As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2026
Registration No. 333-[●]
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands | 6770 | 98-1940000 | ||
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
18 Lower Cross Road
Greenwich, Connecticut 06831
203-424-0066
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Richard A. Barasch
Chief Executive Officer
c/o Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp
18 Lower Cross Road
Greenwich, Connecticut 06831
Telephone: 203-424-0066
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
Christopher J. Capuzzi, Esq. Ropes & Gray LLP 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 Tel: (212) 596-9000 Fax: (212) 596-9090 |
Joel L. Rubinstein, Esq. Daniel E. Nussen, Esq. White & Case LLP 1221 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 Tel: (212) 819-8200 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ | Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☒ |
| Emerging growth company ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED September 16, 2026
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$200,000,000
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
20,000,000 Units
Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, but intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective target business in the healthcare, healthcare-related, or insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase three public units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. Each whole warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination subject to the conditions described herein, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. We have also granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares that are sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals (as defined below)), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law. The amount in the trust account will initially be $10.00 per public share. Our public shareholders will be permitted to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, vote against, or vote at all with respect to the proposed business combination. As further described in this prospectus, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination (the “completion window”). If we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window, we will redeem 100% of 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 thereon (net of permitted withdrawals (as defined below)), and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Our public shareholders will not be entitled to any additional liquidating distributions in the event that we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window.
If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to further extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, and the related amendments are implemented by our board of directors, holders of our public Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will be permitted to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, vote against, or vote at all with respect to the proposed amendment.
Our sponsor, Lower Cross Sponsor LLC (which we refer to as our “sponsor” throughout this prospectus), and BTIG, LLC have committed to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 private placement units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at the initial public offering price of our public units of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $6,000,000 (or $6,600,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG, LLC has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). These units, which we refer to as the “private placement units,” are identical to the public units sold in this offering, subject to limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. [___] institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other investor), which we refer to as the “non-managing sponsor investors” throughout this prospectus, have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase, through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor indirectly purchasing, through non-managing sponsor membership interests, the private placement units allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares (as defined below) (or up to [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately [___] units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing individually more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase fewer units in this offering, or none at all. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell fewer units to the non-managing sponsor investors, or none at all, and the purchase of the non-managing sponsor membership interests is not contingent upon participation in this offering or vice versa. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors has any obligation to vote any of its public shares in favor of our initial business combination. Nevertheless, the non-managing sponsor investors will be incentivized to vote their public shares in favor of a business combination due to their indirect ownership through our sponsor of founder shares and private placement warrants. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with the non-managing sponsor investors, see “Summary - The Offering - Expressions of Interest.”
Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares, up to 1,000,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon consummation of this offering (excluding the shares underlying the private placement units and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). We refer to these Class B ordinary shares as the “founder shares” throughout this prospectus.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The Class A ordinary shares received upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to complete an initial business combination. In the case that any amount of additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, excluding the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units, plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination (excluding the ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and any Class A ordinary shares underlying any private placement units issued to our sponsor or any of its affiliates or to our officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans).
Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares, holders of the private placement shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote, except as required by law.
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering. Further, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of the founder shares may result in dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Public shareholders will experience additional dilution from the issuance of shares of Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units (including Class A ordinary shares underlying private placement units issued upon conversion of working capital loans). Further, upon the exercise of the warrants underlying the private placement units, we will issue an aggregate of 200,000 Class A ordinary shares (assuming the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). The exercise of the warrants would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized for the warrants. See section entitled “Dilution” in this prospectus for more information on dilution. As further described under “The Offering—Payments to Insiders,” we expect to make certain payments and reimbursements, or pay certain fees, to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our affiliates, including but not limited to the payment of $15,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services. Upon consummation of this offering, we will repay up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note to cover offering-related and organizational expenses. Our sponsor may also, but is not obligated to, enter into certain arrangements with us to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination, including up to $2,000,000 of loans convertible into private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Our Chief Executive Officer will receive 200,000 founder shares and each of our Chief Financial Officer and our Vice-President, Acquisitions, will receive 50,000 founder shares and each of our independent directors will also receive for his or her service as a director 30,000 founder shares from our sponsor. As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us and there may be a conflict of interest in our director’s and officer’s determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs and to which entity a particular business opportunity is presented. We may also decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor or our executive officers or directors, or our directors, officers, sponsor and their affiliates may sponsor or become affiliated with entities that have a similar activity to ours. Further, our officers and directors have indirect economic interests in us and/or our sponsor and a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination since our sponsor, executive officers, directors, and any other holders of our founder shares, including any non-managing sponsor investors, may lose their entire investment in us if an initial business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets held outside of the trust account. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between our sponsor and its affiliates on the one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other hand. For more information, also see “Summary—Our Sponsor”, “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team” and “Principal Shareholders.”
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit and our net tangible book value per share, as adjusted to give effect to this offering (“Adjusted NTBVPS”) and assuming the redemption of our public shares included in the public units offered hereby at varying levels in the scenarios in which the over-allotment option is not exercised and exercised in full and assuming no additional capital is raised in connection with the initial business combination. See section entitled “Dilution” for more information.
| As of June 30, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Offering Price of $10.00 per Unit | 25% of Maximum Redemption | 50% of Maximum Redemption | 75% of Maximum Redemption | Maximum Redemption | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted NTBVPS | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between Adjusted NTBVPS and Offering Price | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between NTBVPS and Offering Price | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between Adjusted NTBVPS and Offering Price | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between Adjusted NTBVPS and Offering Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7.13 | 6.50 | 3.50 | 5.52 | 4.48 | 3.72 | 6.28 | (0.54 | ) | 10.54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7.12 | 6.49 | 3.51 | 5.51 | 4.49 | 3.72 | 6.28 | (0.54 | ) | 10.54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currently, there is no public market for our securities. We will apply to have our units listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”), under the symbol “LCACU” promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our public units will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BTIG, LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “LCAC” and “LCACW,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 34 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
| Per Unit | Total | |||||||
| Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 200,000,000 | ||||
| Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | $ | 0.55 | $ | 11,000,000 | ||||
| Proceeds, before expenses, to Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp | $ | 9.45 | $ | 189,000,000 | ||||
| (1) | Includes $0.20 per unit sold in this offering, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to BTIG, LLC upon the closing of this offering. Also includes up to $0.35 per unit sold in this offering, or up to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the offering, or up to $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to BTIG, LLC for deferred underwriting commissions to be deposited in a trust account located in the United States and released to BTIG, LLC only upon the completion of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for additional information regarding underwriting compensation. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $200 million or $230 million if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case) will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2 million will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. Except with respect to up to $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $75,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be released to us during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), plus additional amounts of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us and which shall not be subject to the $300,000 annual limitation (or $75,000 limitation) described above) (“permitted withdrawals”), and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) 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 the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
The underwriter is offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter expects to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2026.
BTIG
, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriter takes any responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriter is not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
This prospectus contains references to trademarks, service marks and trade names of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. We do not intend our use or display of such names or marks to imply relationships with, or endorsements of us by, any other company.
i
SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| ● | “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” refers to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that the company will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| ● | “BTIG” are to BTIG, LLC; |
| ● | “Class A ordinary shares” refer to our Class A ordinary shares of par value $0.0001 per share in the share capital of the company; |
| ● | “Class B ordinary shares” refer to our Class B ordinary shares of par value $0.0001 per share in the share capital of the company; |
| ● | “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time; |
| ● | “completion window” are to the period of 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, in which we must complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | “Excise Tax” are to the 1% U.S. federal excise tax on stock repurchases under Section 4501 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; |
| ● | “equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt; |
| ● | “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering, and our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”); |
| ● | “initial shareholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
| ● | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors; |
| ● | “non-managing sponsor investors” means [___] institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, other members of our sponsor or any other investor) that have expressed an interest to purchase non-managing sponsor membership interests in our sponsor, an aggregate of up to [___] private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit ($[___] in the aggregate); subject to the non-managing sponsor investors purchasing, through our sponsor, the private placement units allocated to them in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors at the closing of this offering reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares held by our sponsor. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing individually more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering; |
| ● | “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp, a Cayman Islands exempted company; |
| ● | “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares, collectively; |
| ● | “permitted withdrawals” means $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $75,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be released to us during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) plus additional amounts of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us and which shall not be subject to the $300,000 annual limitation (or $75,000 limitation) described above); |
1
| ● | “private placement securities” are to the private placement units, the private placement shares, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants; |
| ● | “private placement shares” are to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units; |
| ● | “private placement units” are to the units issued to our sponsor and BTIG in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering or upon conversion of working capital loans, as further described in this prospectus; |
| ● | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants underlying the private placement units issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering or upon conversion of working capital loans, as further described in this prospectus; |
| ● | “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| ● | “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders, management team and any non-managing sponsor investors to the extent our initial shareholders, members of our management team and/or any non-managing sponsor investor purchase public shares, provided that each initial shareholder’s, member of our management team’s and any non-managing sponsor investor’s status as a “public shareholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
| ● | “public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| ● | “sponsor” is to Lower Cross Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; |
| ● | “taxes payable” are to the amounts of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us); and |
| ● | “warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants. |
Any forfeiture of shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividends described in this prospectus will take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant for each unit purchased. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustment, terms and limitations as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriter will not exercise its over-allotment option.
Our Company
We are a special purpose acquisition company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry, sector or geographical location.
While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective target business in the healthcare, healthcare-related, or insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries. Our strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, build, a business that may benefit from our management team’s significant expertise. We intend to focus our investment effort broadly across the healthcare, healthcare-related and insurance industries. Members of our management team have significant experience across these industries, and we believe are well-positioned to identify and execute an attractive business combination.
2
Our Management Team
Our management team is led by Richard Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Barasch was previously Chief Executive Officer of Universal American Corp., a publicly-traded health insurance and services company focused on the senior market and government programs, from 1995 until Universal American’s acquisition by WellCare Health Plans in April 2017. Mr. Barasch has significant experience working on prior special purpose acquisition companies, having served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., Executive Chairman of DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp. and Executive Chairman of Deerfield Healthcare Technology Acquisition Corp., all of which completed mergers with targets. He is currently founding partner of RAB Ventures LLC, formed to invest in growth healthcare companies. He is a Director of HouseWorks LLC, a provider of personal care, Frontier Direct, a direct primary care company, Cecelia Health, Inc., a virtual specialty medical practice, and BlueZones Health, an MSO for risk bearing Medicare Advantage primary care physicians who adopt the Blue Zones philosophy. He serves on the Board of Advisors, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the Advisory Board of the Health Policy and Management program at the Mailman School of Public Health. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Community Health Network, an FQHC located in New York City. He is also on the Dean’s Council at Columbia Law School, where he is also an adjunct Lecturer in Law. Through these activities, Mr. Barasch has developed an extensive network of contacts throughout the healthcare industry. Mr. Barasch graduated from Swarthmore College and Columbia University Law School where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review.
In November 2017, Mr. Barasch, founded DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., or DFB, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. DFB completed its initial public offering in February 2018, in which it sold 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, with each unit comprised of one share of common stock and one-third of one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, generating gross proceeds of $250,000,000. DFB completed its initial business combination in November 2019, in which DFB, through a series of transactions, acquired AdaptHealth Corp. (Nasdaq: AHCO), a leading provider of home healthcare equipment and services, in a transaction with a pro forma enterprise value in excess of $1 billion. Following completion of the business combination, Mr. Barasch subsequently served as chairman of the board of AdaptHealth until June 2024. Since AdaptHealth’s public debut, the Company has reported strong revenue growth, expanded its geographic footprint and increased strategic relevance, positioning the Company to win capitated contracts with major payors. In connection with the business combination, approximately 83.5% of DFB’s public shares were redeemed. As of September 15, 2026, the last reported sale price of AdaptHealth’s common stock was $5.82 per share.
In November 2019, Mr. Barasch, along with others, founded DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., or DFP, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. DFP completed its initial public offering in March 2020, in which it sold 23,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, with each unit comprised of one share of common stock and one-fourth of one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. DFP completed its initial business combination in November 2021, in which DFP acquired The Oncology Institute Inc. (“TOI” now known as “Starling Oncology”), a leading value-based oncology company that manages community-based oncology practices. Following completion of the business combination, Mr. Barasch subsequently served as chairman of the board of TOI until August 2025. Since the completion of the business combination, TOI has expanded its clinic network, provider count and has grown revenue. In connection with the business combination, approximately 74.7% of DFP’s public shares were redeemed. As of September 15, 2026, the last reported sale price of Starling Oncology common stock was $6.37 per share.
In May 2020, Richard Barasch, along with others, founded Deerfield Healthcare Technology Acquisition Corp., or DFHT, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. DFHT completed its initial public offering in July 2020, in which it sold 14,375,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit, with each unit comprised of one share of common stock and one-fifth of one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, generating gross proceeds of $143.75 million. DFHT completed its initial business combination in June 2021, pursuant to which DFHT, through a series of transactions, acquired CareMax Medical Group, LLC and IMC Medical Group Holdings, LLC, and the combined company was renamed CareMax, Inc. (“CareMax”), which began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CMAX”. Following completion of the business combination, Mr. Barasch subsequently served as chairman of the board of CareMax until February 2022. In connection with the business combination, approximately 0% of DFHT’s public shares were redeemed. On November 17, 2024, CareMax filed for bankruptcy, and on February 3, 2025, CareMax ceased operations.
Avi Rafalson is our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Rafalson is a Principal at RAB Ventures LLC, focusing on transaction origination, deal structuring, and portfolio management. Previously, Mr. Rafalson was Chief Financial Officer of MyndYou, LLC, a private equity-backed healthcare AI company, from 2024 until its sale in November 2025. At MyndYou, he drove commercial growth and capital strategy, securing growth funding, and reshaping go-to-market and pricing strategies that yielded substantial revenue expansion. Prior to this, he spent five years in progressive finance leadership roles within the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) OptumCare subsidiary. He initially served on the core executive team that executed the sale of CareMount Health Solutions, LLC to UNH’s OptumCare division in December 2020. Following the acquisition, he was promoted to Regional Vice-President of FP&A for OptumCare Tri-State, a regional division of the UNH care delivery platform, where he managed a $3.5 billion revenue P&L and a $125 million CapEx budget. He began his career at BBVA Compass, where he structured leveraged and investment grade syndicated debt transactions, and in Alvarez & Marsal’s Healthcare Industry Group, where he focused on strategy and operational performance improvement for distressed healthcare companies. Mr. Rafalson holds a B.B.A. in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Benjamin Barasch is our Vice-President, Acquisitions. Mr. Barasch is the founder and a Principal of Boro Partners, a healthcare-focused investment vehicle he formed in 2021, which invests alongside RAB Ventures LLC, the Barasch family investment vehicle. Through Boro Partners, Mr. Barasch has participated in investments in HouseWorks, LLC, Cecelia Health, Inc., Frontier Direct and Starling Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: STLN). Mr. Barasch serves as a board observer for Blue Zones and Frontier Direct. Previously, from 2014 to 2021, Mr. Barasch served as Head of Originations and Acquisitions at Urban Standard Capital, where he was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and originated, structured and executed more than $250 million of equity and debt investments. Benjamin Barasch holds a B.A. in History from Yale College.
3
In addition to our management team, we have also assembled a group of independent directors who will bring us public company governance, executive leadership, operations oversight, private equity investment management and capital markets experience in both healthcare and financial services. Our board members have extensive experience, having served as directors or officers for numerous publicly-listed and privately-owned companies. Our directors have experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and implementation, which we believe will significantly benefit us as we evaluate potential acquisition or merger candidates as well as following the completion of our initial business combination.
We believe our management team is well positioned to take advantage of the growing set of acquisition opportunities focused on the healthcare and insurance industries and that our contacts and relationships, ranging from owners of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and business brokers will allow us to generate an attractive transaction for our shareholders.
Our management team has decades of combined operational, financial, investment and transactional experience involving a diverse group of businesses across the healthcare and insurance ecosystem, and we intend to focus on acquisition opportunities that can benefit from our expertise. Our team and independent directors possess complementary skills and experience encompassing all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, valuation, structuring, financing, negotiation, execution, strategy development, operations management and investment realization.
Our management team’s objective is to generate attractive investment returns to create value for our shareholders by applying our strategy of identifying acquisition opportunities and capitalizing on the ability of our management team to acquire and manage a business that can benefit from our expertise. Our management team’s approach is focused on industries or sectors in which we have considerable knowledge and emphasizes downside protection and the preservation of capital by opportunistically pursuing transactions where we believe we have the ability to capture asymmetric risk/reward potential. Our management team will assess the skills, qualifications and abilities of the management team of each potential business combination target. The level and length of our existing management’s continued active participation in our post-acquisition business will depend on the particular needs of the business acquired. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
Past performance by our management team 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 identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or any prior performance as indicative of our future performance. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team, including our management team, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.” For a list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest between such officers and the company may or does exist, please refer to “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
Our Directors
Dr. Mohit Kaushal will be appointed as a member of our Board of Directors upon the trading of our securities on Nasdaq. Dr. Kaushal has had an extensive career within investing, clinical medicine and public policy. During his time in the Obama administration, he was a member of the White House Health IT task force; a cross- agency team implementing the technology aspects of the Affordable Care Act and testified to Congress on the application of technology and payment reform to the Medicare population. He also built and led the first dedicated healthcare team at the Federal Communications Commission, where his team initiated collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for the regulatory streamlining of converged telecommunications, data analytics and medical devices leading to the release of the mobile medical applications guidance by the FDA. In addition, his team reformed the Rural Healthcare Fund to create the Healthcare Connect Fund, which aligned the funding mechanism with wider healthcare payment policy and technology reform. Dr. Kaushal has served as a director of Starling Oncology since March 2020. Dr. Kaushal is a lead investor, board member or advisor to numerous transformational healthcare companies, including Emyria Pty Ltd., a company whose securities are publicly-traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. He is on the board of various private entities, and he previously served on the board of Oak Street Health, a publicly-held network of primary care clinics, from 2016 until it was acquired by CVS Health in 2023. Dr. Kaushal is an emergency room physician, holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MD with distinction from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London. He is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University with a joint position within the newly created Biomedical Data Science.
Roger Meltzer will be appointed as a member of our Board of Directors upon the trading of our securities on Nasdaq. Mr. Meltzer has served as Chairman Emeritus of DLA Piper, a global law firm, since January 2021. Mr. Meltzer served as the Global Co-Chairman and Member of the Global Board of DLA Piper from 2015 to 2020. Mr. Meltzer has served as a director of Haymaker Acquisition Corp. 4 since February 2021, MSP Recovery, Inc. since May 2022, and Lionheart Holdings since June 2024. Mr. Meltzer previously served as a director of Old QVC Group, Inc. from June 2025 to August 2026, Audacy Inc. from November 2023 to September 2024, Lionheart II Corp from March 2021 to May 2022, Lionheart III Corp from March 2021 to August 2022, Haymaker Acquisition Corp III from February 2021 to July 2022, and Hain Celestial Group, Inc. from December 2000 to February 2020. Mr. Meltzer brings extensive experience producing substantial innovation for global firms. Mr. Meltzer has successfully navigated firms and local offices through challenges such as major worldwide financial headwinds, transnational cyber-attacks and global pandemics. Under his leadership, he has clearly established moral and business imperatives and has pioneered industry precedents for institutionalized equality, diversity and inclusivity and nurtured a global iconic pro bono effort. He is known for leading and nurturing entrepreneurial, high performing, and team-centric cultures. Mr. Meltzer received a Juris Doctor degree in law from New York University School of Law and an A.B. from Harvard College.
Bradley Cooper will be appointed as a member of our Board of Directors upon the trading of our securities on Nasdaq. Mr. Cooper is a Managing Partner of Capital Z Partners, a private equity fund focused on investing in the financial services sector. Prior to founding Capital Z in 1990, Mr. Cooper was an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group of Salomon Brothers (now Citigroup). He has extensive Board experience with both publicly traded and privately held companies, having served on, and chaired many committees. Mr. Cooper has served as a member of the Board of Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: HG) since June 2024. Mr. Cooper served on the Board of non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York for 16 years, the final three as Chair, and the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business Advisory Board for approximately 8 years.
4
Business Strategy
Our strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, build, a business that may benefit from our management team’s significant expertise. We intend to focus our investment effort broadly across the healthcare, healthcare-related and insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries. Members of our management team have significant experience across these industries, and we believe are well-positioned to identify and execute an attractive business combination.
Our acquisition selection process will leverage our team’s network of potential transaction sources, ranging from owners and directors of private and public companies, private equity and venture capital funds, investment bankers, lenders, attorneys, accountants and other trusted advisors across various sectors. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships that we believe will serve as a useful source of acquisition opportunities.
While we may ultimately source a transaction through a variety of channels, we believe the current private equity exit environment presents an attractive opportunity to pursue a business combination with a private equity–backed company. In our view, elevated interest rates and reduced buyer appetite have prolonged holding periods across private equity portfolios and constrained traditional exit pathways, leading sponsors to evaluate alternative liquidity solutions for mature, high-quality assets. While continuation vehicles have become more prevalent, we believe they are not a long-term or universally suitable solution and may face increasing scrutiny from limited partners and other stakeholders. Against this backdrop, we believe a deSPAC transaction offers a compelling alternative by providing in many instances a more certain and efficient path to the public markets, enabling liquidity for existing investors while positioning the target company with access to capital and a publicly traded currency to support future growth and strategic initiatives.
