry, sector or
geographic region. While we may pursue an initial Business Combination opportunity in any industry, sector or geographic region,
we expect to focus our efforts on the life sciences sector and intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify,
acquire and operate a business or businesses that can benefit from our management team’s established global relationships
and operating experience. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing strategic investments globally
and has done so successfully in a number of sectors. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation prohibits us
from effectuating a Business Combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations.
To
the extent we complete our initial Business Combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations
with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record
of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development
stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business,
we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate
time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to
control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment
in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available,
in a Business Combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain stockholders or warrant
holders following the Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant
holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction
was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able
to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable,
relating to the Business Combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
18
Past
performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment
in us.
Information
regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team or businesses associated with them is presented for
informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either
(i) of success with respect to any Business Combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable
candidate for our initial Business Combination. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management
team’s or businesses associated with them as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns
we will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
In
evaluating a prospective target business for our initial Business Combination, our management will consider the availability of
funds from the sale of the Forward Purchase Shares, which may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial
Business Combination. If all or some of the Forward Purchase Shares are not purchased under the forward purchase agreement, we
may decide not to consummate our initial Business Combination, or if we decide to, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate
our initial Business Combination.
In
connection with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, we entered into separate forward purchase agreements with affiliates
of our Sponsor, Casdin Capital and Corvex Management, in their capacities as investment advisors on behalf of their Clients, pursuant
to which, subject to the conditions described below, they will cause certain Clients to purchase from us up to an aggregate amount
of 15,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, or the Forward Purchase Shares, for $10.00 per Forward Purchase Share, or an
aggregate amount of up to $150,000,000, in a private placement that will close concurrently with the closing of our initial Business
Combination. The proceeds from the sale of these Forward Purchase Shares, together with the amounts available to us from the Trust
Account (after giving effect to any redemptions of Public Shares) and any other equity or debt financing obtained by us in connection
with the Business Combination, will be used to satisfy the cash requirements of the Business Combination, including funding the
purchase price and paying expenses and retaining specified amounts to be used by the post-Business Combination company for working
capital or other purposes. The amount of Forward Purchase Shares sold pursuant to the forward purchase agreements will be determined
in our discretion based on our need for additional capital to consummate the initial Business Combination.
Each
of Casdin Capital’s and Corvex Management’s obligation to cause Clients to purchase Forward Purchase Shares will,
among other things, be conditioned on our completing an initial Business Combination with a company engaged in a business that
is within the investment objectives of the Clients purchasing Forward Purchase Shares and on the Business Combination (including
the target assets or business, and the terms of the Business Combination) being reasonably acceptable to such Clients as determined
by Casdin Capital or Corvex Management, as relevant, as investment advisors on behalf of such Clients. In determining whether
a target is reasonably acceptable to Clients, we expect that Casdin Capital or Corvex Management, as relevant, would consider
many of the same criteria as we will consider, but will also consider whether the investment is an appropriate investment for
such Clients, including whether the investment complies with any guidelines, restrictions or conflicts of interest provisions
applicable to such Clients. Accordingly, if either Casdin Capital or Corvex Management, as relevant, determines, as an investment
advisor on behalf of such Clients that the initial Business Combination falls outside the investment objects of such Clients or
is not reasonably acceptable to such Clients, it would not be obligated to purchase any Forward Purchase Shares. In addition,
the obligation to purchase Forward Purchase Shares will be subject to fulfillment of customary closing conditions, including that
our initial Business Combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with the purchase of Forward Purchase Shares.
If the sale of Forward Purchase Shares does not close for any reason, including by reason of the failure to fund the purchase
price, for example, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial Business Combination.
We
may seek Business Combination opportunities in industries, sectors or geographic regions that may be outside of our management’s
areas of expertise.
Although
we expect to focus our search for a target business in the life sciences sector, we will consider a Business Combination in industries,
sectors or geographic regions outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a Business Combination candidate is presented
to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive Business Combination opportunity for our company. Although our
management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular Business Combination candidate, 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 than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available,
in a Business Combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a Business Combination outside of the areas of our management’s
expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation. As a result, our management
may not be able to ascertain or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders
who choose to remain stockholders or warrant holders, respectively, following our initial Business Combination could suffer a
reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction
in value.