We expect that our management team and board of directors’ networks will provide robust acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for any business combination target and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potentially interesting leads.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire companies that we believe:
| ● | can benefit from our management team’s significant operational expertise, experience and strategic insights across the healthcare and insurance ecosystems |
| ● | have the potential for significant growth, including those with embedded or underexploited growth opportunities and those that may benefit from synergistic add-on acquisitions, new product markets and geographies, increased production capacity, expense reduction and increased operating leverage |
| ● | have the potential to develop a leading, growing or niche market position in their respective industries. We will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of target businesses relative to their competitors. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe have the ability to demonstrate advantages when compared to their competitors, which may help to develop and increase their market position and profitability |
| ● | exhibit unrecognized value or other characteristics that we believe have been misevaluated by the marketplace based on our company specific analysis and due diligence review. For a potential target company, this process will include, among other things, a review and analysis of the company’s capital structure, quality of earnings, potential for operational improvements, corporate governance, customers, material contracts, and industry background and trends. We intend to leverage the operational experience and disciplined investment approach of our team to identify opportunities to unlock value that our experience in complex situations allows us to pursue |
5
| ● | are led by a complete, experienced management team that is ready to operate a business in the public markets. We will seek to partner with a potential target’s management team and expect that the operating and financial abilities of our executive team and board will complement their own capabilities. |
| ● | are ready to operate in the scrutiny of public markets, with strong management, corporate governance and reporting policies in place and that will benefit from being publicly traded and can effectively utilize the broader access to capital and the public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets threshold, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our shareholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to shareholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding share capital or capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our business combination.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. Further, the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets may increase, and attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. Because of our limited resources and such increased competition for business combination opportunities, including from other special purpose acquisition companies or other entities having a similar business objective to us, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination or negotiate attractive terms for our initial business combination. Depending on who our competitors will be when negotiating a business combination transaction, we may also be at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. For more information also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Securities—Attractive targets for special purpose acquisition companies may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets, or such attractive targets may not be interested to consummate a business combination with a SPAC due to a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.”
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
6
Our Sponsor
Our , Lower Cross Sponsor LLC, is a . Although our sponsor is permitted to undertake any activities permitted under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and other applicable law, our sponsor’s business is focused on investing in our company. Richard Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the sole managing member of our sponsor and controls our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion over the securities of our company held by our sponsor. As of the date hereof, other than Mr. Barasch, no other person has a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor.
Richard Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will own direct, and through his respective affiliates and controlled entities, indirect interests, in the membership interests of our sponsor, in the aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor. Our remaining officers and directors will own direct, and through their respective affiliates and controlled entities, indirect interests, in the membership interest of our sponsor, in the aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor, and other members of our sponsor, all of whom have pre-existing business relationships with our directors and officers will own the membership interest of our sponsor, in the aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor. Other than such persons and the non-managing sponsor investors (as set forth below), no other person will have a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. Other than our management team, none of the other members of our sponsor (including the non-managing sponsor investors) will participate in the direction or management of our company.
Subject to the non-managing sponsor investors purchasing, through the sponsor, indirect interests in the private units allocated to them in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price ($0.0033 per share) to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
| Entity | Payments to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Consideration Paid or to be Paid | ||
| Lower Cross Sponsor LLC | 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares(1) (of which 1,000,000 are subject to forfeiture if the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, of which our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price, and of which an aggregate of 90,000 shares will be transferred to our independent directors) | $25,000 or approximately $0.0033 per founder share | ||
| 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full(2)) | $3,500,000 (or $3,725,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) ($10.00 per unit) | |||
| Up to $300,000 | Repayment of loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses | |||
| Lower Cross Sponsor LLC, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates | $15,000 per month | Payment to our sponsor of $15,000 per month, for up to the duration of the completion window, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support | ||
| Up to in working capital loans by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors. Such loans may be converted at the option of the lender into private placement units at a conversion price of per unit(3) | Working capital loans to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination | |||
| Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.(4) | Payment of fees and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination |
| (1) | The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Further, if we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the private placement shares) upon consummation of this offering. As described below under “Offering—Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights,” the Class B ordinary shares and Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the nominal price of $0.0033 per founder share at which our sponsor purchased the founder shares and/or the anti-dilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Our sponsor, directors and officers and their affiliates may receive additional compensation and/or may be issued additional securities in connection with an initial business combination, including securities that may result in material dilution to public shareholders. For more information also see below under “Offering—Payments to insiders.” |
| (2) | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of non-managing membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. |
| (3) | The $10.00 per private placement unit conversion price for such working capital loans may potentially be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time the lenders elect to convert their working capital loans into private placement units. Further, the $11.50 exercise price of the private placement warrants included in the private placement units issuable upon conversion of working capital loans may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such private placement warrants are exercised. Similarly, depending on the market price of our shares at the time our private placement warrants are exercised, the cashless exercise feature of our private placement warrants may also result in material dilution to our public shareholders given that the cashless exercise of the warrants will not result in any cash proceeds to us and holders of our private placement warrants would pay the private placement warrant exercise price by surrendering their warrants for a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. The “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. Therefore, such private placement unit issuances may result in significant dilution to holders of our shares. For more information also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may issue our securities to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our securities at that time” and “Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.” |
| (4) | For more information, also see “Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Sources of Target Businesses,” “Management—Officer and Director Compensation” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.” |
7
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur an immediate and material dilution upon the closing of this offering. See the sections titled “Dilution” and “Risk Factors—The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
Pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered into with us, each of our sponsor, officers and directors has agreed to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement securities, as summarized in the table below. For more information on non-contractual resale restrictions, also see “Securities Eligible for Future Sale—Rule 144,” “Securities Eligible for Future Sale—Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies” and “Securities Eligible for Future Sale—Summary of Resale Restrictions.”
| Subject Securities | Transfer
Restrictions |
Persons
Subject to Restrictions |
Exceptions
to Transfer Restrictions | |||
| Founder Shares | Agreement not to (a) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security, (b) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b) (collectively, “Transfer”), until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. | Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees. | Transfers are permitted (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any members or partners of our sponsor or their affiliates, any affiliates of our sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the timeframe for us to consummate a business combination or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) by pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members, partners or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (g) by virtue of the laws of the Delaware or the limited liability company agreement of our sponsor upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to the consummation of a business combination; (i) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (g) above; (j) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination; and (k) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (collectively, “Permitted Transfers”), provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (g), and (i) these transferees (the “Permitted Transferees”) must enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions. | |||
| Private placement securities | Agreement not to Transfer until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees and BTIG. | Same as above. | |||
| Any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares | Agreement not to Transfer during the period commencing on the date of the underwriting agreement and ending 180 days after such date. | Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees. | (a) Prior written consent of BTIG or (b) Permitted Transfers. |
8
The letter agreement will also provide that the sponsor and each director and officer agree to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares they may own in favor of a proposed initial business combination if we seek shareholder approval for such business combination and in favor of any proposals recommended by our board of directors in connection with such business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). Further, our sponsor, directors and officers also agree not to redeem any public shares they may hold in connection with such shareholder approval. The letter agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by (i) each director and officer signatory to the letter agreement with respect to herself or himself, as applicable, to the extent she or he are the subject of any such change, amendment, modification or waiver, (ii) us, and (iii) our sponsor. Changes, amendments, modifications or waivers to the transfer restrictions that occur within 180 days after the date of the underwriting agreement will require the written consent of the underwriter of this offering. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team—Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval” and “Underwriting.”
In order to facilitate our initial business combination or for any other reason determined by our sponsor, our sponsor may, with our consent, (i) surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement securities or any of our other securities held by it, including for no consideration in connection with a PIPE financing or otherwise, (ii) subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, and (iii) enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities.
We may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow the sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement securities or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination. As a result, there is a risk that our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor, which would likely result in our loss of certain key personnel. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such business combination. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team—We may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow our sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement securities or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination, which may deprive us of key personnel.”
As described under “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Our Management Team—You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and a current prospectus is available, or certain exemptions are available,” the holders of our warrants will not be permitted to exercise their warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available. If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of our public warrants is not registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holders of such warrants will not be entitled to exercise their warrants and the warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
Further, if and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right at a time that is disadvantageous to you. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Our Management Team—We may redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worthless.” Our management team may also require holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless” basis, which would reduce the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise of their warrants and thereby reduce the potential equity “upside” of a public holder’s investment in us. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks
Relating to Our Securities—Our management’s ability to require holders of our public warrants to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the public warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.”
9
Corporate Information
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates does not equal or exceed $250.0 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not equal or exceed $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Our executive offices are located at 18 Lower Cross Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06831, and our telephone number is 203-424-0066.
10
The Offering
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
| Securities offered | 20,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: ● one Class A ordinary share; and ● one-third of one redeemable warrant. | |
| Nasdaq symbols | Units: “LCACU” Class A Ordinary Shares: “LCAC” Warrants: “LCACW” | |
| Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and public warrants | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BTIG informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and public warrants. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. | |
| Separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K | In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. |
11
| Units: | ||
| Number outstanding before this offering | 0 | |
| Number outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement | 20,600,000(1) | |
| Ordinary shares: | ||
| Number outstanding before this offering | 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares(2) | |
| Number outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement | 27,266,667 Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares(1)(3)(4) | |
| Warrants: | ||
| Number outstanding before this offering | 0 | |
| Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement | 6,866,667(5) | |
| Exercisability | Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. We have structured each unit to contain one-third of one public warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar special purpose acquisition companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. |
| (1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and includes the issuance of 600,000 private placement units to the sponsor and BTIG. |
| (2) | Includes up to 1,000,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. As discussed under “—Founder shares” below, for our initial shareholders to maintain ownership of 25% of the outstanding shares following completion of this offering, if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter, our sponsor would be required to forfeit 1,000,000 shares to us for no consideration. |
| (3) | The ordinary shares included in the units are Class A ordinary shares. Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
| (4) | Assumes surrender of all 1,000,000 founder shares. Up to 1,000,000 founder shares will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. |
| (5) | Comprised of 6,666,667 public warrants included in the units to be sold in this offering and 200,000 private placement warrants included in the private placement units to be sold in the private placement. |
12
| Exercise price | $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds (including from such issuances and this offering), and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below under “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Redemption of public warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. | |
| Exercise period | The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the public warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) or a valid exemption from registration is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws. While we have registered the offer of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act as part of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, this prospectus cannot be used for the purpose of a future decision to exercise the warrants, and we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until after the closing of the initial business combination in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable following the closing of the initial business combination, but in no event later than 20 business days thereafter, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1, as applicable, under the Securities Act covering the issuance of such shares upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and thereafter to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or earlier redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or current prospectus, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Securities—You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and a current prospectus is available, or certain exemptions are available. Such registration or current prospectus, as applicable, may not be in place when you desire to exercise warrants, thus precluding you from being able to exercise your warrants except, to the extent permitted by the warrant agreement, on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.” The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; provided, however, that the warrants issued to BTIG and/or its designees as part of the private placement units will not be exercisable more than five years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
13
| Redemption of public warrants for cash | Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants (but not the private placement warrants): |
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per public warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, given after the public warrants become exercisable (the “30-day redemption period”) to each public warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a public warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the public warrant holders (the “measurement period”). |
| We will not redeem the public warrants unless such public warrants are exercisable and a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating thereto is available throughout the measurement period and the 30-day redemption period, except if the public warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws. If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the public warrants, by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. The “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Public Warrants” for additional information. Unlike the public warrants, none of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us. | ||
| Founder shares | On June 16, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 4, 2026, we effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering. As such, our initial shareholders will collectively own 25% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the private placement shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon consummation of this offering, excluding the private placement shares. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Up to 1,000,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised so that our initial shareholders will maintain ownership of 25% of ordinary shares after this offering (excluding the private placement shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). |
14
| Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, will own
an aggregate of 6,666,667 ordinary shares or 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of
this offering assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised, or an aggregate of 7,666,667 ordinary shares, in each case excluding
the private placement shares, or 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering,
assuming the over-allotment option is exercised in full (in each case, excluding the private placement shares and assuming they do not
purchase any units in this offering). Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a redemption
of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
| ● | the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; |
| ● | Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of our directors, or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A ordinary shares and holders of our Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors; and, prior to our initial business combination, holders of a majority of founder shares may remove members of the board of directors for any reason; |
| ● | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
| ● | our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the implementation by the directors of, and following a shareholder vote to approve, an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed or repurchased in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our business combination within the completion window and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if approved as an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders being entitled to do so (in person or by proxy) at a general meeting (referred to herein as a “shareholder meeting”) of the Company. Our initial shareholders have agreed to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and the private placement shares, we would need 6,616,667 or approximately 33.08% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination; and |
| ● | the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. |
15
| Transfer restrictions on founder shares and private placement securities | Except as described herein, our sponsor and our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell (i) any of their founder shares until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) any of the private placement securities until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares or private placement securities. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. For more information on the letter agreement in which the transfer restrictions are included and for more information on the limited exceptions to such transfer restrictions, also see “Proposed Business—Our Sponsor.” | |
| Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights | The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share subdivisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. The Class A ordinary shares received upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to complete an initial business combination. In the case that any amount of additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted in connection with financing or consummating the business combination or for anti-dilution purposes (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriter’s over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units issued to the sponsor) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding the issuance of any ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and any private placement units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. |
16
| Appointment of directors; Voting rights | Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A ordinary shares and holders of our Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. In connection with our initial business combination, we may enter into an agreement or other arrangement with the shareholders of the target with respect to voting and other corporate governance matters following completion of the initial business combination, and such agreement or arrangement may provide for, or the target shareholders may require that such agreement provide for, nomination, designation or representation rights on the board of directors of the combined entity that may be not be proportionate to our shareholders’ or such target shareholders’ ownership interest in the combined company. | |
| Private placement securities | Our sponsor and BTIG have committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). The private placement units will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets held outside of the trust account. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $200 million (or $230 million if the underwriter exercises their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. Each private placement warrant, upon aggregation of the fractional private placement warrants contained in each private placement unit, is exercisable to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. The private placement warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon liquidation, as described in this prospectus; however with respect to private placement warrants included in the private placement units held by BTIG and/or its designees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). Each private placement share included in each private placement unit will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase, through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor indirectly purchasing, through non-managing sponsor membership interests, the private placement units allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares held by the sponsor. The non-managing sponsor investors will not be subject to transfer restrictions or a lock-up agreement on any public Class A ordinary shares that they may purchase in this offering pursuant to the expressions of interest described below or otherwise. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable by us and exercisable for cash or on a “cashless basis” (see “Description of Securities—Private placement warrants”). |
17
| Proceeds to be held in trust account | The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $200 million or $10.00 per unit ($230 million, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed into an interest bearing U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. These proceeds include $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. Except with respect to permitted withdrawals as described herein and up to $100,000 of liquidation expenses, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) 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 the completion window, or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, subject to applicable law. We are permitted to withdraw $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $75,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be released to us during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering). The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders. |
| Ability to extend time to complete business combination | We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 24-month (or 27-month) period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension and the related amendments are implemented by the directors, holders of Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will be permitted to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, vote against, or vote at all with respect to the proposed amendment. There is no limit on the number of extensions that we may seek. If we determine not to or are unable to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination or fail to obtain shareholder approval to extend, our initial shareholders may lose their entire investment in our founder shares and the private placement units will be worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would redeem our public shares, and the warrants may be worthless.” | |
| Expression of Interest | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately [___] units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing individually more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. |
18
|
Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase fewer units in this offering, or none at all. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell fewer units to the non-managing sponsor investors, or none at all, and the purchase of the non-managing sponsor membership interests is not contingent upon participation in this offering or vice versa. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors have any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. In the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. Nevertheless, the non-managing sponsor investors will be incentivized to vote any of their public shares in favor of a business combination due to their indirect ownership through the sponsor of founder shares and private placement warrants. However, because the non-managing sponsor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing sponsor investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing sponsor investors will vote on any business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued membership interests in the sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and the private placement warrants held by the sponsor. Further, the non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, regardless of the number of units the non-managing sponsor investors purchase, the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their indirect ownership of founder shares and private placement warrants, which will incentivize them to vote for a business combination or otherwise act in manner that protects their investment in the founder shares and the private placement warrants, as further discussed in this prospectus. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Neither BTIG or its affiliates will become non-managing sponsor investors or receive any economic or other interest in the sponsor. | ||
| Anticipated expenses and funding sources | Except with respect to permitted withdrawals as described herein and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be held in cash, including in demand deposits at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination and may at any time be held as cash or cash items, including in demand deposit accounts at a bank. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof or as cash or cash items, including in demand deposit accounts. Except as described above, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
| ● | the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,250,000 in working capital after payment of $750,000 in expenses relating to this offering (excluding underwriting commissions); |
| ● | any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of a business combination; and |
| ● | Permitted withdrawals from the trust account. |
19
| We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations. | ||
| Conditions to completing our initial business combination | There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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 transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. |
20
| Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates | If we seek
shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions or repurchases in connection with our
initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors
or their affiliates may, in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market, either prior to or following the completion
of our initial business combination where otherwise permissible under applicable laws, rules and regulations, (i) purchase shares
or warrants from institutional and other investors who vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against the business combination,
(ii) execute agreements to purchase such shares or warrants from institutional and other investors in the future, and/or (iii)
enter into transactions with institutional and other investors to provide such persons with incentives to acquire Class A ordinary
shares, although they are under no obligation to do so. Additionally, at any time at or prior to the completion of our initial business
combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors,
executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with
incentives to acquire units, public shares, warrants or not redeem their public shares, or to vote their public shares in favor of
our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of securities our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase units, public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. 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. Additionally, in the event our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders after the announcement of our initial business combination, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following: |
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
| ● | if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase public shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
| ● | our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they could waive such rights. |
As of the date of this prospectus, there have been no such discussions and no agreements to such effect have been entered into with any such investor or holder. The company will file a Current Report on Form 8-K prior to the shareholder meeting to approve our initial business combination to disclose any arrangements entered into or significant purchases made by any of the aforementioned persons. Any such report will include (i) the amount of Class A ordinary shares purchased and the purchase price; (ii) the purpose of such purchases; (iii) the impact of such purchases on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; (iv) the identities or characteristics of security holders who sold shares if not purchased in the open market or the nature of the sellers; and (v) the number of Class A ordinary shares for which the company has received redemption requests. The purpose of any such transaction could be 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. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. Please see “Risk Factors—If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.” See “Proposed Business—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction. |
21
| Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law and the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. The redemption rights will also include the requirement that a beneficial holder must check a box on the proxy card indicating whether he or she is acting in concert or as a group (as defined in Section 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) with any other shareholder with respect to any public shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering, in connection with the completion of our business combination or otherwise. | |
| Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons. If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association: |
| ● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
| ● | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
22
| Upon the public announcement of our business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will: |
| ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
| ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
| If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders being entitled to do so (in person or by proxy) at a general meeting (referred to herein as a “shareholder meeting”) of the Company. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the shareholders present in person or by proxy representing one-third of the shares in the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial shareholders will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. | ||
| Our initial shareholders and each of our directors and executive officers have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). As a result, if approved as an ordinary resolution, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,616,667 or approximately 33.08% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such shareholder meeting. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
23
| Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our business combination. | |
| Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association | Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity may be amended if approved by a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of two-thirds of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 25.74% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (including the private placement shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/ or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our sponsor, executive officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released for permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any. Our public shareholders will be permitted to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, vote against, or vote at all with respect to the proposed amendment. Our initial shareholders have entered into letter agreements with us pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. | |
| Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination | On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriter its deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. |
24
| Additional Financing | We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement units, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. Generally, the issuance of additional shares in a business combination: |
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary share; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded to Class A ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, the post-business combination company’s ability to use its net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of officers and directors; |
| ● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the post-business combination company by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of the post-business combination company; |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and |
| ● | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
| We may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions)
in order to complete an initial business combination and provide sufficient liquidity and capital to the post-business combination entity.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have no commitments to issue any shares in connection with such a transaction. The price of the
shares so issued in connection with an initial business combination may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per
share or the market price for our shares at such time. Any such issuances of equity securities at a price that is less than $10.00 or
the prevailing market price of our shares at that time could be structured to ensure a return on investment to the investors and could
dilute the interests of our existing shareholders in a manner that would not ordinarily occur in a traditional initial public offering
and could result in both a reduction in the trading price of our shares to the price at which we issue such equity securities and fluctuations
in the net tangible book value per share of the combined company’s securities following the completion of our initial business
combination. We may also provide price protection or other incentives, or issue convertible securities such as preferred equity or convertible
debt, and the exercise or conversion price of those securities may be fixed or adjustable, and may be less, and potentially significantly
less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Such issuances could also result in additional transaction
costs related to our initial business combination compared to a traditional initial public offering, including the placement fees associated
with the engagement of a placement agent in connection with PIPE transactions. Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt, or to otherwise incur debt following this offering, we may choose to pursue a business combination in connection with which we incur substantial debt. No issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. However, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to banks or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in: |
| ● | default and foreclosure on the assets of the post-business combination company if its operating revenues are insufficient to repay its debt obligations; |
25
| ● | acceleration of the post-business combination company’s obligations to repay such indebtedness, even if it makes all principal and interest payments when due, if it breaches certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| ● | the post-business combination company’s immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
| ● | the post-business combination company’s inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting its ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of the post-business combination company’s cash flow to pay principal and interest on its debt, which will reduce the funds available for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| ● | limitations on the post-business combination company’s flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in its business and in the industry in which it operates; |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| ● | limitations on the post-business combination company’s ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of its strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to its competitors who have less debt. |
| For more information also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our public shareholders and likely present other risks,” “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may issue our securities to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our securities at that time,” “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us,” or “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—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.” |
26
| Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | We will have
only 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business
combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors
may approve to complete our initial business combination (the “completion window”). If we are unable to complete our
initial business combination within such completion window, 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor),
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 thereon and not previously released for permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses,
divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights
as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii)
as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board
of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors
and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our
warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the completion window. Our public shareholders
will not be entitled to any additional liquidating distributions in the event that we do not complete an initial business combination
within the completion window. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to its deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. | |
| Payments to insiders | There will be no restrictions on payments made to insiders. We expect that some or all of the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates: |
| ● | Repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| ● | Payment to our sponsor of $15,000 per month, for up to the duration of the completion window, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support; |
| ● | Payment of fees and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; |
| ● | Our Chief Executive Officer will receive 200,000 founder shares and each of our Chief Financial Officer and our Vice-President, Acquisitions, will receive 50,000 founder shares and each of our independent directors will also receive for his or her service as a director 30,000 founder shares from our sponsor; and |
| ● | Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The private placement units issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement units sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering. |
| However, no such payments will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. | ||
| Audit Committee | We will establish and will maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.” |
27
| Conflicts of Interest | Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future
may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be
required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business
combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he
or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however,
that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to search for an
initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed
by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and
(ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter
which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own investments in us that may cause them to, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination, including the fact that they may lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $3,525,000, (or $3,750,000 in the event the over-allotment option is exercised in full) comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares (or approximately $0.0033 per share) and the $3,500,000 purchase price for the private placement units (or $3,725,000 in the event the over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $10.00 per unit). The private placement warrants included in the private placement units may be exercised on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement. Accordingly, our management team may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares and if our sponsor were required to pay cash to exercise the private placement warrants, as our sponsor and members of our management team would likely not receive any financial benefit from their investments in us unless we consummated such business combination. These interests of our executive officers and directors may affect the consideration paid, terms, conditions and timing relating to a business combination in a way that conflicts with the interests of our public shareholders. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination. For example, if two targets are being evaluated by our management team, and one is more stable and has a better risk or stability profile for our public shareholders, but may take a longer time to diligence and go through the business combination process, while the other has a less favorable risk or stability profile for our public shareholders, but would be easier, quicker and more certain to guide through the business combination process, our management team may decide to choose what they believe to be the quicker and more certain path despite its less favorable risk or stability profile for our public shareholders, as our management team would likely not receive any financial benefit from their investments in us unless we consummated a business combination. Additionally, if members of our management team form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination, the consideration paid, terms, conditions and timing relating to the business combinations of such other special purpose acquisition companies or ventures, and the level of attention paid to by members of our management team to them versus the level of attention paid to us may conflict in a way that is unfavorable to us. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other special purpose acquisition companies prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition companies with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. In addition to the above, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including selecting a business combination target and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors—Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing potential 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 identify and pursue initial business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.” |
28
| Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Further, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any private placement shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial shareholders until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement
securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within the completion window. Similarly, additional conflicts of interests may arise and incentives may be created to select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders instead of not consummating a business combination if (i) after the redemption of public shareholders no assets are available outside of the trust account to repay any loans extended to us by our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or our officers and directors and to reimburse our sponsor and others for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination or (ii) not consummating a business combination within the allotted time may require service providers to forfeit their fees. As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination target to such entity prior to presenting such business combination target to us. Our officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or completing an initial business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors; accordingly, such affiliated person(s) may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination and in negotiating or accepting the terms of the transaction as such affiliated person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions stating that the consideration to be paid by us in such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. | ||
| Indemnity | Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. We have also entered into a letter agreement that provides that we will indemnify our sponsor, its members and managers and their respective affiliates from any claims made by any party in respect of any investment opportunities sourced by them or any liability arising with respect to their activities in connection with our affairs. Such indemnity provides that the indemnified parties cannot access the funds held in our trust account. |
29
Risks
We are a blank check company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
Summary of 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 prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment:
| ● | 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. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. |
| ● | Past performance of our management team, and other businesses associated with our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company. |
| ● | Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination. |
| ● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote. |
| ● | Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the business combination. |
| ● | Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.” |
| ● | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase substantially all of the units in this offering, which could reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our shares, adversely affect the trading price of our shares and, further, may present a conflict of interest for such non-managing sponsor investors in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
| ● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares. |
| ● | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
| ● | You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss. |
| ● | If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| ● | The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. |
| ● | The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target. |
| ● | We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view. |
30
| ● | We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| ● | If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public shareholders may be forced to wait more than 24 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus, before receiving liquidation distributions. |
| ● | We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest. |
| ● | Since our sponsor, officers, directors and any non-managing sponsor investors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support. |
| ● | Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests. |
| ● | The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination. |
| ● | The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our ordinary shares at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share. |
| ● | After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate. |
| ● | The number of special purpose acquisition companies being formed may increase, potentially resulting in more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination. |
| ● | The other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. |
31
Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| June 30, 2026 | ||||||||
| Balance Sheet Data | Actual | As Adjusted(6) | ||||||
| Working capital (deficiency)(1) | $ | (228,727 | ) | $ | 1,073,342 | |||
| Total assets(2) | $ | 319,249 | $ | 201,252,942 | ||||
| Total liabilities(3) | $ | 316,307 | $ | 7,179,600 | ||||
| Value of Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share)(4) | — | $ | 200,000,000 | |||||
| Shareholder’s equity (deficit)(5) | $ | 2,942 | $ | (5,926,658 | ) | |||
| (1) | The “As Adjusted” calculation includes $2,942 of actual shareholders’ equity on June 30, 2026, less over-allotment liability of $179,600, plus $1,250,000 cash held outside the trust account. |
| (2) | The “As Adjusted” calculation equals $200,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, plus $1,250,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $2,942 of actual shareholders’ equity on June 30, 2026. |
| (3) | The “As Adjusted” calculation includes $179,600 related to the fair value of the over-allotment option, deferred underwriting fee of $7,000,000. |
| (4) | The “As Adjusted” calculation equals the 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units sold in this offering, multiplied by the redemption value of $10.00 per share. |
| (5) | Excludes 20,000,000 class A ordinary shares included in the units sold in this offering that are subject to possible redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The “As Adjusted” calculation equals the “As Adjusted” total assets, less the “As Adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination (approximately $10.00 per share). |
| (6) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter. |
If no business combination is completed within the completion window, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned thereon and not previously released for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account.
32
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
| ● | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
| ● | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| ● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | our pool of prospective target businesses, including the pool of prospective targets in the healthcare, healthcare-related or insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries that meet our acquisition criteria; |
| ● | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to uncertainty resulting from geopolitical events like the conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, Israel and Gaza and economic impacts such as inflation, tariffs and rising interest rates; |
| ● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential acquisition opportunities; |
| ● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| ● | the trust account not being subject to the claims of third parties; |
| ● | the number of redemptions by our public shareholders in connection with a business combination; or |
| ● | our financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.
We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
In addition, statements that contain “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this prospectus. Although we believe that this information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, this information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.
33
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 prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, and (i) 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 shareholders do not support such a combination and (ii) if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase the full amount of the units for which they have expressed an interest and vote in favor of an initial business combination, we may not need any public shares sold to other investors in this offering to be voted in favor of the initial business combination for it to be completed.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of (i) our founder shares and private placement shares will participate in the vote on such approval and (ii) if the non-managing sponsor investors purchase the full amount of the units for which they have expressed an interest and vote in favor of an initial business combination, we may not need any public shares sold to other investors in this offering to be voted in favor of the initial business combination. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our initial shareholders have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering, in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,616,667 or approximately 33.08% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. Our initial shareholders will own shares representing approximately 25.74% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial shareholders agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase units, public shares, equity-linked securities or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Additionally, at any time at or prior to the completion of our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire units, public shares or warrants or not redeem their public shares, including such public shares included in public units. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
34
There is no limit on the number of securities our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase units, public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (ii) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (iii) 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 the business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such transactions may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (holding Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and/or their affiliates will be subject to restrictions in making purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. 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.
Additionally, in the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase units, public shares or warrants from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
| ● | Our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase public shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
| ● | if our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
35
| ● | our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
| ● | we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
| ● | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
| ● | the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; |
| ● | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
| ● | the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; and |
| ● | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Please see “Proposed Business—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities.
Your only opportunity to affect the decision regarding a potential business combination will be the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The redemption rights of our public shareholders may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets and may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination agreement that requires we have a certain amount of cash as a closing condition. If holders of a substantial portion of our public shares exercise their redemption rights, we may not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, may not be able to proceed with the business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would not allow us to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we may 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.
36
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting commissions may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and may substantially dilute your investment in us.
At the time we enter into a business combination agreement, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will be based on the amount of funds remaining in the trust account after redemptions of public shares and will be released to the underwriter only upon the completion of an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions. As a result, our obligations to redeem public shares for which redemption is requested and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In addition, 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 provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure and may result in substantial dilution from your purchase of our Class A ordinary shares. The effect of this dilution will be greater for shareholders who do not redeem. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will be released to the underwriter only upon the completion of an initial business combination. We may not be able to generate sufficient value from the completion of our initial business combination in order to overcome the dilutive impact of these and other factors, and, accordingly, you may incur a net loss on your investment. See “—Risks Relating to Our Securities—Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0037 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares.”
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. As a result, we may be able to complete our business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our 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 their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption, plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination, exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we may instead search for an alternate business combination.
37
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination agreement, 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. The length of time it may take us to complete our diligence and negotiate a business combination may reduce the amount of time available for us to ultimately complete an initial business combination should such diligence or negotiations not lead to a consummated initial business combination.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and other events and uncertainties, including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, a significant outbreak of infectious diseases and other risks described herein. For example, geopolitical instability arising from the conflicts such as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the war in Iran, continued conflicts and political unrest in the Middle East and South America could negatively impact businesses we seek to acquire or 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. 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 for permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Because we may make permitted withdrawals, including up to $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. Additionally, uncertainties surrounding the financial markets and the viability of banks and other financial institutions may result in market volatility, which may impact our financial condition and our ability to complete an initial business combination. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
38
We may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would redeem our public shares, and the warrants may be worthless.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination (the “completion window”). If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such completion window, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, although we are under no obligation to do so. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon less amounts released to us for permitted withdrawals (and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will be permitted to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, vote against, or vote at all with respect to the proposed amendment. However, if holders of our Class A ordinary shares elect to redeem their shares, the public “float” of our ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants may be worthless.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares which our public shareholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
39
In recent years, challenging market conditions have caused an increasing number of special purpose acquisition companies to be unable to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, an increasing number of special purpose acquisition companies have liquidated due to an inability to complete an initial business combination due to competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models as well as challenging market conditions. Further, challenges in the market for so-called PIPE transactions may limit our ability to secure additional financing in an initial business combination, which may in turn result in our ability to complete an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether. In addition, the redemption rate among existing special purpose acquisition company shareholders has risen sharply in recent years. High rates of redemption may challenge our ability to complete an initial business combination because it may require us to seek more additional financing to complete an initial business combination.
Attractive targets for special purpose acquisition companies may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets, or such attractive targets may not be interested to consummate a business combination with a SPAC due to a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are numerous 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 (including a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs), geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate, an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or 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’ operations.
We may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector, though it is our intention to pursue prospective targets based in the healthcare, healthcare-related or insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our 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 revenues 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 shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
40
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of up to approximately $18,300 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us, including any regulatory actions successfully made against the trust account. Although we will seek to have all third parties, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. 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 will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
41
Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and will also not be able to vote on our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A ordinary shares and holders of our Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of us approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in our management prior to the completion of an initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate until the completion window, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate until the completion window, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months; 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 designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay our income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, only approximately $1,250,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, 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 $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. 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. None of our sponsor, members of our management team or 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. 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 obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
42
Subsequent to the 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 our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and may not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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 and numerous complex tax laws. 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 business combination, and results of operations.
On January 24, 2024, the SEC issued final rules (the “2024 SPAC Rules”), effective as of July 1, 2024, that, among other items, impose additional disclosure requirements in initial public offerings by special purpose acquisition companies and business combination transactions involving special purpose acquisition companies and private operating companies; amend the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving such companies; update and expand guidance regarding the general use of projections in SEC filings, as well as when projections are disclosed in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increase the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and could impact the extent to which special purpose acquisition companies could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The 2024 SPAC Rules may materially adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete, and the costs associated with, our initial business combination, and results of operations.
In December 2024, the SEC also settled an enforcement action against two special purpose acquisition companies and their sponsor for misleading claims in advance of a proposed business combination with the sponsor agreeing to pay a $6.75 million civil penalty to settle such claims. In addition, litigation challenging completed and pending acquisitions by special purpose acquisition companies has increased. In any such litigation, it is possible that sponsors and/or their director designees may be held liable either for breaches of fiduciary duties owed to the special purpose acquisition company’s public shareholders or for certain actions or omissions by the special purpose acquisition company, including the failure by the special purpose acquisition company to comply with applicable securities laws. Litigation has also arisen asserting that special purpose acquisition companies are violating federal securities laws by operating as unregistered investment companies. Any liabilities arising from these developments could adversely affect our business as well as harm our professional reputation.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including, without limitation, restrictions on the nature of our investments, restrictions on the issuance of securities, and restrictions on the enforceability of agreements entered into by us, 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, without limitation: (i) registration as an investment company with the SEC (which may be impractical and would require significant changes in, among other things, our capital structure); (ii) adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and (iii) reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with 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 in securities and that we do not own “investment securities” having a value exceeding 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
43
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 be held in cash, including in demand deposits at a bank, or invested only 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. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee will not be 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 do not believe we are an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons 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: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with the additional regulatory burdens discussed above would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the completion window, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. Because we intend to invest only in permitted instruments, we believe we will not be an investment company.
Further, under the subjective test of an “investment company” pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, even if the funds deposited in the trust account were invested in the assets discussed above, such assets, other than cash, are “securities” for purposes of the Investment Company Act and, therefore, there is a risk that we could be deemed to be an investment company and subject to the Investment Company Act.
In the adopting release for the 2024 SPAC Rules, the SEC provided guidance that a SPAC’s potential status as an “investment company” depends on a variety of factors, such as a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities and “is a question of facts and circumstances” requiring individualized analysis. If we were deemed to be an unregistered investment company and subject to compliance with and regulation under the Investment Company Act, we would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and expenses for which we have not allotted funds. Unless we are able to modify our activities so that we would not be deemed an investment company, we would either register as an investment company or wind down and abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead liquidate the Company. As a result, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders and would be unable to realize the potential benefits of an initial business combination, including the possible appreciation of the combined company’s securities. In addition, under these circumstances, our warrants would expire worthless.
If our circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how such changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be an unregistered investment company.
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination since such initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirement, including foreign investment regulations and review by government entities such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), or may be ultimately prohibited.
Our initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements by governmental entities, or ultimately prohibited. For example, CFIUS has authority to review direct or indirect foreign investments in U.S. companies. Among other things, CFIUS is empowered to require certain foreign investors to make mandatory filings, to charge filing fees related to such filings, and to self-initiate national security reviews of foreign direct and indirect investments in U.S. companies if the parties to that investment choose not to file voluntarily. In the case that CFIUS determines an investment to be a threat to national security, CFIUS has the power to unwind or place restrictions on the investment. Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on—among other factors—the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. For example, investments that result in “control” of a U.S. business by a foreign person always are subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. CFIUS’s expanded jurisdiction under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 and implementing regulations that became effective on February 13, 2020 further includes investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person but afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “critical infrastructure” and/or “sensitive personal data.”
44
Our initial shareholders, including our sponsor, will own approximately 25.74% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares following this offering. We do not believe that our sponsor is a “foreign person” as defined in the CFIUS regulations. We do not believe that we have any substantial ties with a foreign person, and we do not expect that a transaction by us would necessarily require or warrant CFIUS review. However, it is possible that non-U.S. persons could be involved in our initial business combination (e.g., as existing shareholders of a target company or as PIPE investors), which may increase the risk that our initial business combination becomes subject to regulatory review, including review by CFIUS. As such, an initial business combination with a U.S. business or foreign business with U.S. subsidiaries that we may wish to pursue may be subject to CFIUS review. If a particular proposed initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit to CFIUS review on a voluntary basis, or to proceed with the transaction without submitting to CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the transaction. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our proposed initial business combination, impose conditions with respect to such initial business combination or request the President of the United States to order us to divest all or a portion of the U.S. target business of our initial business combination that we acquired without first obtaining CFIUS approval, which may limit the attractiveness of, delay or prevent us from pursuing certain target companies that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have any foreign ownership issues. In addition, certain federally licensed businesses may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership.
The process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only a limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period required under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including as a result of extended regulatory review of a potential initial business combination, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, our shareholders will miss the opportunity to benefit from an investment in a target company and the appreciation in value of such investment. Additionally, our warrants may be worthless.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target 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:
| ● | higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| ● | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| ● | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| ● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
| ● | exchange listing or delisting requirements; |
| ● | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
45
| ● | longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| ● | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ● | rates of inflation; |
| ● | cultural and language differences; |
| ● | employment regulations; |
| ● | protection of intellectual property; |
| ● | underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
| ● | corruption, social unrest, crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
| ● | government appropriations of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of a state of the United States, it is possible a 1% U.S. federal excise tax will be imposed on us in connection with the redemptions of our common stock after or in connection with such initial business combination.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”), which, among other things, generally imposes a 1% U.S. federal excise tax (the “Excise Tax”) on certain repurchases of stock by “covered corporations” (which include publicly traded domestic (i.e., U.S.) corporations and certain domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporations). The Excise Tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its shareholders from which the stock is repurchased. The amount of the Excise Tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the Excise Tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the Excise Tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out, and prevent the abuse or avoidance of, the Excise Tax. On April 9, 2024, the Treasury issued proposed Treasury regulations that provide proposed operating rules for the Excise Tax, including rules governing the computation of the Excise Tax, on which taxpayers may rely until the proposed Treasury regulations are finalized, and on June 28, 2024, the Treasury issued final Treasury regulations on the reporting and payment (but not the computation) of the Excise Tax. In the proposed Treasury regulations, the Treasury exempts from the Excise Tax any distributions by a covered corporation in the same year it completely liquidates within the meaning of either Section 331 or Section 332(a) (but not both) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which includes distributions that occur in connection with redemptions. Under the proposed Treasury regulations, the Excise Tax may be applicable to redemptions by a covered corporation in connection with (i) a liquidation that is not a “complete liquidation” within the meaning of either Section 331 or Section 332(a) of the Code, (ii) an extension, depending on the timing of the extension relative to when the covered corporation consummates an initial business combination or liquidates and (iii) an initial business combination, depending on the structure of the initial business combination. Although the Treasury regulations clarify certain aspects of the Excise Tax, the interpretation and operation of other aspects of the Excise Tax remain unclear. In addition, although taxpayers generally may rely on the proposed Treasury regulations until they are finalized, there is no assurance that the proposed Treasury regulations will be finalized in their current form, and therefore, the Excise Tax might apply to a future transaction undertaken by us (including after a business combination) in a manner that is different than described in the proposed Treasury regulations.
46
We are currently not a “covered corporation” for purposes of the Excise Tax. If we were to become a “covered corporation” in the future, whether in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination with a U.S. company (including if we were to redomicile as a U.S. corporation in connection therewith) or otherwise, whether and to what extent we would be subject to the Excise Tax on a redemption of our shares would depend on a number of factors, including (i) whether the redemption is treated as a repurchase of shares for purposes of the Excise Tax, (ii) the fair market value of the redemption treated as a repurchase of shares, (iii) the structure of our initial business combination, (iv) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances (whether in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise) issued within the same taxable year of a redemption treated as a repurchase of shares and (v) the content of finalized regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. As noted above, the Excise Tax would be payable by the repurchasing corporation, and not by the redeeming holder, and only limited guidance on the mechanics of any required reporting and payment of the Excise Tax on which taxpayers may rely have been issued to date. The imposition of the Excise Tax on us as a result of redemptions by us could, however, reduce the cash available to the target business in connection with our initial business combination, which could cause investors in our securities who do not redeem or the other shareholders of the combined company to economically bear the impact of such Excise Tax.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and pandemics, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
47
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view, however, we may elect to obtain one. If we determine it appropriate to get a fairness opinion or if we are not independently able to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain such an opinion. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our public shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 179,400,000 and 13,333,333 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriter has not exercised its over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares, which amount is not currently determinable. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Class B ordinary shares are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or a price which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity and capital to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time. Any such issuances of equity securities could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders.
48
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Recent volatility in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Recent volatility in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere may lead to, among other things, (i) increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, (ii) increased borrowing costs and higher risk-free rates, (iii) other national, regional and international economic disruptions, and (iv) uncertainty regarding the valuation of target businesses, any of which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by events that are outside of our control, such as increased geopolitical unrest, pandemic outbreaks and volatility in the debt and equity markets.
Our ability to find a potential target business and the business of any potential company with which we may consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected by events that are outside of our control. For example, geopolitical unrest (such as the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in Iran and the Middle East), including war, terrorist activity and acts of civil or international hostility are increasing. Although the length, impact and outcome of these ongoing military conflicts is highly unpredictable, these conflicts could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in the commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage.
The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries have and may continue to implement sanctions, export controls or other measures against Russia, Belarus and other countries, regions, officials, individuals or industries in the respective territories. Such evolving conflicts may expand to other countries and markets.
Further, in recent years, the U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto. For example, the U.S. government has imposed, and may in the future further increase, tariffs on certain foreign goods, including from China, such as steel and aluminum. Most recently, the current U.S. Presidential administration has imposed or sought to impose significant increases to tariffs on goods imported into the U.S., including from China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Some foreign governments, including China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, have instituted or announced an intention to impose retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. Such tariffs, export controls or other governmental actions related to international trade agreements, and policies that materially constrain cross-border flows of investment, goods, or data, may have the potential to increase costs, decrease margins, and reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by potential target businesses and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of potential target businesses.