19
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 stockholders
may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business
that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction
is required by law or stock exchange listing rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons,
it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination if the target business does
not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our Public Stockholders
may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to Public Stockholders,
and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from a valuation or appraisal firm, and consequently,
you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders
from a financial point of view.
Unless
we complete our initial Business Combination with an affiliated entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine
the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required
to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from a valuation or appraisal firm
that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders
will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted
by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable,
related to our initial Business Combination.
Resources
could be wasted in researching Business Combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent
attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within
the required time period, our Public Stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that
are available for distribution to Public Stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements,
disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants,
attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial Business Combination, the costs incurred up to that point
for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target
business, we may fail to complete our initial Business Combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control.
Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts
to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within the
required time period, our Public Stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are
available for distribution to Public Stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
may only be able to complete one Business Combination with the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, the sale of the Private
Placement Warrants and the sale of Forward Purchase Shares, 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 held in the Trust Account from the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement of warrants provided us with
$442,750,000 that we may use to complete our initial Business Combination (not taking into account the $15,496,250 of deferred
underwriting commissions being held in the Trust Account). The proceeds from the sale of Forward Purchase Shares will be up to
$150,000,000.
20
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 investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation
of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately
address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We
may attempt to complete our initial Business Combination with a private company about which little information is available, which
may result in a Business Combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In
pursuing our Business Combination 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.
We
do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to
complete our initial Business Combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders or warrant holders do not agree.
Our
second amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that
in no event will we redeem our Public Shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
In addition, our proposed initial Business Combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration
to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the
retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial Business Combination even though
a substantial majority of our Public Stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek
stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business
Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our
Sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we
would be required to pay for all shares of Class A Common Stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required
to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available
to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares in connection with such initial Business Combination,
all shares of Class A Common Stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search
for an alternate Business Combination.
21
In
order to effectuate an initial Business Combination, special purpose acquisition 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that
will make it easier for us to complete our initial Business Combination that our stockholders may not support.
In
order to effectuate a Business Combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions
of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, special purpose acquisition companies
have amended the definition of Business Combination, increased redemption thresholds and 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require the approval
of holders of 65% of our common stock, 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our Public Stockholders
with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our a second mended and restated certificate
of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete
an initial Business Combination within 24 months of the closing of the Initial Public Offering or with respect to any other
material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. To the extent any
of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of our securities, we would register, or seek an exemption
from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments
or extend the time to consummate an initial Business Combination in order to effectuate our initial Business Combination.
The
provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-Business Combination activity
(and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account) may be amended with the
approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition
companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to facilitate
the completion of an initial Business Combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our
second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-Business Combination
activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of 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 Stockholders
as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon and corresponding
provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account may be amended if approved by holders
of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation
may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions
of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately
20% of our common stock, may participate in any vote to amend our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or
trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions
of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-Business Combination behavior more easily
than some other special purpose acquisition companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a Business Combination with
which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our second amended and restated certificate
of incorporation.
Our
Sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to written agreements with us, that they will
not propose any amendment to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of
our obligation to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months
from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period or with respect to any other material provisions
relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless we provide our Public Stockholders
with the opportunity to redeem their Class A Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable
in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the
Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares. Our
stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability
to pursue remedies against our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements.
As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable
law.
22
Certain
agreements related to the Initial Public Offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Each
of the agreements related to the Initial Public Offering to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the investment
management trust agreement, may be amended without stockholder approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement; the
letter agreement among us and our initial stockholders, Sponsor, officers and directors; the registration rights agreement among
us and our initial stockholders; and the Private Placement Warrants purchase agreement between us and our Sponsor. These agreements
contain various provisions that our Public Stockholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting
agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and other securities
held by our initial stockholders, Sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of
the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons,
including to facilitate our initial Business Combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment
to any of these agreements prior to our initial Business Combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising
its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement. Any
amendment entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination will be disclosed in our proxy
materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to such initial Business Combination, and any other material amendment
to any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments would not require approval from
our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible,
and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For example, amendments to the lock-up provision
discussed above may result in our initial stockholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted,
which may have an adverse effect on the price of 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.