49
Such sanctions, tariffs, export controls and other measures, as well as the potential for expanded military activities, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect our ability to search for a business combination or finance such business combination, and the business, financial condition and results of operations of any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination may be materially adversely affected.
Similarly other events outside of our control, including natural disasters, climate-related events, pandemics or health crises may arise from time to time, and such events may cause significant volatility and declines in the global markets, disproportionate impacts to certain industries or sectors, disruptions to commerce (including to economic activity, travel and supply chain), loss of life or property damage, and may adversely affect the global economy or capital markets, and the business of any potential target business with which we may consummate a business combination and could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity or debt financing that may be impacted by these and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable or at all.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business that may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $193 million (or $221.95 million if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which excludes up to approximately $7,000,000 (assuming no redemptions), or up to approximately $8,050,000 (assuming no redemptions) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may effectuate our business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our 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 developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our 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.
50
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-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 shareholders 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 transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding share capital or 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 ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. 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.
In order to effectuate our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and changed industry focus. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, meaning the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and amending our warrant agreement will, in most cases, require a vote or written consent of holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants, except any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture or cancellation of any private placement warrants) shall only require the vote or written consent of holders of 50% of the then-outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the completion window, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
51
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 by way of a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) but excluding the provisions of the articles relating to the appointment of directors and continuation of the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting), may be amended by way of a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of two-thirds of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own up to approximately 25.74% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares less amounts that have been released to us for permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals and dissolution expenses, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
52
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.
The market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriter is entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriter or its respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. The underwriter is entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriter’s or its respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The instructions to Form S-4 and Form F-4 provide that if securities to be registered on that form will be issued in a de-SPAC transaction (as defined in Item 1601(a) of Regulation S-K), by a special purpose acquisition company, the registrants under that form must include the target company. The effect of these rules are that when we submit our initial business combination to our shareholders for approval, that will need to be done, not pursuant to the proxy statement rules, but pursuant to a registration statement under which both we and our intended target are registrants. This registration statement must include historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure regarding both us and our target. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, if we file a Schedule TO, as is required by Item 1608 of Regulation S-K. These financial statements will be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements will be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). 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 the requirements of Form S-4 or Form F-4 and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
53
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 acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2027. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, 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 company with which we seek to complete our business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management.
Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team
Past performance by our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Past performance by our management team 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 any of the members of our sponsor, or our management team’s performance as indicative of the future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors that may or may not be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination 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 acquisition 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 in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
54
Since our sponsor, officers, directors and any non-managing sponsor investors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On June 16, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 4, 2026, we effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 founder shares. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering, excluding the private placement shares. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside of the trust account. Our sponsor, Lower Cross Sponsor LLC (which we refer to as our sponsor throughout this prospectus) and BTIG, have committed to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $6,000,000 in the aggregate (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). These units, which we refer to as the private placement units, are identical to the public units sold in this offering, subject to limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. Holders of founder shares and private placement units have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto) and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director, and we may pay our sponsor, officers, directors and any of their respective affiliate’s fees and expenses in connection with identifying, investigating and consummating an initial business combination. The private placement securities, will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets held outside of the trust account.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase, through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor indirectly purchasing, through non-managing sponsor membership interests, the private placement units allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares (or up to [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor.
The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, its affiliates or our 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 completion window nears.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our 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 business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our 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.
55
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
We may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow our sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement securities or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination, which may deprive us of key personnel.
While there is no current intention to do so, we may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow the sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement securities or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination. As a result, there is a risk that our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor, which would likely result in our loss of certain key personnel. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such business combination.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our 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 the company after the completion of our 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. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
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’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates’ 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.
56
We may pursue business combination opportunities in any sector, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. 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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing potential 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 identify and pursue initial business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. Any such potential conflicts may materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees.”
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, advisers, officers or executives of other companies, including other special purpose acquisition companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. Further, certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings unrelated to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming and could divert our management’s attention, and may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, advisers, officers or executives of other companies, including other special purpose acquisition companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons were, are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, claims alleging disclosure deficiencies or breaches of fiduciary duties, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Individual members of our management team and board of directors are or may become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings involving claims or allegations related to or as a result of their personal conduct, either in their capacity as a corporate officer or director or otherwise, and may be personally named in such actions and potentially subject to personal liability. Any such liability may or may not be covered by insurance and/or indemnification, depending on the facts and circumstances. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming. Any litigation, investigations or other proceedings and the potential outcomes of such actions may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
57
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this 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. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Accordingly, none of our directors or officers will have obligations to present a business combination opportunity to us. However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination.
Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing of a business combination.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation or participation in one or more other blank check companies. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. Any such potential conflicts may materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
58
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and a current prospectus is available, or certain exemptions are available. Such registration or current prospectus, as applicable, may not be in place when you desire to exercise warrants, thus precluding you from being able to exercise your warrants except, to the extent expressly permitted by the warrant agreement, on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon the exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, warrant holders will not be entitled to exercise their warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
While we are registering the offer of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act as part of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, this prospectus cannot be used for the purpose of a future decision to exercise the warrants, and we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until after the closing of the initial business combination in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable following the closing of the initial business combination, but in no event later than 20 business days thereafter, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1, as applicable, under the Securities Act covering the issuance of such shares upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and thereafter to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or earlier redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in such registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or current prospectus, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. To exercise warrants on a cashless basis, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants in exchange for a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the product of (A) the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants and (B) the difference between the “fair market value” and the exercise price of the warrants by (ii) such fair market value. Solely for purposes of the preceding sentence, “fair market value” shall mean the weighted average closing price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10-trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws, and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire without value to the holder. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.
59
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and other holders of our private placement securities may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement securities and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement securities or holders of securities that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and their permitted transferees may demand that we register such warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants and any other securities of the company acquired by them prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement units or holders of our working capital loans, or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We will apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (currently 400 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round-lot holders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We cannot assure you we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| ● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| ● | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| ● | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares would be considered a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
60
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
Our independent registered public accounting firm's report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern”.
As of June 30, 2026, the Company had $31,080 of cash and a working capital deficit of $228,727. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management's plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will not be offering a “penny stock,” we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our 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 business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
61
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
We may make withdrawals from the interest earned on the trust account to pay our taxes payable and fund our working capital requirements, which may negatively impact the potential value of the trust account as well as the cash remaining for the combined company following the consummation of our initial business combination.
Unlike many other special purpose acquisition companies, we are permitted to withdraw (i) up to $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $75,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be released to us during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), and/or (ii) pay taxes payable.
Because we may make these permitted withdrawals, the potential value of the trust account as well as the cash remaining for the combined company following the consummation of the business combination may be negatively impacted, and shareholders who choose to redeem their shares may receive less in connection with such redemptions than they would receive if we did not make such withdrawals.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| ● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| ● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
62
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
| ● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
| ● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| ● | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
Our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own shares representing 25.74% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will (i) entitle the holders to vote on the appointment of our directors prior to our initial business combination and (ii) entitle the holders to vote on the removal of directors or vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A ordinary shares (including holders of the private placement units) and holders of our Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or on the removal of directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a letter of intent regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0037 per founder share (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary shares and none to the one-third of a public warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the public warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 105.40% (or $10.54) per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(0.54) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares. For more information on how dilution was calculated in the preceding sentence and the assumptions underlying the expected dilution that you will experience following this offering, please see the section entitled “Dilution” in this prospectus.
63
Generally, the dilution that our public shareholders will experience increases the more public shares are redeemed. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares may also significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would even further increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
Our public shareholders will experience dilution even if no public shares are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination or another redemption event, for instance in connection with the implementation by the directors of, following a shareholder vote, an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed or repurchased in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
However, while our public shareholders will experience dilution even if none of our public shares are redeemed, the dilution they will experience will decrease the more of our public shares remain issued and outstanding following a redemption event. For instance, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase units, public shares, warrants or equity-linked securities 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. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination or if we enter into non-redemption agreements with certain of our shareholders, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases or shares subject to non-redemption agreements, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of our Securities.”
Further, public shareholders will experience additional dilution from the issuance of shares of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants (including any private placement warrants included in private placement units issued upon conversion of working capital loans). The exercise of the warrants would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized for the warrants. See “Dilution.”
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.
While we are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share, our sponsor only paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 6,666,667 founder shares (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), or approximately $0.0037 per share. Further, if we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the private placement shares) upon consummation of this offering. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted in the event we consummate an initial business combination. For example, the following table shows the public shareholders’ and sponsor’s investment per share and how that compares to the implied value of one of our shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination if at that time we were valued at $193,000,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account assuming the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. At such valuation, after taking into account the sale of the private placement units, each of our ordinary shares would have an implied value of $7.08 per share, which is a 26.6% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $9.65.
64
| Public shares | 20,000,000 | |||
| Founder shares | 6,666,667 | |||
| Private Placement shares | 600,000 | |||
| Total shares | 27,266,667 | |||
| Total funds in trust available for initial business combination(1) | $ | 193,000,000 | ||
| Public shareholders’ investment per Class A ordinary share(3) | $ | 10.00 | ||
| Sponsor’s investment per Class B ordinary share(4) | $ | 0.0037 | ||
| Initial implied value per public share(1)(2) | $ | 9.65 | ||
| Implied value per public share upon consummation of initial business combination | $ | 7.08 |
| (1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 1,000,000 founder shares and excludes deferred underwriting fee of $7,000,000. |
| (2) | Does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the business combination, such as the value of our warrants, the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs (including payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions), any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects. |
| (3) | While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only. |
| (4) | The sponsor’s total investment in the equity of the company, inclusive of the founder shares and the sponsor’s $3,500,000 investment in the private placement units, is $3,525,000. |
While the implied value of our public shares may be diluted, the implied value of $7.08 per share in the example above would represent a significant implied profit for our sponsor relative to the initial purchase price of the founder shares. Our sponsor has committed to invest an aggregate of $3,525,000 in us in connection with this offering (or $3,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), composed of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $3,500,000 purchase price for the private placement units (or $3,725,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). At $7.08 per share, the 7,016,667 founder shares and private placement shares would have an aggregate implied value of $49,678,000. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares significantly declines (whether because of a substantial amount of redemptions of our public shares or for any other reason), our sponsor will stand to make significant profit on its investment in us. In addition, our sponsor could potentially recoup nearly its entire investment in us even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares were as low as $0.50 per share. As a result, our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us even if we select and consummate an initial business combination that causes the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares to decline, while our public shareholders who purchased their units in this offering could lose significant value in their public shares. Our sponsor may therefore be economically incentivized to consummate an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any defective provision or mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, (ii) adjusting the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder of public warrants if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant. In addition, because we may make permitted withdrawals, including up to $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account as well as the cash remaining for the combined company following the consummation of the business combination, and therefore the value of the warrants, may be negatively impacted
65
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. With respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, we note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination, and (iii) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below under “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Redemption of public warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. The lower exercise price for the warrants may increase the likelihood that warrant holders will exercise their warrants. Any such exercises at the reduced exercise price would result in the issuance of additional shares of our common stock, leading to increased dilution to our existing shareholders. This additional dilution may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business, as it could adversely affect our attractiveness to potential targets and the value of our shares.
66
We may redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a public warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send notice of such redemption to the public warrant holders and provided certain other conditions are met. We will not redeem the public warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating thereto is available throughout the measurement period and the 30-day redemption period, except if the public warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. Redemption of the outstanding public warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our public warrants to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the public warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its public warrants to do so on a cashless basis. If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised their public warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in us.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.
We will be issuing public warrants to purchase 6,666,667 Class A ordinary shares (or up to 7,666,667 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $6,000,000 in the aggregate (or $6,600,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each private placement unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one warrant. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50. In addition, if the sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 200,000 private placement-equivalent units, at the price of $10.00 per unit. Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 7,666,667 founder shares (up to 1,000,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). Our sponsor will own an aggregate of 25.74% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering.
67
To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-third of one public warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-third of one public warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriter. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriter, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriter believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants underlying the units, include:
| ● | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| ● | prior offerings of those companies; |
| ● | our prospects for acquiring an operating business; |
| ● | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| ● | our capital structure; |
| ● | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| ● | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| ● | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of geopolitical events like the conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, Iran and Gaza or economic impacts such as inflation and tariffs. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
68
If we take advantage of Nasdaq’s controlled company standards, we would be exempt from various corporate governance requirements.
Nasdaq listing rules generally define a “Controlled Company” as any company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company. Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors; provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the shareholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the provision in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. More than 50% of the founder shares will be held by our sponsor. Accordingly, prior to the vote on our initial business combination, we would likely satisfy the definition of being a controlled company. As indicated herein, we will not use the related exemptions to Nasdaq’s governance rules under the controlled company standards. However, if we were to change our intentions and take advantage of the controlled company standards, we would be exempt from various corporate governance requirements such as the requirement to have a majority of independent directors and to have nominating/corporate governance and compensation committees comprised entirely of independent directors.
General Risk Factors
We are a newly incorporated 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 newly incorporated company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30th before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31st. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
69
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 Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled to or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. 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.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase substantially all of the units in this offering, which could reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our shares, adversely affect the trading price of our shares and, further, may present a conflict of interest for such non-managing sponsor investors in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately [___] units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), or up to [__]% of this offering. None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing individually more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, each of the non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase fewer units in this offering, or none at all, or the underwriter may determine to sell fewer units to the non-managing sponsor investors, or none at all. In addition, the underwriters have full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell fewer units to the non-managing sponsor investors, or none at all, and the purchase of the non-managing sponsor membership interests is not contingent upon participation in this offering or vice versa. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements as we expect to comply with all of the Nasdaq listing requirements prior to the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Although we have no knowledge of any affiliation or other agreement or arrangement, as to voting of our securities or otherwise, among the non-managing sponsor investors, if such investors all elect to purchase the full amount of our units described herein and so long as they hold a substantial portion of the units purchased, the sponsor and the non-managing sponsor investors would collectively own a significant number of our shares. Further, the non-managing sponsor investors will share in any appreciation of the founder shares through their membership interests in the sponsor if we successfully complete a business combination. Non-managing sponsor investors’ interests in the founder shares may provide them with an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and make a substantial profit on such interests, even if the business combination is with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for other public shareholders. Therefore, in the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase the full amount of units described herein, continue to hold the shares included in the units and individually decide to vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination, we would not need any additional public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination to have our initial business combination approved.
70
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include two-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law provides that none of our officers and directors shall have a duty to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and that we renounce any interest or expectancy in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for our officers and directors, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no individual serving as a director or an officer of the Company shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for a director or an officer of the Company, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other. Except to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, a director or an officer of the Company shall have no duty to communicate or offer any such corporate opportunity to the Company and shall not be liable to the Company or its members for breach of any fiduciary duty as a member, director and/or officer solely by reason of the fact that such party pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for itself, directs such corporate opportunity to another person, or does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to the Company.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or shareholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other actions may be brought only in the courts of the Cayman Islands and, if brought outside of The Cayman Islands, the shareholder bringing the suit will, subject to certain exceptions, be deemed to have consented to service of process on such shareholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or shareholders.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in the Company, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any current or former director, officer, shareholder or other employee of the Company to the Company or the shareholders of the Company, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that the Company may have, each shareholder of the Company acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly the Company shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. 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. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
71
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.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Tax Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Tax Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Additionally, even if we qualify for the start-up exception with respect to a given taxable year, there cannot be any assurance that we would not be a PFIC in other taxable years. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception, potentially not until after the two taxable years following our current taxable year). Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election with respect to their ordinary shares, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our ordinary shares and warrants. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Tax Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in or transfer by way of continuation to the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
72
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. 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 shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders.
In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
73
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors contains provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement units, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval with our written consent as well as the written consent of the sponsor and our directors and officers to the extent they are the subject of any change, amendment, modification or waiver to the letter agreement. The written consent of BTIG, as the underwriter, will also be required for an amendment of a provision of the letter agreement that subjects the sponsor and our directors and officers to certain of the restrictions included in the underwriting agreement and pursuant to which the sponsor and our officers and directors agree that, subject to certain limited exceptions described in the letter agreement (for more information on such limited exceptions, also see “Securities Eligible for future sale—Summary of Resale Restrictions”) and certain other exceptions described in the underwriting agreement, for a period ending 180 days from the date of the underwriting agreement, our sponsor and our directors and officers will not, without the prior written consent of BTIG, as the underwriter, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, units, warrants, Class A ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares (for more information on the letter agreement in which the transfer restrictions are included and for more information on the limited exceptions to such transfer restrictions, also see “Proposed Business—Our Sponsor.”) While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
74
USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement units will be used as set forth in the following table.
| Without Over-allotment Option | Over-allotment Option Fully Exercised | |||||||
| Gross proceeds | ||||||||
| Gross proceeds from units offered to the public(1) | $ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
| Gross proceeds from private placement units offered in the private placement to the sponsor | $ | 3,500,000 | $ | 3,725,000 | ||||
| Gross proceeds from private placement units offered in the private placement to BTIG, LLC | $ | 2,500,000 | $ | 2,875,000 | ||||
| Total gross proceeds | $ | 206,000,000 | $ | 236,600,000 | ||||
| Offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
| Underwriter’s discounts and commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to the public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | $ | 4,000,000 | $ | 4,600,000 | ||||
| Legal fees and expenses | $ | 350,000 | $ | 350,000 | ||||
| Printing and engraving expenses | $ | 22,500 | $ | 22,500 | ||||
| Trustee fees and expenses | $ | 8,000 | $ | 8,000 | ||||
| Accounting fees and expenses | $ | 97,000 | $ | 97,000 | ||||
| SEC/FINRA expenses | $ | 58,120 | $ | 66,763 | ||||
| Nasdaq listing fees | $ | 80,000 | $ | 80,000 | ||||
| Miscellaneous | $ | 134,380 | $ | 125,737 | ||||
| Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | $ | 750,000 | $ | 750,000 | ||||
| Proceeds after offering expenses | $ | 201,250,000 | $ | 231,250,000 | ||||
| Held in trust account(3) | $ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
| % of public offering size | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||
| Not held in trust account after offering expenses | $ | 1,250,000 | $ | 1,250,000 | ||||
The following table shows the expected use of the approximately $1,250,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account:(4)
| Amount | % of Total | |||||||
| Accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5) | $ | 500,000 | 40.0 | % | ||||
| Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | $ | 100,000 | 8.0 | % | ||||
| Nasdaq and other regulatory fees | $ | 85,000 | 6.8 | % | ||||
| Payment for office space and administrative support(6) | $ | 180,000 | 14.4 | % | ||||
| Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance(7) | $ | 250,000 | 20.0 | % | ||||
| Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses | $ | 135,000 | 10.8 | % | ||||
| Total | $ | 1,250,000 | 100 | % | ||||
| (1) | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
| (2) | A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 30, 2026, we have $75,000 of borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. If we borrow any amounts, this loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
| (3) | The underwriter has agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to up to $0.35 per unit sold in this offering, or up to $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriter’s deferred underwriting commissions (or $8,050,000 if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriter from the funds held in the trust account (assuming no redemptions), and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies, or for working capital. The underwriter will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting.” |
75
| (4) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. |
| (5) | Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing. |
| (6) | Shows indicative payments for office space and administrative support for the first twelve (12) months only. Such payments will continue on a monthly basis until the completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, when we will cease paying these monthly fees. |
| (7) | This amount represents the approximate amount of annualized director and officer liability insurance premiums we anticipate paying following the completion of this offering and until we complete a business combination. |
The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $200,000,000, or $10.00 per unit ($230,000,000, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed into an interest bearing U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. These proceeds include $7,000,000 (assuming no redemptions) (or $8,050,000 (assuming no redemptions) if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The proceeds held in the trust account will be held in cash, including in demand deposits at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Except with respect to permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) 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 the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window. We are permitted to withdraw up to $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $75,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be released to us during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), plus additional amounts of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account to pay our tax obligations (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us and which shall not be subject to the $300,000 annual limitation (or $75,000 limitation)).
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post- transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
76
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us $1,250,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, as well as certain funds from loans from our sponsor. We will use these funds and our working capital primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination and to pay taxes, if needed. During that period, we expect our principal expenses to include income taxes; regulatory reporting requirements; Nasdaq and other regulatory fees; and office space, administrative and support services. We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will also pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2026, we have $75,000 of borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. If we borrow any amounts, this loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2026, or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such unit would be identical to the private placement units. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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 seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy a certain amount of cash as a closing condition, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquires public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
77
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. Other than with respect to payments or distributions from the trust account, no dividends or distributions shall be payable on Class A ordinary shares unless approved by the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued Class B ordinary shares. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon consummation of this offering, excluding the shares underlying the private placement securities. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
78
DILUTION
The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A ordinary shares, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
The below presentation (A) assumes that (i) no ordinary shares are issued to shareholders of a potential business combination target as consideration or issuable by a post-business combination company, for instance under an equity or employee share purchase plan, (ii) no ordinary shares and convertible equity or debt securities are issued in connection with additional financing that we may seek in connection with an initial business combination, and (iii) no working capital loans are converted into private placement units, as further described in this prospectus, and (B) assumes the issuance of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the public units sold in this offering (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the public units sold in this offering if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), 600,000 private placement units sold in a private placement in connection with this offering (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) and 7,666,667 founder shares (up to 1,000,000 of which are assumed to be forfeited in the scenario in which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full).
Generally, the dilution that our public shareholders will experience increases the more public shares are redeemed. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares may also significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would even further increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the Class B ordinary shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares. For more information on risks related to dilution also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our public shareholders and likely present other risks.”
Our public shareholders will experience dilution even if no public shares are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination or another redemption event, for instance in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.
However, while our public shareholders will experience dilution even if none of our public shares are redeemed, the dilution they will experience will decrease the more of our public shares remain issued and outstanding following a redemption event. For instance, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase units, public shares, rights or equity-linked securities 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. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination or if we enter into non-redemption agreements with certain of our shareholders, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases or shares subject to non-redemption agreements, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
79
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit and Adjusted NTBVPS and assuming the redemption of our public shares included in the public units offered hereby at varying levels in the scenarios in which the over-allotment option is not exercised and exercised in full:
| As of June 30, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Offering Price of $10.00 per Unit | 25% of Maximum Redemption | 50% of Maximum Redemption | 75% of Maximum Redemption | Maximum Redemption | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted NTBVPS | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between Adjusted NTBVPS and Offering Price | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between NTBVPS and Offering Price | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between Adjusted NTBVPS and Offering Price | Adjusted NTBVPS | Difference between Adjusted NTBVPS and Offering Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7.13 | 6.50 | 3.50 | 5.52 | 4.48 | 3.72 | 6.28 | (0.54 | ) | 10.54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7.12 | 6.49 | 3.51 | 5.51 | 4.49 | 3.72 | 6.28 | (0.54 | ) | 10.54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
For each of the redemption scenarios above, the Adjusted NTBVPS was calculated as follows:
80
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) by $200,000,000 because holders of our public shares may exercise their redemption rights at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
The following table sets forth information (i) with respect to our initial shareholders and the public shareholders and (ii) that was used to determine the net tangible book value per share, as presented in this section:
| Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price |
||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | Per Share | ||||||||||||||||
| Founder Shares(1) | 6,666,667 | 24.45 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.0037 | |||||||||||
| Public Shareholders | 20,000,000 | 73.35 | % | $ | 200,000,000 | 97.08 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||||
| Private Placement Shares | 600,000 | 2.20 | $ | 6,000,000 | 2.91 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
| 27,266,667 | 100 | % | $ | 206,025,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor. |
81
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2026, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our Class A ordinary shares included in the units sold in this offering and the private placement units sold concurrently with the consummation of this offering and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| June 30, 2026 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | $ | — | $ | 7,000,000 | ||||
| Notes payable to related party | $ | 75,000 | $ | — | ||||
| Over-allotment liability(2) | $ | — | $ | 179,600 | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption, 0 and 20,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3) | $ | — | $ | 200,000,000 | ||||
| Shareholders’ equity (deficit): | ||||||||
| Preference shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized none issued or outstanding | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 600,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively | $ | — | $ | 60 | ||||
| Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 7,666,667 and 6,666,667 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively (4) | $ | 767 | $ | 667 | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital | $ | 24,233 | — | |||||
| Accumulated deficit | $ | (22,058 | ) | $ | (5,927,385 | ) | ||
| Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) | $ | 2,942 | $ | (5,926,658 | ) | |||
| Total capitalization | $ | 77,942 | $ | 201,252,942 | ||||
| (1) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and the resulting forfeiture of 1,000,000 founder shares held by our sponsor has occurred. |
| (2) | The underwriter’s over-allotment option is deemed to be a freestanding financial instrument indexed on the shares subject to redemption and will be accounted for as a liability pursuant to ASC 480 if not fully exercised at the time of the initial public offering. |
| (3) | Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals and dissolution expenses, subject to the limitations described herein and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. For a detailed calculation of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Dilution.” |
| (4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. |
82
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on April 15, 2026 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any potential business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions directly or indirectly, with respect to identifying any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the issuance of the private placement units, our share capital, debt or a combination of cash, share capital and debt.
The issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of our ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of ordinary shares is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| ● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| ● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| ● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
| ● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
| ● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| ● | other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
83
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at June 30, 2026, we had $31,080 of cash and deferred offering costs of $231,669. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares to our sponsor and loans to us of up to $300,000 by our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2026, we have $75,000 of borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the Class A ordinary shares in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $750,000 (excluding underwriting commissions), underwriting commissions of $4,000,000 (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000 (assuming no redemptions) (or $8,050,000 (assuming no redemptions) if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions, and (ii) the sale of the private placement units for a purchase price of approximately $6,000,000 (or $6,600,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $201,250,000 (or $231,250,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000) if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions. The remaining approximately $1,250,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses, excluding underwriting commissions, exceed our estimate of $750,000, 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, excluding underwriting commissions, are less than our estimate of $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses. To the extent that our share capital or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $1,250,000 proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
During that period, we expect our principal expenses to include income taxes; regulatory reporting requirements; Nasdaq and other regulatory fees; and office space, administrative and support services. We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will also pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
84
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies 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 an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and Procedures
We are currently not required to comply with Section 404(a) and (b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with Section 404(a) and (b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| ● | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| ● | reconciliation of accounts; |
85
| ● | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| ● | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| ● | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| ● | documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be held in cash, including in demand deposits at a bank, or invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
On June 16, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 4, 2026, we effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 founder shares. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering, excluding the private placement shares. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the private placement shares) upon consummation of this offering. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors at their original purchase price.
Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
To the extent permitted by law, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. These individuals will also be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on payments that may be made to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates.
86
Prior to the consummation of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2026, or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $1,250,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units.
The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
Our sponsor, Lower Cross Sponsor LLC (which we refer to as our sponsor throughout this prospectus), and BTIG have committed to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG, LLC has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). These units, which we refer to as the private placement units, are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement securities held by it to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to it, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as the sponsor. Otherwise, these private placement securities will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our business combination. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable.
[___] institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other investor), which we refer to as the “non-managing sponsor investors” throughout this prospectus, have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase, through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor indirectly purchasing, through non-managing sponsor membership interests, the private placement units allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares (as defined below) (or up to [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial shareholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of private placement units issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of June 30, 2026, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
87
PROPOSED BUSINESS
Our Company
We are a special purpose acquisition company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry, sector or geographical location.
While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective target business in the healthcare, healthcare-related, or insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries. Our strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, build, a business that may benefit from our management team’s significant expertise. We intend to focus our investment effort broadly across the healthcare, healthcare-related and insurance industries. Members of our management team have significant experience across these industries, and we believe are well-positioned to identify and execute an attractive business combination.
Our management team is led by Richard Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Barasch was previously Chief Executive Officer of Universal American Corp., a publicly-traded health insurance and services company focused on the senior market and government programs, from 1995 until Universal American’s acquisition by WellCare Health Plans in April 2017. Mr. Barasch has significant experience working on prior special purpose acquisition companies, having served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., Executive Chairman of DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp. and Executive Chairman of Deerfield Healthcare Technology Acquisition Corp., all of which completed mergers with targets. He is currently founding partner of RAB Ventures LLC, formed to invest in growth healthcare companies. He is a Director of HouseWorks LLC, a provider of personal care, Frontier Direct a direct primary care company, Cecelia Health, Inc., a virtual specialty medical practice, and BlueZones Health, an MSO for risk bearing Medicare Advantage primary care physicians who adopt the Blue Zones philosophy. He serves on the Board of Advisors, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the Advisory Board of the Health Policy and Management program at the Mailman School of Public Health. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Community Health Network an FQHC located in New York City. He is also on the Dean’s Council at Columbia Law School, where he is also an adjunct Lecturer in Law. Through these activities, Mr. Barasch has developed an extensive network of contacts throughout the healthcare industry. Mr. Barasch graduated from Swarthmore College and Columbia University Law School where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review.
In November 2017, Mr. Barasch, founded DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., or DFB, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. DFB completed its initial public offering in February 2018, in which it sold 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, with each unit comprised of one share of common stock and one-third of one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, generating gross proceeds of $250,000,000. DFB completed its initial business combination in November 2019, in which DFB, through a series of transactions, acquired AdaptHealth Corp. (Nasdaq: AHCO), a leading provider of home healthcare equipment and services, in a transaction with a pro forma enterprise value in excess of $1 billion. Following completion of the business combination, Mr. Barasch subsequently served as chairman of the board of AdaptHealth until June 2024. Since AdaptHealth’s public debut, the Company has reported strong revenue growth, expanded its geographic footprint and increased strategic relevance, positioning the Company to win capitated contracts with major payors.
In November 2019, Mr. Barasch, along with others, founded DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., or DFP, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. DFP completed its initial public offering in March 2020, in which it sold 23,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, with each unit comprised of one share of common stock and one-fourth of one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. DFP completed its initial business combination in November 2021, in which DFP acquired The Oncology Institute Inc. (“TOI” now known as “Starling Oncology”), a leading value-based oncology company that manages community-based oncology practices. Following completion of the business combination, Mr. Barasch subsequently served as chairman of the board of TOI until August 2025. Since the completion of the business combination, TOI has expanded its clinic network, provider count and has grown revenue.
88
In May 2020, Richard Barasch, along with others, founded Deerfield Healthcare Technology Acquisition Corp., or DFHT, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. DFHT completed its initial public offering in July 2020, in which it sold 14,375,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit, with each unit comprised of one share of common stock and one-fifth of one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, generating gross proceeds of $143.75 million. DFHT completed its initial business combination in June 2021, pursuant to which DFHT, through a series of transactions, acquired CareMax Medical Group, LLC and IMC Medical Group Holdings, LLC, and the combined company was renamed CareMax, Inc. (“CareMax”), which began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CMAX”. Following completion of the business combination, Mr. Barasch subsequently served as chairman of the board of CareMax until February 2022.
In addition to our management team, we have also assembled a group of independent directors who will bring us public company governance, executive leadership, operations oversight, private equity investment management and capital markets experience in both healthcare and financial services. Our board members have extensive experience, having served as directors or officers for numerous publicly-listed and privately-owned companies. Our directors have experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and implementation, which we believe will significantly benefit us as we evaluate potential acquisition or merger candidates as well as following the completion of our initial business combination.
We believe our management team is well positioned to take advantage of the growing set of acquisition opportunities focused on the healthcare and insurance industries and that our contacts and relationships, ranging from owners of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and business brokers will allow us to generate an attractive transaction for our shareholders.
Our management team has decades of combined operational, financial, investment and transactional experience involving a diverse group of businesses across the healthcare and insurance ecosystem, and we intend to focus on acquisition opportunities that can benefit from our expertise. Our team and independent directors possess complementary skills and experience encompassing all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, valuation, structuring, financing, negotiation, execution, strategy development, operations management and investment realization.
Our management team’s objective is to generate attractive investment returns to create value for our shareholders by applying our strategy of identifying acquisition opportunities and capitalizing on the ability of our management team to acquire and manage a business that can benefit from our expertise. Our management team’s approach is focused on industries or sectors in which we have considerable knowledge and emphasizes downside protection and the preservation of capital by opportunistically pursuing transactions where we believe we have the ability to capture asymmetric risk/reward potential. Our management team will assess the skills, qualifications and abilities of the management team of each potential business combination target. The level and length of our existing management’s continued active participation in our post-acquisition business will depend on the particular needs of the business acquired. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination.
Past performance by our management team 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 identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or any prior performance as indicative of our future performance. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team, including our management team, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.” For a list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest between such officers and the company may or does exist, please refer to “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
Business Strategy
Our strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, build, a business that may benefit from our management team’s significant expertise. We intend to focus our investment effort broadly across the healthcare, healthcare-related and insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries. Members of our management team have significant experience across these industries, and we believe are well-positioned to identify and execute an attractive business combination.
89
Our acquisition selection process will leverage our team’s network of potential transaction sources, ranging from owners and directors of private and public companies, private equity and venture capital funds, investment bankers, lenders, attorneys, accountants and other trusted advisors across various sectors. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships that we believe will serve as a useful source of acquisition opportunities.
While we may ultimately source a transaction through a variety of channels, we believe the current private equity exit environment presents an attractive opportunity to pursue a business combination with a private equity–backed company. In our view, elevated interest rates and reduced buyer appetite have prolonged holding periods across private equity portfolios and constrained traditional exit pathways, leading sponsors to evaluate alternative liquidity solutions for mature, high-quality assets. While continuation vehicles have become more prevalent, we believe they are not a long-term or universally suitable solution and may face increasing scrutiny from limited partners and other stakeholders. Against this backdrop, we believe a deSPAC transaction offers a compelling alternative by providing in many instances a more certain and efficient path to the public markets, enabling liquidity for existing investors while positioning the target company with access to capital and a publicly traded currency to support future growth and strategic initiatives.
We expect that our management team and board of directors’ networks will provide robust acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for any business combination target and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potentially interesting leads.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire companies that we believe:
| ● | can benefit from our management team’s significant operational expertise, experience and strategic insights across the healthcare and insurance ecosystems |
| ● | have the potential for significant growth, including those with embedded or underexploited growth opportunities and those that may benefit from synergistic add-on acquisitions, new product markets and geographies, increased production capacity, expense reduction and increased operating leverage |
| ● | have the potential to develop a leading, growing or niche market position in their respective industries. We will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of target businesses relative to their competitors. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe have the ability to demonstrate advantages when compared to their competitors, which may help to develop and increase their market position and profitability |
| ● | exhibit unrecognized value or other characteristics that we believe have been misevaluated by the marketplace based on our company specific analysis and due diligence review. For a potential target company, this process will include, among other things, a review and analysis of the company’s capital structure, quality of earnings, potential for operational improvements, corporate governance, customers, material contracts, and industry background and trends. We intend to leverage the operational experience and disciplined investment approach of our team to identify opportunities to unlock value that our experience in complex situations allows us to pursue |
| ● | are led by a complete, experienced management team that is ready to operate a business in the public markets. We will seek to partner with a potential target’s management team and expect that the operating and financial abilities of our executive team and board will complement their own capabilities. |
| ● | are ready to operate in the scrutiny of public markets, with strong management, corporate governance and reporting policies in place and that will benefit from being publicly traded and can effectively utilize the broader access to capital and the public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company |
90
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets threshold, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our shareholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to shareholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding share capital or capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our business combination.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. Further, the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets may increase, and attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. Because of our limited resources and such increased competition for business combination opportunities, including from other special purpose acquisition companies or other entities having a similar business objective to us, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination or negotiate attractive terms for our initial business combination. Depending on who our competitors will be when negotiating a business combination transaction, we may also be at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. For more information also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Securities—Attractive targets for special purpose acquisition companies may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets, or such attractive targets may not be interested to consummate a business combination with a SPAC due to a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.”
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
91
Our Sponsor
Our sponsor, Lower Cross Sponsor LLC, is a Delaware limited liability company. Although our sponsor is permitted to undertake any activities permitted under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and other applicable law, our sponsor’s business is focused on investing in our company. Richard Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the sole managing member of our sponsor and controls our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion over the securities of our company held by our sponsor. As of the date hereof, other than Mr. Barasch, no other person has a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. There are no other members of our sponsor other than as described above.
Richard Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will own direct, and through his respective affiliates and controlled entities, indirect interests, in the membership interests of our sponsor, in the aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor. Our remaining officers and directors will own direct, and through their respective affiliates and controlled entities, indirect interests, in the membership interest of our sponsor, in the aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor, and other members of our sponsor, all of whom have pre-existing business relationships with our directors and officers will own the membership interest of our sponsor, in the aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor. Other than such persons and the non-managing sponsor investors (as set forth below), no other person will have a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. Other than our management team, none of the other members of our sponsor (including the non-managing sponsor investors) will participate in the direction or management of our company.
Subject to the non-managing sponsor investors purchasing, through the sponsor, indirect interests in the private units allocated to them in connection with the closing of this offering, the sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price ($0.0033 per share) to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] (or [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by the sponsor.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
| Entity | Payments to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Consideration Paid or to be Paid | ||
| Lower Cross Sponsor LLC | 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares(1) (of which 1,000,000 are subject to forfeiture if the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, of which our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price, and of which an aggregate of 90,000 shares will be transferred to our independent directors) | $25,000 or approximately $0.0033 per founder share | ||
| 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full(2)) | $3,500,000 (or $3,725,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) ($10.00 per unit) | |||
| Up to $300,000 | Repayment of loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses | |||
| Lower Cross Sponsor LLC, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates | $15,000 per month | Payment to our sponsor of $15,000 per month, for up to the duration of the completion window, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support | ||
| Up to $2,000,000 in working capital loans by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors. Such loans may be converted at the option of the lender into private placement units at a conversion price of $10.00 per unit(3) | Working capital loans to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination | |||
| Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.(4) | Payment of fees and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination |
| (1) | The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Further, if we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the private placement shares) upon consummation of this offering. As described below under “Offering—Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights,” the Class B ordinary shares and Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the nominal price of $0.0033 per founder share at which our sponsor purchased the founder shares and/or the anti-dilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Our sponsor, directors and officers and their affiliates may receive additional compensation and/or may be issued additional securities in connection with an initial business combination, including securities that may result in material dilution to public shareholders. For more information also see below under “Offering—Payments to insiders.” |
| (2) | The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to purchase, indirectly through the purchase of non-managing membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. |
| (3) | The $10.00 per private placement unit conversion price for such working capital loans may potentially be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time the lenders elect to convert their working capital loans into private placement units. Further, the $11.50 exercise price of the private placement warrants included in the private placement units issuable upon conversion of working capital loans may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such private placement warrants are exercised. Similarly, depending on the market price of our shares at the time our private placement warrants are exercised, the cashless exercise feature of our private placement warrants may also result in material dilution to our public shareholders given that the cashless exercise of the warrants will not result in any cash proceeds to us and holders of our private placement warrants would pay the private placement warrant exercise price by surrendering their warrants for a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. The “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. Therefore, such private placement unit issuances may result in significant dilution to holders of our shares. For more information also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination—We may issue our securities to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our securities at that time” and “Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.” |
| (4) | For more information, also see “Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Sources of Target Businesses,” “Management—Officer and Director Compensation” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.” |
92
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur an immediate and material dilution upon the closing of this offering. See the sections titled “Dilution” and “Risk Factors—The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
Pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered into with us, each of our sponsor, officers and directors has agreed to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement securities, as summarized in the table below. For more information on non-contractual resale restrictions, also see “Securities Eligible for Future Sale—Rule 144,” “Securities Eligible for Future Sale—Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies” and “Securities Eligible for Future Sale—Summary of Resale Restrictions.”
| Subject Securities | Transfer Restrictions | Persons Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | |||
| Founder Shares | Agreement not to (a) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security, (b) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b) (collectively, “Transfer”), until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. | Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees. | Transfers are permitted (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any members or partners of our sponsor or their affiliates, any affiliates of our sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the timeframe for us to consummate a business combination or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) by pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members, partners or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (g) by virtue of the laws of the Delaware or the limited liability company agreement of our sponsor upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to the consummation of a business combination; (i) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (g) above; (j) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination; and (k) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (collectively, “Permitted Transfers”), provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (g), and (i) these transferees (the “Permitted Transferees”) must enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions. | |||
| Private placement securities | Agreement not to Transfer until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees and BTIG. | Same as above. | |||
| Any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares | Agreement not to Transfer during the period commencing on the date of the underwriting agreement and ending 180 days after such date. | Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees. | (a) Prior written consent of BTIG or (b) Permitted Transfers. |
93
The letter agreement will also provide that the sponsor and each director and officer agree to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares they may own in favor of a proposed initial business combination if we seek shareholder approval for such business combination and in favor of any proposals recommended by our board of directors in connection with such business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). Further, our sponsor, directors and officers also agree not to redeem any public shares they may hold in connection with such shareholder approval. The letter agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by (i) each director and officer signatory to the letter agreement with respect to herself or himself, as applicable, to the extent she or he are the subject of any such change, amendment, modification or waiver, (ii) us, and (iii) our sponsor. Changes, amendments, modifications or waivers to the transfer restrictions that occur within 180 days after the date of the underwriting agreement will require the written consent of the underwriter of this offering. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team—Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval” and “Underwriting.”
In order to facilitate our initial business combination or for any other reason determined by our sponsor, our sponsor may, with our consent, (i) surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement securities or any of our other securities held by it, including for no consideration in connection with a PIPE financing or otherwise, (ii) subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, and (iii) enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities.
We may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow the sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement securities or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination. As a result, there is a risk that our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor, which would likely result in our loss of certain key personnel. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such business combination. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team—We may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow our sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement securities or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination, which may deprive us of key personnel.”
As described under “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Our Management Team—You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and a current prospectus is available, or certain exemptions are available,” the holders of our warrants will not be permitted to exercise their warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available. If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of our public warrants is not registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holders of such warrants will not be entitled to exercise their warrants and the warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
Further, if and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right at a time that is disadvantageous to you. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Our Management Team—We may redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worthless.” Our management team may also require holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless” basis, which would reduce the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise of their warrants and thereby reduce the potential equity “upside” of a public holder’s investment in us. For more information, also see “Risk Factors—Risks
Relating to Our Securities—Our management’s ability to require holders of our public warrants to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the public warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.”
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares or stock in the target business for our shares or for a combination of our shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
94
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
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 any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates does not equal or exceed $250.0 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not equal or exceed $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th. 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.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $193,000,000, after payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $221,950,000 after payment of up to $8,050,000 of deferred underwriter’s fees if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, our share capital, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
95
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination or used for redemptions of purchases of our Class A ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post- transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have neither individually identified nor considered a target business, nor have they had any discussions regarding possible target businesses with our underwriter. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise. None of our sponsors, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event, to the extent permitted by law, we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue.
Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In addition, to the extent permitted by law, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.