We
have not selected any specific Business Combination target but may target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than
we could acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and the sale
of the Forward Purchase Shares. As a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the Trust
Account and the sale of Forward Purchase Shares, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemption by Public Stockholders, or if
the Forward Purchase Shares are not purchased under the forward purchase agreement, we may be required to seek additional financing
to complete such proposed initial Business Combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable
terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our 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. Further, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing
of our initial Business Combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the
post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial
Business Combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination
within the required time period, our Public Stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account
that are available for distribution to Public Stockholders, 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 stockholders is required to provide any financing
to us in connection with or after our initial Business Combination.
Our
initial stockholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder
vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our
initial stockholders own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial
influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our
second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our initial stockholders purchase any units or any additional Class
A Common Stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial
stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities.
Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price
of our Class A Common Stock. In addition, 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 terms for three years with only one class of directors being elected
in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders 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 our initial stockholders, because of their ownership
position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert
control at least until the completion of our initial Business Combination. Any Forward Purchase Shares will not be issued until
completion of our initial Business Combination, and, accordingly, will not be included in any stockholder vote until such time.
23
Because
we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous
initial Business Combination with some prospective target businesses.
The
federal proxy rules require that the proxy statement with respect to the vote on an initial Business Combination include historical
and pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender
offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to
be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
(“GAAP”), or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board
(“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) (“PCAOB”). These
financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be
unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules
and complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame.
Compliance
obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial Business Combination, require
substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial Business Combination.
Section 404
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated
filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent
registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long
as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm
attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance
with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because
a target business with which we seek to complete our initial Business Combination may not be in compliance with the provisions
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls.
The
development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the
time and costs necessary to complete any such Business Combination.
If
we effect our initial Business Combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a
variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
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;
24
● local
or regional economic policies and market conditions;
● unexpected
changes in regulatory requirements;
● challenges
in managing and staffing international operations;
● 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 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 initial Business Combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely
impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our
initial Business Combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders and warrant holders. As
a result of our Business Combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
Although
we will attempt to structure our initial Business Combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are
complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over
tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial Business Combination and subject to any requisite stockholder
approval, we may structure our Business Combination in a manner that requires stockholders and/or warrant holders to recognize
gain or income for tax purposes, effect a Business Combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate
in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located).
We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our Business
Combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a stockholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our
initial Business Combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares received. In addition,
stockholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership
of us after our initial Business Combination.
In
addition, we may effect a Business Combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States,
and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a Business Combination, we could be subject to
significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and
subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may
have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional
complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
25
Risks
Relating to Our 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. In particular, certain of our
officers and directors serve as an officer or director of CM Life Sciences II Inc. (Nasdaq: CMII) and CM Life Sciences III Inc.,
which are both blank check companies sponsored by an affiliate of Casdin Capital and Corvex Management. 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.
Our
ability to successfully effect our initial Business Combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts
of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial Business Combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively
impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our
ability to successfully effect our initial Business Combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of
our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain
with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, 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, subject
to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.
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 is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation,
and our executive officers 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. In particular, certain of our officers and directors serve
as an officer or director of CM Life Sciences II Inc. (Nasdaq: CMII) and CM Life Sciences III Inc., which are both blank check
companies sponsored by an affiliate of Casdin Capital and Corvex Management. 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 “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.”
26
Our
officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations
to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity
should be presented.
Following
the completion of the Initial Public Offering and until we consummate our initial Business Combination, we intend to engage in
the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any
of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer
or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entity (including, without limitation,
CM Life Sciences II Inc. and CM Life Sciences III Inc.). 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 second amended and restated certificate
of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless
such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and
such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue,
and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar
to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination.
Any such companies, businesses or ventures (including, without limitation, CM Life Sciences II Inc. and CM Life Sciences III Inc.)
may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial Business Combination. However, we do not believe that any
such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
For
a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts
of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance —
Conflicts of Interest.”