96
Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of any business combination target that falls within the line of business of any entity to which they have pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, they may be required to present such business combination target to such entity prior to presenting such business combination target to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of any business combination target which is suitable for one of these entities to which he or she has a fiduciary or contractual obligation, he or she will honor such obligation to present such opportunity to such entity rather than to us. Our directors and officers will only have an obligation to present an opportunity to us if such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and only to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our business combination.
To the extent we effect our business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
97
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a letter of intent regarding an initial business combination without the prior written consent of our sponsor.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| ● | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
| ● | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| ● | we issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of ordinary shares then outstanding; |
| ● | any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 5% or more; or |
| ● | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
98
Permitted Purchases of our Securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination where otherwise permissible under applicable laws, rules and regulations. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. They will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
The purpose of such purchases could be to (i) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. 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.
Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders after the announcement of our initial business combination, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase public shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
| ● | if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
99
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
| ● | our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
| ● | we would disclose in a Current Report on Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
| ● | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
| ● | the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; |
| ● | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
| ● | the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; and |
| ● | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law and the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. The redemption rights will also include the requirement that a beneficial holder must check a box on the proxy card indicating whether he or she is acting in concert or as a group (as defined in Section 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) with any other shareholder with respect to any public shares. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against, or vote at all in connection with, the proposed transaction. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
100
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
| ● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
| ● | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
| ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
| ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders being entitled to do so (in person or by proxy) at a general meeting of the Company. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of one-third of the shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 6,616,667 or approximately 33.08% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such shareholder meeting. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
101
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if we Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination.
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares. There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership.
As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the shareholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
102
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the shareholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the end of the completion window.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
We will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve to complete our initial business combination (the “completion window”). If we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window, 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the completion window. Our public shareholders will not be entitled to any additional liquidating distributions in the event that we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, from the closing of this offering or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned thereon and not previously released for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,250,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
103
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all third parties, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third-party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver.
In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. 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 will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.
104
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all third parties, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,250,000 from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the 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 $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of this offering, or if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 25.74% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
| ● | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of 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 thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
105
| ● | Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination; |
| ● | Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| ● | If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| ● | Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| ● | If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within the completion window or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (net of amounts withdrawn to fund our permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law; and |
| ● | We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete our Business Combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve.
| Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by us or our Affiliates | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | ||||
| Calculation of redemption price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. | If we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | |||
| Impact to remaining shareholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and income taxes payable | If the permitted purchases described above are made there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. |
106
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriter will not exercise its over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Escrow of offering proceeds | $200 million of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. | Approximately $170,100,000 of the offering proceeds would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
| Investment of net proceeds | $200 million of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement units held in trust will be held in cash, including in demand deposits at a bank, or invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by permitted withdrawals, and in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | ||
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | ||
| Trading of securities issued | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BTIG informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days from the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, an additional Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
| Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, subject to certain conditions. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
107
| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders being entitled to do so (in person or by proxy) at a general meeting of the Company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of one-third of the shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post- effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | ||
| Business combination deadline | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor) redeem 100% of 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 thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | ||
| Release of funds | Except with respect to permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, the proceeds from this offering held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we are unable to complete a business combination within the required time frame (subject to the requirements of applicable law). | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
108
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 18 Lower Cross Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06831, and our telephone number is 203-424-0066. Our executive offices are provided to us by an affiliate of our sponsor. Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have three officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with GAAP. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with GAAP. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
109
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
110
MANAGEMENT
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Richard A. Barasch | 72 | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Benjamin Barasch | 34 | Vice-President, Acquisitions | ||
| Avi Rafalson | 35 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Dr. Mohit Kaushal | 47 | Director Nominee | ||
| Roger Meltzer | 75 | Director Nominee | ||
| Bradley Cooper | 59 | Director Nominee |
Richard A. Barasch, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer has previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Universal American Corp., a publicly-traded health insurance and services company focused on the senior market and government programs, from 1995 until Universal American’s acquisition by WellCare Health Plans in April 2017. Mr. Barasch has significant experience working on prior special purpose acquisition companies, having served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp., Executive Chairman of DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp. and Executive Chairman of Deerfield Healthcare Technology Acquisition Corp., all of which completed mergers with targets. He is currently founding partner of RAB Ventures LLC, formed to invest in growth healthcare companies. He is a Director of HouseWorks LLC, a provider of personal care, Frontier Direct a direct primary care company, Cecelia Health, Inc., a virtual specialty medical practice, and BlueZones Health, an MSO for risk bearing Medicare Advantage primary care physicians who adopt the Blue Zones philosophy. He serves on the Board of Advisors, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the Advisory Board of the Health Policy and Management program at the Mailman School of Public Health. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Community Health Network an FQHC located in New York City. He is also on the Dean’s Council at Columbia Law School, where he is also an adjunct Lecturer in Law. Through these activities, Mr. Barasch has developed an extensive network of contacts throughout the healthcare industry. Mr. Barasch graduated from Swarthmore College and Columbia University Law School where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review. We believe Mr. Barasch’s management and investment experiences make him well qualified to serve as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer is a Principal at RAB Ventures LLC, focusing on transaction origination, deal structuring, and portfolio management. Previously, Mr. Rafalson was Chief Financial Officer of MyndYou, LLC, a private equity-backed healthcare AI company, from 2024 until its sale in November 2025. At MyndYou, he drove commercial growth and capital strategy, securing growth funding, and reshaping go-to-market and pricing strategies that yielded substantial revenue expansion. Prior to this, he spent five years in progressive finance leadership roles within the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) OptumCare subsidiary. He initially served on the core executive team that executed the sale of CareMount Health Solutions, LLC to UNH’s OptumCare division in December 2020. Following the acquisition, he was promoted to Regional Vice-President of FP&A for OptumCare Tri-State, a regional division of the UNH care delivery platform, where he managed a $3.5 billion revenue P&L and a $125 million CapEx budget. He began his career at BBVA Compass, where he structured leveraged and investment grade syndicated debt transactions, and in Alvarez & Marsal’s Healthcare Industry Group, where he focused on strategy and operational performance improvement for distressed healthcare companies. Mr. Rafalson holds a B.B.A. in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, is the founder and a Principal of Boro Partners, a healthcare-focused investment vehicle he formed in 2021, which invests alongside RAB Ventures LLC, the Barasch family investment vehicle. Through Boro Partners, Mr. Barasch has participated in investments in HouseWorks, LLC, Cecelia Health, Inc., Frontier Direct and Starling Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: STLN). Mr. Barasch serves as a board observer for Blue Zones and Frontier Direct. Previously, from 2014 to 2021, Mr. Barasch served as Head of Originations and Acquisitions at Urban Standard Capital, where he was a member of the firm's Investment Committee and originated, structured and executed more than $250 million of equity and debt investments. Mr. Barasch is the son of our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch. Benjamin Barasch holds a B.A. in History from Yale College.
Dr. Mohit Kaushal will be appointed as a member of our Board of Directors upon the trading of our securities on Nasdaq. Dr. Kaushal has had an extensive career within investing, clinical medicine and public policy. During his time in the Obama administration, he was a member of the White House Health IT task force; a cross- agency team implementing the technology aspects of the Affordable Care Act and testified to Congress on the application of technology and payment reform to the Medicare population. He also built and led the first dedicated healthcare team at the Federal Communications Commission, where his team initiated collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for the regulatory streamlining of converged telecommunications, data analytics and medical devices leading to the release of the mobile medical applications guidance by the FDA. In addition, his team reformed the Rural Healthcare Fund to create the Healthcare Connect Fund, which aligned the funding mechanism with wider healthcare payment policy and technology reform. Dr. Kaushal has served as a director of Starling Oncology since March 2020. Dr. Kaushal is a lead investor, board member or advisor to numerous transformational healthcare companies, including Emyria Pty Ltd., a company whose securities are publicly-traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. He is on the board of various private entities, and he previously served on the board of Oak Street Health, a publicly-held network of primary care clinics, from 2016 until it was acquired by CVS Health in 2023. Dr. Kaushal is an emergency room physician, holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MD with distinction from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London. He is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University with a joint position within the newly created Biomedical Data Science. Dr. Kaushal was selected to serve on the board of directors due to his significant management experience in the healthcare industry.
Roger Meltzer will be appointed as a member of our Board of Directors upon the trading of our securities on Nasdaq. Mr. Meltzer has served as Chairman Emeritus of DLA Piper, a global law firm, since January 2021. Mr. Meltzer served as the Global Co-Chairman and Member of the Global Board of DLA Piper from 2015 to 2020. Mr. Meltzer has served as a director of Haymaker Acquisition Corp. 4 since February 2021, MSP Recovery, Inc. since May 2022, and Lionheart Holdings since June 2024. Mr. Meltzer previously served as a director of Old QVC Group, Inc. from June 2025 to August 2026, Audacy Inc. from November 2023 to September 2024, Lionheart II Corp from March 2021 to May 2022, Lionheart III Corp from March 2021 to August 2022, Haymaker Acquisition Corp III from February 2021 to July 2022, and Hain Celestial Group, Inc. from December 2000 to February 2020. Mr. Meltzer brings extensive experience producing substantial innovation for global firms. Mr. Meltzer has successfully navigated firms and local offices through challenges such as major worldwide financial headwinds, transnational cyber-attacks and global pandemics. Under his leadership, he has clearly established moral and business imperatives and has pioneered industry precedents for institutionalized equality, diversity and inclusivity and nurtured a global iconic pro bono effort. He is known for leading and nurturing entrepreneurial, high performing, and team-centric cultures. Mr. Meltzer received a Juris Doctor degree in law from New York University School of Law and an A.B. from Harvard College. Mr. Meltzer is qualified to serve as a director due to his experience representing corporate clients on high-profile, complex, and cross-border matters and his leadership qualities.
Bradley Cooper will be appointed as a member of our Board of Directors upon the trading of our securities on Nasdaq. Mr. Cooper is a Managing Partner of Capital Z Partners, a private equity fund focused on investing in the financial services sector. Prior to founding Capital Z in 1990, Mr. Cooper was an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group of Salomon Brothers (now Citigroup). He has extensive Board experience with both publicly traded and privately held companies, having served on, and chaired many committees. Mr. Cooper has served as a member of the Board of Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: HG) since June 2024. Mr. Cooper served on the Board of non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York for 16 years, the final three as Chair, and the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business Advisory Board for approximately 8 years. We believe that Mr. Cooper’s extensive experience in the financial services sector and business leadership experience qualify him to serve on the Company’s Board.
111
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We intend to have four directors upon completion of this offering. Immediately after this offering, our sponsor will beneficially own 25% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares, excluding the private placement shares. Holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors before our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors before our initial business combination; provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A ordinary shares (including holders of the private placement units) and holders of our Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors.. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. Our board of directors may, by a vote of a majority of our directors then in office, appoint any person to be a director to fill a vacancy In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, these provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. Each of our directors will hold office for a two year term. We may not hold an annual general meeting until after we consummate our initial business combination.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that each of Dr. Mohit Kaushal, Roger Meltzer and Bradley Cooper are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
112
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In addition to the extent permitted by law, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. These individuals will also be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. In addition, prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chief Executive Officer, 50,000 founder shares to each of our Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President, Acquisitions, and 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any business combination target. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors will have two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Dr. Mohit Kaushal, Roger Meltzer and Bradley Cooper will serve as members of our audit committee. Dr. Mohit Kaushal will serve as the chairman of the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Dr. Mohit Kaushal, Roger Meltzer and Bradley Cooper are independent.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Dr. Mohit Kaushal qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| ● | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
113
| ● | reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures on a regular basis, including the responsibilities, budget, compensation and staffing of our internal audit function through inquiry and discussions with independent auditors and management; |
| ● | reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| ● | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors; |
| ● | monitoring for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| ● | reviewing with the independent auditor any audit problems or difficulties encountered during the course of the audit work and management’s response; |
| ● | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| ● | reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Dr. Mohit Kaushal, Roger Meltzer and Bradley Cooper will serve as members of our compensation committee. Dr. Mohit Kaushal will serve as the chairman of the compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent. Dr. Mohit Kaushal, Roger Meltzer and Bradley Cooper are independent.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers; |
| ● | reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| ● | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration and employee benefit plans; |
| ● | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| ● | reviewing perquisites or other personal benefits for our officers and directors, if any; |
| ● | reviewing and making recommendations to the board of directors with respect to executive officer and director indemnification and insurance matters; |
| ● | if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
114
It is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for appointment at the next annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for appointment to the Board post business combination should follow the procedures set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of associations.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit committee charter as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Clawback Policy
In connection with this offering, we will adopt a compensation recovery policy that is compliant with Nasdaq listing rules as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
| ● | duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole; |
| ● | duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose; |
115
| ● | directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion; |
| ● | duty to exercise authority for the purpose for which it is conferred and a duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders; |
| ● | duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and |
| ● | duty to exercise independent judgment. |
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings. Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
| Name of Individual | Entity Name | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Richard A. Barasch |
RAB Ventures LLC HouseWorks LLC Frontier Direct Cecelia Health, Inc. BlueZones Health |
Investing Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare Healthcare |
Founding Partner Director Director Director Director | |||
| Avi Rafalson | RAB Ventures LLC | Investing | Principal | |||
| Benjamin Barasch | Boro Partners | Investing | Founder and Principal | |||
| Dr. Mohit Kaushal |
Cylitic Security Starling Oncology, Inc. Empyria Pty Ltd. Gravie, Inc. |
Software Healthcare Healthcare Insurance |
Founder and Manager Director Director Director | |||
| Roger Meltzer |
Haymaker Acquisition Corp. 4 Lionheart Holdings MSP Recovery Inc. Marelli Holdings Co., Ltd. |
Blank Check Blank Check Payments Automotive Technology |
Director Director Director Director | |||
| Bradley Cooper |
Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. Leavitt Group Enterprises Capital Z Partners Management LLC |
Insurance Insurance Investing |
Director Director Partner |
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| ● | None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
| ● | In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
116
| ● | Our initial shareholders purchased founder shares prior to the date of this prospectus and our sponsor will purchase private placement units in a transaction that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement units and any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and our sponsor’s investment in the private placement units will be worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets held outside of the trust account. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial shareholders until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within the completion window. For more information on the letter agreement in which the transfer restrictions are included and for more information on the limited exceptions to such transfer restrictions, also see “Proposed Business—Our Sponsor.” |
| ● | Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The private placement units issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement units sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering. |
| ● | The low price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0033 per share, that the initial shareholders paid for 7,666,667 founder shares and the $6,000,000 purchase price for the private placement units (or $6,600,000 in the event the overallotment option is exercised in full, or $10.00 per unit) creates an incentive whereby the initial shareholders could potentially make a substantial profit even if the company selects an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chief Executive Officer, 50,000 founder shares to each of our Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President, Acquisitions, and 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. |
| ● | Our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us and will not be reimbursed for any loans extended, fees due or out-of-pocket expense if we do not complete an initial business combination, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, or from an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Further, commencing on the date of this prospectus pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. In addition to the extent permitted by law, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
117
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement units and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto).
For more information on certain risks and conflicts of interests, please also see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team.”
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgement in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
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 have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
118
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
| ● | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially owns our ordinary shares; and |
| ● | all our executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.
On June 16, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 4, 2026, we effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised.
Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 1,000,000 founder shares, and that there are 27,266,667 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares | ||||||||||||
| Lower Cross Sponsor LLC(3) | 7,276,667 | 94.9 | % | 6,626,667 | 24.3 | % | ||||||||||
| Richard A. Barasch(4) | 7,476,667 | 97.5 | % | 6,826,667 | 25.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Avi Rafalson | 50,000 | * | 50,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| Benjamin Barasch | 50,000 | * | 50,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| Dr. Mohit Kaushal | 30,000 | * | 30,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| Roger Meltzer | 30,000 | * | 30,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| Bradley Cooper | 30,000 | * | 30,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (six individuals) | 7,666,667 | 100.0 | % | 7,016,667 | 25.7 | % | ||||||||||
| * | Less than one percent. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp, 18 Lower Cross Road, Greenwich CT 06831. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares and the private placement shares underlying the private placement units. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.” |
| (3) | Lower Cross Sponsor LLC is the record holder of such shares. Richard Barasch controls our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion over the securities of our company held by our sponsor. Richard Barasch disclaims any beneficial ownership of the securities held by our sponsor, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly. Avi Rafalson will receive an indirect interest in [ ] founder shares and [ ] private placement units through a membership interest in our sponsor. Benjamin Barasch will receive an indirect interest in [●] founder shares and [ ] private placement units through a membership interest in our sponsor. Bradley Cooper will receive an indirect interest in [ ] founder shares and [ ] private placement units through a membership interest in our sponsor. Roger Meltzer will receive an indirect interest in [ ] founder shares and [ ] private placement units through a membership interest in our sponsor. Dr. Mohit Kaushal will receive an indirect interest in [ ] founder shares and [ ] private placement units through a membership interest in our sponsor. Each of Messrs. Rafalson, B. Barasch, Kaushal, Meltzer and Cooper disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. |
| (4) | Richard Barasch is the direct holder of 200,000 of such shares and Lower Cross Sponsor LLC is the record holder of 7,276,667 of such shares. Richard Barasch controls our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion over the securities of our company held by our sponsor. Richard Barasch disclaims any beneficial ownership of the securities held by our sponsor, other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly. |
119
Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own approximately 25.74% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares as (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering) and will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors prior to our initial business combination by reason of their ownership of founder shares. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the private placement shares) upon consummation of this offering. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the appointment of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase, through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor indirectly purchasing, through non-managing sponsor membership interests, the private placement units allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares (or up to [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor.
The holders of the founder shares and private placement units have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto) and (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private placement units in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor and our executive officers are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Expressions of Interest
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately [___] units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). None of the non-managing sponsor investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing individually more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing sponsor investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing sponsor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing sponsor investors may determine to purchase fewer units in this offering, or none at all. Depending on how many units are purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. We do not expect any purchase of units by the non-managing sponsor investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell fewer units to the non-managing sponsor investors, or none at all, and the purchase of the non-managing sponsor membership interests is not contingent upon participation in this offering or vice versa. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on units purchased by the non-managing sponsor investors, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing sponsor investors have any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. In the event that the non-managing sponsor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. Nevertheless, the non-managing sponsor investors will be incentivized to vote any of their public shares in favor of a business combination due to their indirect ownership through the sponsor of founder shares and private placement warrants. However, because the non-managing sponsor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing sponsor investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing sponsor investors will vote on any business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued membership interests in the sponsor, with no right to control the sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and the private placement warrants held by the sponsor. Further, the non-managing sponsor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing sponsor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders.
However, regardless of the number of units the non-managing sponsor investors purchase, the non-managing sponsor investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their indirect ownership of founder shares and private placement warrants, which will incentivize them to vote for a business combination or otherwise act in manner that protects their investment in the founder shares and the private placement warrants, as further discussed in this prospectus. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. Neither BTIG or its affiliates will become non-managing sponsor investors or receive any economic or other interest in the sponsor.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities
The founder shares and private placement securities are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in letter agreements with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable, assignable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement securities, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case; (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any members or partners of our sponsor or their affiliates, any affiliates of our sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the timeframe for us to consummate a business combination or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) by pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members, partners or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or the limited liability company agreement of our sponsor upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to the consummation of an initial business combination; (i) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (g) above; (j) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination; and (k) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (g), and (i) these transferees must enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
120
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On June 16, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 founder shares. On August 4, 2026, we effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 founder shares (up to 1,000,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering, excluding the private placement shares. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon consummation of this offering, excluding the private placement shares. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder during the lock-up period.
Our sponsor and BTIG have committed to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $6,000,000 in the aggregate (or $6,600,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). The private placement units will be identical to the public units sold in this offering except that (a) the redemption rights as described in “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Redemption of public warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” shall not apply to the private placement warrants, (b) the private placement securities may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (c) the Company may not force a cashless conversion of the private placement units, and (d) the holders of private placement securities will be entitled to certain additional registration rights described in this prospectus.
The non-managing sponsor investors have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase, through the purchase of non-managing sponsor membership interests, an aggregate of [___] private placement units ($[___] in the aggregate) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Subject to each non-managing sponsor investor indirectly purchasing, through non-managing sponsor membership interests, the private placement units allocated to it in connection with the closing of this offering, our sponsor will issue membership interests at a nominal purchase price of $0.0033 to the non-managing sponsor investors reflecting interests in an aggregate of [___] founder shares (or up to [___] founder shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) held by our sponsor. The non-managing sponsor investors will not be subject to transfer restrictions or a lock-up agreement on any public Class A ordinary shares that they may purchase in this offering pursuant to the expressions of interest described herein or otherwise. The private placement warrants to be purchased by the underwriters or their affiliates are deemed underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110. Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor (including the non-managing sponsor investors) may transfer all or any portion of its membership units in the sponsor.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In addition, to the extent permitted by law, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. These individuals will also be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on payments that may be made to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2026, or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the estimated $1,250,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
121
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The private placement units issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement units sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. 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.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the private placement securities, including the private placement securities issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration Rights.”
Related Party Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. A form of the code of ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. A form of the audit committee charter that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. There will be no restrictions on payments made to insiders. We expect that some or all of the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates:
| ● | Repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| ● | Payment to our sponsor of $15,000 per month, until the completion window, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support; |
| ● | Payment of fees and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| ● | Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The private placement units issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement units sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering. |
However, no such payments will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.
122
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 4333692) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our authorized share capital consists of 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 undesignated preference shares, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our share capital. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one whole Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable public warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BTIG informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and public warrants.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and public warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, all of which were held of record by our initial shareholders, so that our initial shareholders will own 25% of our issued and outstanding shares (assuming our sponsor, directors or officers do not purchase any shares in this offering and excluding the private placement shares) after this offering. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 27,266,667 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 1,000,000 founder shares by our sponsor), consisting of:
| ● | 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering; |
| ● | 6,666,667 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders; and |
| ● | 600,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement units. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon consummation of this offering, excluding the private placement shares.