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 directors, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having
a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction
to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is
affiliated with our Sponsor, our directors or executive officers. 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 stockholders’ best interest. If this
were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Delaware law and we or our stockholders might
have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our stockholders’ 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 or existing holders 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 affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders. Our directors and officers also
serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Item 10. Directors,
Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for Business
Combination opportunities. We would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for
a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite
our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal
firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a Business Combination with one or more domestic
or international businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts
of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the Business Combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders
as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
27
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
July 16, 2020, our Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration
of 10,062,500 Founder Shares. In August 2020, our Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of Mr. Islam, Dr. Leproust
and Mr. Turner. On September 1, 2020, we effected a 1:1.1 stock split of our Class B Common Stock, resulting in our
Sponsor holding an aggregate of 10,993,750 Founder Shares and there being an aggregate of 11,068,750 Founder Shares outstanding.
The Founder Shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial Business Combination. In addition, our Sponsor and certain
of our independent director nominees have purchases an aggregate of 7,236,667 warrants, each exercisable for one share of Class
A Common Stock at $11.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $10,855,000, or $1.50 per warrant, that will also be worthless
if we do not complete our initial Business Combination. 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
24-month anniversary of the closing of the Initial Public Offering nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an
initial Business Combination.
Provisions
in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits
against our directors and officers.
Our
second amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative
forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach
of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting
a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our second amended and
restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers
or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware,
except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable
party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction
of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction
of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter
jurisdiction, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent
jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented
to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased
consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision
is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our
directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws
and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will
not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal
courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits
brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Additionally,
unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal courts shall be the exclusive forum for the
resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act against us or any of our directors, officers,
other employees or agents. Section 22 of the Securities Act, however, created concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state
courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice
of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. While the Delaware courts
have determined that such exclusive forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim
in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions, and there can be no assurance that such provisions will
be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our
securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions; however, we note that investors cannot waive compliance
with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
28
Although
we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits
to which it applies, the provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes
with us and may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Provisions
in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit
the price investors might be willing to pay for our shares of Class A Common Stock and could entrench management.
Our
second amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals
that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the
ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, 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.
We
are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together
these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve
payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We
may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our officers and directors.
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. 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 stockholders 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 stockholders.
Furthermore, a stockholder’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.
Risks
Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
Subsequent
to our completion of our initial Business Combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring
and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations
and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even
if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will
identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material
issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control
will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure
our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully
identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with
our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity,
the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In
addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of
assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the
initial Business Combination or thereafter. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain stockholders
or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders
or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the
reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they
are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable,
relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
29
We
may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial
Business Combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a
public company.
When
evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial Business Combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess
the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities
of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications
or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary
to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted.
Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain stockholders or warrant holders following the business combination
could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy
for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers
or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim
under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination
contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
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
management may not maintain control of a target business after our initial Business Combination. We cannot provide assurance that,
upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably
operate such business.
We
may structure our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own
shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such Business
Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target
or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company
under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company
owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the 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 shares of Class A Common
Stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the
target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of Class A Common Stock, our stockholders
immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A Common Stock subsequent to
such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person
or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more
likely that our management will not maintain control of the target business.
General
Risk Factors
We
are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to
achieve our business objective.
We
are a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware 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. We have entered into the Merger Agreement, but we may be unable to complete the proposed Sema4 Business Combination.
If we fail to complete our initial Business Combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
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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 internal controls attestation
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation
in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive
compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders
may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years,
although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A Common Stock held
by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging
growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because
we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions,
the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for
our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further,
Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial
accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared
effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised
financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and
comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable.
We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it
has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised
standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements
with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of
using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
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 common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30 th ,
and (2) our annual revenues equal or exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our
common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30 th . 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.
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.
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We
do not own any real estate or other physical properties material to our operation. We currently maintain our executive offices
at 667 Madison Avenue, 2 nd Floor, New York, New York 10065. We consider our current office space adequate
for our current operations.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
We
are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any material legal proceeding threatened
against us or any of our officers or directors in their corporate capacity.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
None.
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PART
II.