123
Holders of Class A ordinary shares (including the holders of the private placement units) and holders of Class B ordinary shares of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders and will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable stock exchange rules then in effect; provided, that (i) holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors prior to our initial business combination, and each director will need to receive the vote of a majority of the outstanding Class B shares in order to be elected, and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time, and (ii) only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, these provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. Unless specified in the Companies Act, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders required to be approved by an ordinary resolution. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the founder shares voted for the appointment of directors can vote on the appointment of the directors prior to our initial business combination. Other than with respect to payments or distributions from the trust account, no dividends or other distributions shall be payable on Class A ordinary shares unless approved by consent in writing of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued Class B ordinary shares.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq 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. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings or appoint directors. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to completion of our initial business combination. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law and the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. The redemption rights will also include the requirement that a beneficial holder must check a box on the proxy card indicating whether he or she is acting in concert or as a group (as defined in Section 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) with any other shareholder with respect to any public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our business combination. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if approved as an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders being entitled to do so (in person or by proxy) at a general meeting (referred to herein as a “shareholder meeting”) of the Company. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of one-third of the shares in the Company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such shareholder meeting. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
124
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,616,667 or approximately 33.08% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, 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 thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination; (ii) entitle the holders to vote to remove directors or vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); (iii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions; (iv) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with (1) the completion of our initial business combination and (2) a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (B) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame and to liquidating distributions from assets outside of the trust account); (v) the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (vi) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto).
125
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment for share subdivisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. The Class A ordinary shares received upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to complete an initial business combination.
In the case that any amount of additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the business combination the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering, excluding the private placement shares, plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and any private placement units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement securities until the date that is 30 days after the date we complete our initial business combination, except, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor.
Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors; provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A ordinary shares (including holders of the private placement units) and holders of our Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by approval of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares then outstanding. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares, private placement shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote, except as required by law.
Private Placement Shares
The private placement shares underlying the private placement units are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, except that (i) the private placement shares will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to complete an initial business combination, (ii) they may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and (iii) the holders of private placement shares will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to the registration rights agreement described herein.
The holders of the founder shares and private placement shares have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto), (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private placement shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination, and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame and to liquidating distributions from assets outside of the trust account.
126
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
| ● | the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of shares of each member; |
| ● | whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue; |
| ● | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
| ● | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Public Warrants
Each whole public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed herein, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the public warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto is available (or we permit holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis” under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) or a valid exemption from registration is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means that only a whole public warrant may be exercised at any given time by a public warrant holder. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant. The public warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
127
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a public warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1 or Form F-3, as applicable, filed with the Commission after the consummation of the initial business combination under the Securities Act with respect to the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the public warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current and such Class A ordinary shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of the residence of the holder, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. In the event that the conditions in the immediately preceding sentence are not satisfied with respect to a public warrant, the holder of such public warrant will not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire without value to the holder. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any public warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised public warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such public warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
While we have registered the offer of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act as part of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, this prospectus cannot be used for the purpose of a future decision to exercise the public warrants, and we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until after the closing of the initial business combination in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement. We have agreed that as soon as practicable following the closing of the initial business combination, but in no event later than 20 business days thereafter, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1, as applicable, under the Securities Act covering the issuance of such shares upon exercise of the public warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and thereafter to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the public warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the issuance of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, public warrant holders may, during the period beginning on the 61st business day after the closing of the initial business combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, and during any other period after the initial effectiveness of the registration statement where we fail to maintain an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the public warrants, exercise public warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. However, we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. To exercise public warrants on a cashless basis, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants in exchange for a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the product of (A) the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the public warrants and (B) the difference between the “fair market value” and the exercise price of the public warrants by (ii) such fair market value. Solely for the purposes of the preceding sentence, “fair market value” shall mean the weighted average reported closing price of Class A ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received.
Redemption of public warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may call the public warrants for redemption (but not the private placement warrants):
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per public warrant; |
128
| ● | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption given after public warrants become exercisable (the “30-day redemption period”) to each public warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a public warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the public warrant holders (the “measurement period”). |
We will not redeem the public warrants as described above unless such public warrants are exercisable and an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating thereto is available throughout the measurement period and the 30-day redemption period, except if the public warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
Redemption procedures and cashless exercise. If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its public warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of public warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their public warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the public warrants, by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. The “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of Class A ordinary shares to be received upon exercise of the public warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case.
A holder of a public warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such public warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-dilution adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share dividend payable in Class A ordinary shares, capitalization or by a subdivision of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, capitalization, subdivision or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A ordinary shares. A rights offering to holders of Class A ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A ordinary shares paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
129
In addition, if we, at any time while the public warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other shares into which the public warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our Class A ordinary shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A ordinary shares in respect of such event.
If the number of our Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, share sub-division, share dividends or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, share sub-division, share dividends, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds (including from such issuances and this offering), and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the public warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described above under “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Redemption of public warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the public warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the public warrants and in lieu of our Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the public warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their public warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the public warrant properly exercises the public warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the public warrant. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
130
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement will provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any defective provision or mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, (ii) adjusting the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement, (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants or (iv) to provide for the delivery of the Alternative Issuance. All other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture or cancellation of any private placement warrants) shall only require the vote or written consent of the holders of 50% of the then-outstanding private placement warrants. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The public warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate prior to the expiration of the exercise period at the office or agency of the warrant agent, with the form of election to purchase set forth on the warrant certificate properly completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by good certified check or good bank draft payable to the warrant agent, for the number of public warrants being exercised. The public warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their public warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the public warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the public warrants. If, upon exercise of the public warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the public warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors—Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. 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.
131
Private Placement Units
The private placement units (including the underlying private placement warrants, the private placement shares and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor). The private placement units will be identical to the units sold as part of this offering, except as set forth below under “— Private Placement Warrants.”
Each private placement unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one warrant. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement units (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless.
Each private placement share included in each private placement unit will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Up to $2,000,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units and their underlying securities would be identical to the private placement units, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period of the underlying warrants. The terms of such working capital loans by our sponsor or its affiliates, or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants contained in the private placement units will not be redeemable by us. The private placement warrants may be exercised for cash or on a “cashless basis.” Except as described below, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a “cashless basis,” they would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants in exchange for a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of (A) the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, and (B) the excess of the “10-day average closing price” (as defined below), as of the date prior to the date on which notice of exercise is sent or given to the warrant agent less the warrant price by (y) such 10-day average closing price. The “10-day average closing price” shall mean, as of any date, the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to such date. If the holders of private placement warrants are affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could sell the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market to fund their cash exercise price, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis” is appropriate.
We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination from funds held outside the trust account.
132
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Class A ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial conditions subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding the private placement shares) upon consummation of this offering. Our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity. Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has agreed that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account, and has irrevocably waived any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account that it may have now or in the future. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied, or a claim will only be able to be pursued, solely against us and our assets outside the trust account and not against any monies in the trust account or interest earned thereon.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (passed by not less than two-thirds) of the shareholders of each company who attend and vote at a general meeting; and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, except that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due inquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
133
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due inquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at an annual general meeting, or extraordinary general meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| ● | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with: |
| ● | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; |
134
| ● | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
| ● | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court.
Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
| ● | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
| ● | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
| ● | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Exclusive forum for certain lawsuits. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in the Company, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any current or former director, officer, shareholder or other employee of the Company to the Company or the shareholders of the Company, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States are, as a matter of the laws of the United States, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that the Company may have, each shareholder of the Company acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly the Company shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
135
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal Courts of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and/or be of a kind, the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
| ● | an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
| ● | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection and can be kept outside of the Cayman Islands; |
| ● | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
| ● | an exempted company may issue shares with no par value; |
| ● | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 30 years in the first instance); |
| ● | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
| ● | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and |
| ● | an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 25.74% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
| ● | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, 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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of 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 thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
136
| ● | Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional share capital that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination; |
| ● | Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| ● | If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| ● | Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| ● | If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law; and |
| ● | We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of such company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
137
Anti-Money Laundering—Cayman Islands
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct, money laundering or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Economic Substance—Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands, together with several other non-European Union jurisdictions, have introduced legislation aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Council of the European Union and the OECD as to offshore structures engaged in certain activities which attract profits without real economic activity. The International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (As Revised) (the “Substance Act”) came into force in the Cayman Islands in January 2019, introducing certain economic substance requirements for in-scope Cayman Islands entities which are engaged in certain geographically mobile business activities (“relevant activities.”) As we are a Cayman Islands exempted company, compliance obligations include filing annual notifications, in which need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Substance Act. It is anticipated that our Company will not be engaging in any “relevant activities” prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and will therefore not be required need to meet the economic substance requirements tests or will otherwise be subject to more limited substance requirements. Failure to satisfy applicable requirements may subject us to penalties under the Substance Act.
Data Protection—Cayman Islands
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “Data Protection Act”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the Company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act (“personal data”). In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
138
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation to your investment in the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use a Shareholder’s Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
| a) | where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements; |
| b) | where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or |
| c) | where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms. |
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the United States, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
139
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after the consummation of this offering, we will have 27,266,667 (or 31,326,667 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. The 20,000,000 shares (or 23,000,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the 6,666,667 (or 7,666,667 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) Class B ordinary shares and all 600,000 (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement securities are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and the Class B ordinary shares and private placement securities are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “—Registration Rights.”
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
| ● | 1% of the total number of ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 272,667 shares immediately after this offering (or 313,267 if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full); or |
| ● | the average weekly reported trading volume of the ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| ● | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| ● | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| ● | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
140
| ● | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our initial shareholders will be able to sell their founder shares and private placement securities, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination, assuming the other conditions described above are met.
Summary of Resale Restrictions
The below table summarizes the material terms of the restrictions described in the subsections above and whether and when our sponsor may sell securities purchased in connection with or concurrently with this offering.
As described further above, pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered with us, each of our sponsor, directors and officers has agreed to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell founder shares, private placement securities and public units (if any are purchased in connection with the offering), as summarized in the table below. For more information on non-contractual resale restrictions, also see above “—Rule 144” and “—Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies.”
| SUBJECT SECURITIES | TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS | NATURAL PERSONS AND ENTITIES SUBJECT TO TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS | EXCEPTIONS TO TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS | |||
| Founder Shares(1)(2) | Agreement not to Transfer until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Further, no transfer of any Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, ordinary shares until 180 days after the date of this prospectus. | Our sponsor, directors and officers. | Permitted Transfers, provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (a) through (g), and (i) the Permitted Transferees must enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions. | |||
| Private placement securities(1)(2) | Agreement not to Transfer until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | Our sponsor, directors and officers and BTIG. | Same as above. | |||
| Public Units and underlying securities (if any are purchased in connection with the offering)(2) | Agreement not to Transfer during the period commencing on the date of the underwriting agreement and ending 180 days after such date. | Our sponsor, directors and officers. | (a) Prior written consent of BTIG or (b) Permitted Transfers. |
| (1) | For more information on the number securities beneficially held by our sponsor, please see the section entitled “Principal Shareholders” in this prospectus. |
| (2) | The founder shares and private placement securities issued in connection or simultaneously with this offering are restricted securities and subject to the limitations on transfer described above under “—Rule 144” and “—Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies.” Further, our sponsor, its permitted transferees or any other person that becomes an affiliate of the post-business combination company for purposes of Rule 144 under the Securities Act may be subject to additional resale restrictions with respect to securities they hold, as described above. |
141
The letter agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by (i) each director and officer signatory to the letter agreement with respect to herself or himself, as applicable, to the extent she or he are the subject of any such change, amendment, modification or waiver, (ii) us, and (iii) our sponsor. Changes, amendments, modifications or waivers to the transfer restrictions that occur within 180 days after the date of the underwriting agreement will require the written consent of the underwriter of this offering. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For more information, also see “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities.”
Pursuant to the underwriting agreement, we have also agreed that, for a period until 180 days from the date of the underwriting agreement, we will not, without the prior written consent of BTIG offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, we may (i) issue and sell the private placement units, (ii) issue and sell additional units pursuant to the option granted to the underwriter described above, (iii) register with the SEC the resale of the securities covered by the registration rights agreement described herein and (iv) issue securities in connection with a business combination. BTIG in its sole discretion, may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up provisions at any time without notice, other than in the case of our sponsor, officers and directors, which shall be with notice. For more information, see “Underwriting.”
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of this offering, (ii) private placement securities, which will be issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and (iii) private placement securities that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including any private placement shares, any private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants underlying the private placement units) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering, requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A ordinary shares). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the underwriter may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In addition, the underwriter may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We will apply to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “LCACU,” “LCAC” and “LCACW,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date our Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq.
142
TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act
(As Revised)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp (the “Company”):
| 1. | That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and |
| 2. | In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable: |
| 2.1 | On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or |
| 2.2 | by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in Section 6(3) of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised). |
These concessions shall be for a period of 30 years from April 17, 2026.
143
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following discussion summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one warrant) that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). Because the components of a unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share and warrant components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that comprise the units).
This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion assumes that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be paid in U.S. dollars.
This discussion is based on the Code, and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations (“Treasury Regulations”) as of the date hereof, and such provisions may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, which may result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those described herein. We have not sought, and do not expect to seek, a ruling from the IRS with respect to any of the U.S. federal income tax consequences described herein, and as a result there can be no assurance that the IRS will not disagree with or challenge any of the conclusions we have reached and describe herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).
This discussion does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences to our founders, sponsors, officers or directors, or to holders of our founder shares or private placement units. This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances, including but not limited to, the alternative minimum tax and the different consequences that may apply to investors that are subject to special rules under U.S. federal income tax laws, including but not limited to:
| ● | banks, financial institutions or financial services entities; |
| ● | regulated investment companies; |
| ● | broker-dealers; |
| ● | S Corporations; |
| ● | real estate investment trusts; |
| ● | insurance companies; |
| ● | taxpayers subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting rules with respect to the securities; |
| ● | expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; |
| ● | persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction; |
| ● | persons who acquired the securities through the exercise or cancellation of employee share options or otherwise as compensation for their services; |
| ● | U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
| ● | governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| ● | persons that directly, indirectly or constructively own five percent or more (by vote or value) of our shares; and |
| ● | tax-exempt entities (including private foundations). |
144
If you are a partnership or other pass-through entity (or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership or pass-through entity) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners or other beneficial owners will generally depend on the status of the partners (or other beneficial owners) and your activities. If you are a partner (or other beneficial owner) of a partnership or other pass-through entity that acquires our securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of our securities.
You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY UNITED STATES FEDERAL NON-INCOME, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-UNITED STATES TAX LAWS.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant, a whole one of which is exercisable to acquire one of our Class A ordinary shares. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you must adopt such treatment for applicable tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit agrees to allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one-third of one redeemable warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we urge each investor to consult his or her tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant should be the shareholder’s tax basis in such share or one-third of one redeemable warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of the Class A ordinary share and the one-third of one redeemable warrant comprising a unit and the combination of one-thirds of warrants into a single warrant should not be taxable events for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| ● | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| ● | a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
| ● | an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
| ● | a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under the Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person (as defined in the Code). |
145
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will be required to include in gross income as dividends the amount of any cash distribution or other property (other than certain distributions of our shares or rights to acquire our shares) paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Such amount will be includible in gross income by you on the date that you actually or constructively receive the distribution in accordance with your regular method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations.
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as capital gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below).
With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax laws currently in effect, and subject to certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gain rate (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below) only if (i) our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, (ii) we are not a PFIC in the taxable year in which the dividend was paid or in the previous year, and (iii) certain holding period requirements, are met. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period of the Class A ordinary shares for this purpose. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A ordinary shares or warrants as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares or warrants.
Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. Long-term capital gain recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders is currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then relative fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, in the case of a U.S. holder that acquired a unit, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) less, in the case of a Class A ordinary share, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
146
Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities—Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (in either case referred to herein as a “redemption”), the treatment of the redemption for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. holders—Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder as described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us, or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only shares actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by the U.S. holder. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any shares the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares of ours (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning our warrants). The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder is urged to consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. holders—Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it.
147
Exercise, Redemption or Lapse of a Warrant
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of an ordinary share on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. holder’s tax basis in a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. The U.S. holder’s holding period for a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant will begin on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants and will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary shares received generally would equal the holder’s basis in the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A ordinary shares would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares would include the holding period of the warrant. It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event a portion of the warrants exercised on a cashless basis could, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be deemed as having been surrendered in consideration for the exercise price of the remaining warrants, which would be deemed to be exercised. For this purpose, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered warrants equal to the number of warrants having an aggregate value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be deemed exercised. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise price for the total number of warrants deemed exercised and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the exercise price of the warrants deemed exercised and the U.S. holder’s initial tax basis in the warrants deemed exercised. A U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem public warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Redemption of public warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of the warrants provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares for which the warrants may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrants in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities—Public Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases such U.S. holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrants including, for example, where additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share, as described under “Description of Securities—Public Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”), including, as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such Class A ordinary shares as described under “—Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest and generally would increase the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants to the extent that such distribution is treated as a dividend.
148
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign corporation will be a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income. Alternatively, a foreign corporation will be a PFIC if at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year of the foreign corporation, ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year, including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income.
Because we are a foreign blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year and any other periods prior to the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination. Pursuant to a start-up exception, however, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation establishes to the satisfaction of the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year and, perhaps, until after the end of our two taxable years following our start-up year, as described under the start-up exception. After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception to our current taxable year, perhaps until after the end of our two taxable years following our start-up year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year.
It is not entirely clear how various aspects of the PFIC rules apply to the warrants. Section 1298(a)(4) of the Code provides that, to the extent provided in Treasury Regulations, any person who has an option to acquire stock in a PFIC shall be considered to own such stock in the PFIC for purposes of the PFIC rules. No final Treasury Regulations are currently in effect under Section 1298(a)(4) of the Code. However, proposed Treasury Regulations under Section 1298(a)(4) of the Code have been promulgated that, if finalized in their current form, would have a retroactive effective date (the “Proposed PFIC Option Regulations”). Each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the possible application of the Proposed PFIC Option Regulations to an investment in the warrants. The following discussion assumes that the Proposed PFIC Option Regulations will apply to the warrants.
Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that we are a PFIC generally will apply for subsequent years to a U.S. holder who held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder did not make either a timely qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, a QEF election along with a purging election, or a mark-to-market election, each as described below, such holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to: (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants; and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. holder during a taxable year of the U.S. holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. holder or, if shorter, such U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares, altogether, the “excess distribution rules”).
149
Under these excess distribution rules:
| ● | the U.S. holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants; |
| ● | the amount allocated to the U.S. holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. holder recognized gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income; |
| ● | the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. holder without regard to the U.S. Holder’s other items of income for that year; and |
| ● | the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed in respect of the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. holder. |
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. holder will avoid the excess distribution rules described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares (but not the warrants) by making a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. holder may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge. A U.S. holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants), any gain recognized generally will be subject to the excess distribution rules described above if we were a PFIC at any time during the U.S. holder’s holding period of such warrants. If a U.S. holder that exercises such warrants properly makes a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares, but the excess distribution rules relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under one type of purging election the U.S. holder is deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and gain recognized by such deemed sale will be subject to the excess distribution rules as described above. As a result of such purging election, the U.S. holder will generally have a new basis and holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants for purposes of the PFIC rules. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances (including the availability of a separate purging election if we are a controlled foreign corporation).
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a valid and timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no interest charge will be imposed. As discussed above, U.S. holders of a QEF are currently taxed on their pro rata shares of its earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable as a dividend to such U.S. holders. The tax basis of a U.S. holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. Similar basis adjustments apply to property if by reason of holding such property the U.S. holder is treated under the applicable attribution rules as owning shares in a QEF. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such a taxable year.
150
Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. holder who held Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the excess distribution rules discussed above in respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of us that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.
Alternatively, if a U.S. holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. holder in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect to its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in such Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. holder also will be allowed to take an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants.
The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nasdaq (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. Upon written request, we will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide the required information. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. holder may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares and warrants under their particular circumstances.
151
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return of a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. holders who are individuals and, to the extent provided in future Treasury Regulations, certain entities, will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938, subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants if they are not held in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult with their own tax advisers regarding the foreign financial asset reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants. Each U.S. holder is urged to consult with its own tax advisor regarding this reporting obligation.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” A Non-U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants (other than a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| ● | a non-resident alien individual, other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates; |
| ● | a foreign corporation; or |
| ● | an estate or trust that is not a U.S. Holder; |
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. If you are such an individual, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the sale or other disposition of our securities.
Dividends (including constructive dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. holder and gains attributable to a Non-U.S. holder from a sale or disposition, paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. holder in respect to our Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends or gains are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including constructive dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. holder and gains attributable to a Non-U.S. holder from a sale or disposition, paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. holder in respect to our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the redemption or lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise, redemption or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. holders—Exercise, Redemption or Lapse of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a Non-U.S. holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. The U.S. federal income tax discussion set forth above is included for general information only and may not be applicable depending upon a holder’s particular situation. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, including the tax consequences under state, local, estate, foreign and other tax laws and tax treaties and the possible effects of changes in U.S. or other tax laws.
152
UNDERWRITING
BTIG is acting as sole bookrunner of the offering. Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, BTIG has agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to BTIG, the number of units set forth below. The underwriter may offer and sell units to the public through one or more of its affiliates or other registered broker-dealers or selling agents.
| Number of | ||||
| Underwriter | Units | |||
| BTIG, LLC | ||||
| 20,000,000 | ||||
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriter to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriter is obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.
Pricing of the Offering
We have been advised by the underwriter that it proposes to offer the units to the public at the initial offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriter may change the offering price and other selling terms. The offering of the units by the underwriter is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriter’s right to reject any order in whole or in part. Sales of any units outside the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriter.
Over-allotment Option
We have granted to the underwriter an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriter may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.
Lock-up
We, our sponsor and our executive officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of BTIG, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares, subject to certain exceptions. BTIG in its discretion may release any of these securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement securities pursuant to the letter agreement described in this prospectus.
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell (i) any of their founder shares until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) any of the private placement securities until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Securities”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares or private placement securities. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information on the letter agreement in which the transfer restrictions are included and for more information on the limited exceptions to such transfer restrictions, also see “Proposed Business—Our Sponsor.”
153
Purchases of Private Placement Units
BTIG has also committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 250,000 private placement units (or up to 287,500 private placement units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,500,000 (or up to $2,875,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). The private placement units will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein). The purchase of the private placement units will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Such private placement units will be considered underwriting compensation in connection with this offering. Such private placement units will be subject to lock-up restrictions, as required by FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), and may not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days from the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the offering, except as provided in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2).
BTIG is entitled under the registration rights agreement to demand and “piggy-back” resale registration rights with respect to the private placement shares, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants. However, BTIG may not exercise its demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, from the commencement of sales in this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. For so long as they are held by BTIG or its affiliates or associated persons, the private placement warrants may not be exercised more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A).
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and BTIG. The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly-traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
Listing
We expect our units to be listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “LCACU” commencing on or promptly after the date of this prospectus, and, once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants begin separate trading, to have our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “LCAC” and “LCACW”, respectively. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq; however, we will not complete this offering unless we are approved for listing.
154
Discounts
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriter in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option.
| Per Unit | Total | |||||||||||||||
| Without | With | Without | With | |||||||||||||
| Over-allotment | Over-allotment | Over-allotment | Over-allotment | |||||||||||||
| Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us(1)(2) | $ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 11,000,000 | $ | 12,650,000 | ||||||||
| (1) | $0.20 per unit sold in the base offering, or $4,000,000 (or up to $4,600,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes up to $0.35 per unit, or up to $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions, which will be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and released to the underwriter only upon the consummation of an initial business combination. The deferred underwriting commissions deposited into the trust account will be payable to the underwriter upon the closing of our initial business combination as follows: (i) $0.20 per unit sold in this offering will be paid to the underwriter in cash, (ii) $0.10 per Unit will be paid in cash, based on the percentage of public shares that have not been redeemed or subject to forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination, and (iii) $0.05 per unit will be paid in cash (the “Allocable Amount”), provided that, we have the right, in our sole discretion, to allocate any portion of the Allocable Amount to third parties not participating in this offering (but who are members of FINRA) that assist in consummating the initial business combination. |
| (2) | As described above under “— Purchases of Private Placement Units,” BTIG has also committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 250,000 private placement units (or up to 287,500 private placement units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,500,000 (or up to $2,875,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). The private placement units purchased by BTIG have been deemed compensation by FINRA. |
We estimate that our portion of the total expense of this offering payable by us will be $750,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriter for certain of their accountable and out-of-pocket costs (including, but not limited to, the expenses of investigations and background checks of our principals (not to exceed $3,000 per person for U.S. individuals and $4,000 per person for non-U.S. individuals)) for this offering up to an aggregate expense allowance of $60,000, which maximum expense allowance shall not include the documented fees of up to $15,000 of the underwriter’s legal counsel to be reimbursed by us. We have agreed to provide BTIG with a right of first refusal to provide investment banking services in connection with certain future transactions. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(6), such right of first refusal will terminate upon the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination and 24 months from the commencement of sales of this offering.
The underwriting agreement provides that following the completion of this offering, the obligations of the underwriter with respect to this offering will be deemed to be satisfied and the underwriter is not bound by any commitment or obligation to offer or sell to the public any of our securities or of any target business in an initial business combination or otherwise solicit holders of our securities or any target business in an initial business combination to approve the business combination.
Deferred Underwriting Commissions
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the underwriter have agreed that (i) the underwriter will forfeit any rights or claims to its deferred underwriting commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation, and (ii) that the deferred underwriting commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable, other than any excise or similar tax that may be due or payable), to the public shareholders.
Stabilization and Other Transactions
The underwriter pursuant to Regulation M under the Exchange Act may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.
“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriter’s over-allotment option in this offering. The underwriter may close out any covered short position by either exercising the over-allotment option or purchasing our securities in the open market or from market participants. In determining the source of units to close out the covered short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.
155
“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. The underwriter must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of securities on behalf of the underwriter for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the securities. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of securities on behalf of the underwriter to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriter in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our securities or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our securities. As a result, the price of our securities may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriter to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the securities originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.
Neither we, nor the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our securities. The underwriter is not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, may end any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
Market Making
The underwriter has advised us that, following the completion of this offering, it may make a market in the units as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriter is not obligated to do so, and the underwriter may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in its sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the units, that you will be able to sell any of the units held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell would be favorable.
Other Terms
The underwriting agreement provides that, following the completion of this offering, the obligations of the underwriter with respect to this offering will be deemed to be satisfied and the underwriter is not bound by any commitment or obligation to offer or sell to the public any of our securities or of any target business in an initial business combination or otherwise solicit holders of our securities or any target business in an initial business combination to approve the business combination or to receive their deferred commissions, which will be fully earned by the underwriter upon the payment of the purchase price for the units purchased by the underwriter on the closing of this offering, subject to the adjustments described above, and will be released to the underwriter only on and concurrently with completion of an initial business combination.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriter to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriter may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If the underwriter provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.
156
The underwriter and its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. The underwriter and its affiliates may in the future engage in investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, including in connection with acting in an advisory capacity or as a potential financing source in conjunction with our potential acquisition of a company. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt or equity securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to assets, securities and/or instruments of ours and/or of persons and entities with relationships with us. The underwriter and its affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and/or instruments.
Selling Restrictions
Canada
This prospectus constitutes an “exempt offering document” as defined in and for the purposes of applicable Canadian securities laws. No prospectus has been filed with any securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada in connection with the offer and sale of the securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon this prospectus or on the merits of the securities and any representation to the contrary is an offence.
Canadian investors are advised that this prospectus has been prepared in reliance on section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33 — 105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33 — 105”). Pursuant to section 3A.3 of NI 33 — 105, this prospectus is exempt from the requirement that the issuer and the underwriter(s) provide investors with certain conflicts of interest disclosure pertaining to “connected issuer” and/or “related issuer” relationships that may exist between the issuer and the underwriter(s) as would otherwise be required pursuant to subsection 2.1(1) of NI 33 — 105.
Resale Restrictions
The offer and sale of the securities in Canada is being made on a private placement basis only and is exempt from the requirement that the issuer prepares and files a prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws. Any resale of the securities acquired by a Canadian investor in this offering must be made in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made in accordance with Canadian prospectus requirements, pursuant to a statutory exemption from the prospectus requirements, in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements or otherwise under a discretionary exemption from the prospectus requirements granted by the applicable local Canadian securities regulatory authority. These resale restrictions may under certain circumstances apply to resales of the securities outside of Canada.
Representations of Purchasers
Each Canadian investor who purchases the securities will be deemed to have represented to the issuer and the underwriter(s) that the investor (i) is purchasing the securities as principal, or is deemed to be purchasing as principal in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, for investment only and not with a view to resale or redistribution; (ii) is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 45 — 106 Prospectus Exemptions (“NI 45 — 106”) or, in Ontario, as such term is defined in section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario); and (iii) is a “permitted client” as such term is defined in section 1.1 of National Instrument 31 — 103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Any discussion of taxation and related matters contained in this prospectus does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to a Canadian investor when deciding to purchase the securities and, in particular, does not address any Canadian tax considerations. No representation or warranty is hereby made as to the tax consequences to a resident, or deemed resident, of Canada of an investment in the securities or with respect to the eligibility of the securities for investment by such investor under relevant Canadian federal and provincial legislation and regulations.
157
Rights of Action for Damages or Rescission
Securities legislation in certain of the Canadian jurisdictions provides certain purchasers of securities pursuant to an offering memorandum (such as this prospectus), including where the distribution involves an “eligible foreign security” as such term is defined in Ontario Securities Commission Rule 45 — 501 Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions and in Multilateral Instrument 45 — 107 Listing Representation and Statutory Rights of Action Disclosure Exemptions, as applicable, with a remedy for damages or rescission, or both, in addition to any other rights they may have at law, where the offering memorandum, or other offering document that constitutes an offering memorandum, and any amendment thereto, contains a “misrepresentation” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. These remedies, or notice with respect to these remedies, must be exercised or delivered, as the case may be, by the purchaser within the time limits prescribed under, and are subject to limitations and defenses under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. In addition, these remedies are in addition to and without derogation from any other right or remedy available at law to the investor.
Language of Documents
Upon receipt of this document, each Canadian investor hereby confirms that it has expressly requested that all documents evidencing or relating in any way to the sale of the securities described herein (including for greater certainty any purchase confirmation or any notice) be drawn up in the English language only. Par la réception de ce document, chaque investisseur Canadien confirme par les présentes qu’il a expressément exigé que tous les documents faisant foi ou se rapportant de quelque manière que ce soit à la vente des valeurs mobilières décrites aux présentes (incluant, pour plus de certitude, toute confirmation d’achat ou tout avis) soient rédigés en anglais seulement.
Australia
This document does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”) of Australia. This document has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this document in Australia:
You confirm and warrant that you are either:
| ● | a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act; | |
| ● | a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made; or | |
| ● | a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act. |
To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this document is void and incapable of acceptance.
You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the shares issued to you pursuant to this document for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.
European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area (each a “Member State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the securities may be offered to the public in that Member State at any time:
| (i) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation; | |
| (ii) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or | |
| (iii) | in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, |
158
provided that no such offer of securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in a Member State who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriter that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriter that the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriter has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriter have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriter which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriter and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
In Member States, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation (“Qualified Investors”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in any Member State by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in any Member State only to Qualified Investors and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Hong Kong
No securities have been, may be or will be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the “SFO”) and any rules made thereunder; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding UP and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”), or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or will be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.
This document has not been and will not be registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this document may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this document and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Japan
The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended) (the “FIEA”), and the underwriter will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means, unless otherwise provided herein, any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEA and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
159
Singapore
This document has not been and will not be lodged or registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this document and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or the invitation for subscription or purchase of the securities may not be issued, circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person as defined under Section 275(2) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA and where (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of any other applicable provision of the SFA. In the event that you are not an investor falling within any of the categories set out above, please return this document immediately. You may not forward or circulate this document to any other person in Singapore.
No offer is made to you with a view to the securities being subsequently offered for sale to any other party. There are on-sale restrictions that may be applicable to investors who acquire securities. As such, investors are advised to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the SFA relating to resale restrictions and comply accordingly.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
| ● | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor as defined under Section 4A of the SFA) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or | |
| ● | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities under Section 275 of the SFA except: | |
| ● | to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; | |
| ● | where no consideration is given for the transfer; | |
| ● | where the transfer is by operation of law; | |
| ● | as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or | |
| ● | as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore. |
Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the issuer or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, or FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
160
Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In the State of Israel, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the shares is directed only at, investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriter, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals”, each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors will be required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offer described herein to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, except that the securities may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
| (i) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; | |
| (ii) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or | |
| (iii) | in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (the “FSMA”), provided that no such offer of the securities shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. |
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any securities in the offer or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriter that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any securities being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the issuer and the underwriter that the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in the United Kingdom to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriter has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. Neither the issuer nor the underwriter have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary, other than offers made by the underwriter which constitute the final placement of securities contemplated in this document.
The issuer and the underwriter and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are also: (i) persons who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available in the United Kingdom only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with such persons.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in connection with the issue or sale of the securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply. All applicable provisions of the FSMA and the Order must be complied with in respect of anything done by any person in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
161
LEGAL MATTERS
Ropes & Gray LLP has passed upon the validity of the securities offered hereby on behalf of us with respect to units and warrants. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP has passed upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriter by White & Case LLP.
162
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp as of June 30, 2026 and the period from April 15, 2026 (inception) through June 30, 2026, have been included herein, in reliance upon the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp to continue as a going concern as discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements) of WithumSmith+Brown, PC, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
163
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. We do not have a website, and therefore do not make our public filings available on such a website. Upon request, we will provide electronic copies of our public filings free of charge.
164
Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp
$200,000,000
20,000,000 Units
BTIG
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2026
Until , 2026 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriter and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholder and the Board of Directors
of Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp (the “Company”) as of June 30, 2026, and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity, and cash flows for the period from April 15, 2026 (inception) through June 30, 2026, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2026, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from April 15, 2026 (inception) through June 30, 2026, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Uncertainty
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company does not have sufficient cash and working capital to sustain its operations and the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 1 to the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the "PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2026.
New York, New York
August 25, 2026
F-2
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
BALANCE SHEET
| June 30, 2026 | ||||
| Assets: | ||||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | 31,080 | ||
| Prepaid expenses | 56,500 | |||
| Total Current Assets | 87,580 | |||
| Deferred offering costs | 231,669 | |||
| Total Assets | $ | 319,249 | ||
| Liabilities | ||||
| Accrued offering costs | $ | 231,669 | ||
| Accrued expenses | 9,638 | |||
| Promissory note – related party | 75,000 | |||
| Total Current Liabilities | 316,307 | |||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) | ||||
| Shareholder’s Equity | ||||
| Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding | — | |||
| Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding | — | |||
| Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 7,666,667 shares issued and outstanding(1)(2) | 767 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital | 24,233 | |||
| Accumulated deficit | (22,058 | ) | ||
| Total Shareholder’s Equity | 2,942 | |||
| Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | $ | 319,249 | ||
| (1) | Includes 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (Note 6). |
| (2) | On August 4, 2026, the Company effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares. All share and per share data have been retrospectively presented. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
| For the Period from April 15, 2026 (Inception) through June 30, 2026 | ||||
| Formation, general and administrative costs | $ | 22,058 | ||
| Net loss | $ | (22,058 | ) | |
| Basic and diluted weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding(1)(2) | 6,666,667 | |||
| Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.00 | ) | |
| (1) | Excludes 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (Note 6). |
| (2) | On August 4, 2026, the Company effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares. All share and per share data have been retrospectively presented. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 15, 2026 (INCEPTION) TO JUNE 30, 2026
| Class B Ordinary shares | Additional Paid-In | Accumulated | Shareholder’s | |||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Equity | ||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of April 15, 2026 (inception) | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Class B ordinary shares issued to initial shareholders(1)(2) | 7,666,667 | 767 | 24,233 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | — | — | — | (22,058 | ) | (22,058 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Balance as of June 30, 2026 | 7,666,667 | $ | 767 | $ | 24,233 | $ | (22,058 | ) | $ | 2,942 | ||||||||||
| (1) | Includes 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (Note 6). |
| (2) | On August 4, 2026, the Company effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares. All share and per share data have been retrospectively presented. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-5
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
| For the Period from April 15, 2026 (Inception) through June 30, 2026 | ||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||
| Net loss | $ | (22,058 | ) | |
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | (56,500 | ) | ||
| Accrued expenses | 9,638 | |||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (68,920 | ) | ||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary share | $ | 25,000 | ||
| Proceeds from promissory note - related party | 75,000 | |||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 100,000 | |||
| Net change in cash | 31,080 | |||
| Cash, beginning of the period | — | |||
| Cash, end of the period | $ | 31,080 | ||
| Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities: | ||||
| Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs | $ | 231,669 | ||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN
Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 15, 2026. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses that the Company has not yet identified (“Business Combination”). However, the Company may pursue an initial Business Combination target in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, but intend to initially focus the search on identifying a prospective target business in the healthcare, healthcare-related, or insurance industries in the United States and other developed countries.
As of June 30, 2026, the Company had not yet commenced operations. All activity for the period from April 15, 2026 (inception) through June 30, 2026 relates to the Company’s formation and the Proposed Public Offering, which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s Sponsor is Lower Cross Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), and the sale of 600,000 Private Placement Units (or 660,000 Private Placement Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ) (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit in a private placement to the Sponsor and BTIG, LLC. Of these Private Placement Units, the Sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 Private Placement Units (or 372,500 Private Placement Units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG, LLC has agreed to purchase 250,000 Private Placement Units (or 287,500 Private Placement Units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require the Company to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with the Company where it does not survive and any transactions where the Company issues more than 20% of the outstanding ordinary shares or seeks to amend the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If the Company structures a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, the Company will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed Business Combination. The Company intends to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or the Company chooses to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
F-7
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company will decide whether or not to seek shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 6) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or don’t vote at all.
Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and the Company does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor has agreed to waive redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares (as defined in Note 6) held and any Public Shares they may acquire during or after the Proposed Offering in connection with the completion of Business Combination, except that Public Shares held by the initial shareholders will be subject to mandatory redemption upon any diminution of the Trust Account in connection with an extension, and such shares will be entitled to redemption at a price equal to the per share redemption value then held in the Trust Account in connection therewith.
The Company will have until 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering (or 27 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) to complete a Business Combination. However, the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering, the Company may, but is not obligated to, by resolution of the board if requested by the initial shareholders, extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination the Company may seek shareholder approval to amend the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which the Company must consummate the initial business combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or against, the Company's initial business combination, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned thereon (which interest shall be net of amounts not previously released to the Company pursuant to the permitted withdrawals of (i) $300,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $75,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account may be released during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering if the Company has executed a letter of intent for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), plus (ii) additional amounts of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to pay tax obligations (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. For the avoidance of doubt, the time to complete a Business Combination shall not be extended beyond 24 months without a shareholder vote. The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to its deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the 24 months from the Proposed Offering (the “completion window”) and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or 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 lesser 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 up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation expenses, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the indemnity of the underwriter of the Proposed Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
F-8
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Going Concern Consideration
As of June 30, 2026, the Company had cash of $31,080, and a working capital deficit of $228,727. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. In connection with the Company's assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB ASC 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern, these conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Offering. There is no assurance that the Company's plans to raise capital will be successful. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, the Company is eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
F-9
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company has cash and cash equivalents of $31,080 as of June 30, 2026.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of FASB ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A, Expenses of Offering. Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Offering. Offering costs are charged to temporary equity or permanent equity based upon the relative fair value of the proceeds received from the Units sold upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. Should the Proposed Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations. Offering costs are charged to temporary equity or permanent equity based upon the relative fair value of the proceeds received from the financial instruments sold upon completion of the Proposed Offering and Private Placement. As of June 30, 2026, the Company had deferred offering costs of $231,669.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). FASB ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carryforwards. FASB ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
FASB ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. FASB ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statements.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of June 30, 2026. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. There are no taxes in the Cayman Islands, and accordingly, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements.
Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
All of the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued as part of the Proposed Offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with FASB ASC 480, conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. Ordinary liquidation events, which involve the redemption and liquidation of all of the entity’s equity instruments, are excluded from the provisions of FASB ASC 480. The Company did not specify a maximum redemption threshold. However, any threshold in its charter would not change the nature of the underlying shares as redeemable and thus Public Shares would be required to be disclosed outside of permanent equity. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in capital, or in the absence of additional capital, in accumulated deficit.
F-10
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Net Loss per Ordinary Share
Net loss per Class B ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 6). At June 30, 2026, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per Class B ordinary share is the same as basic loss per Class B ordinary share for the periods presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in FASB ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”), and FASB ASC 815. The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to FASB ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to FASB ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under FASB ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own ordinary shares, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as liabilities at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations.
The warrants are not precluded from equity classification and will be accounted for as such on the date of issuance and each balance sheet date thereafter.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3. PROPOSED OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Offering, the Company will offer for sale 20,000,000 Units (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 8).
F-11
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
The Sponsor and BTIG, LLC have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 Private Placement Units (or 660,000 Private Placement Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, from the Company in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Offering. Of these Private Placement Units, the Sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 Private Placement Units (or 372,500 Private Placement Units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG, LLC has agreed to purchase 250,000 Private Placement Units (or 287,500 Private Placement Units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Units will expire worthless.
NOTE 5. SEGMENT INFORMATION
FASB ASC Topic 280, Segment Reporting, establishes standards for companies to report, in their financial statements, information about operating segments, products, services, geographic areas, and major customers. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise that engage in business activities from which it may recognize revenues and incur expenses, and for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Company’s CODM, or group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance.
The Company’s CODM has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer, who reviews the operating results for the Company as a whole to make decisions about allocating resources and assessing financial performance. Accordingly, management has determined that the Company only has one reportable segment.
The CODM assesses performance for the single segment and decides how to allocate resources based on net income or loss that also is reported on the statements of operations as net income or loss. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total assets. When evaluating the Company’s performance and making key decisions regarding resource allocation, the CODM reviews several key metrics included in net income or loss and total assets, which include the following:
| June 30, 2026 | ||||
| Cash | $ | 31,080 | ||
| Prepaid expenses | $ | 56,500 | ||
| Deferred offering costs | $ | 231,669 | ||
| For the Period from April 15, 2026 (Inception) through June 30, 2026 | ||||
| Formation, general and administrative costs | $ | 22,058 | ||
The CODM reviews formation, general, and administrative costs to manage and forecast cash to ensure enough capital is available to complete a business combination or similar transaction within the business combination period. The CODM also reviews general and administrative expenses to manage, maintain and enforce all contractual agreements to ensure costs are aligned with all agreements and budget. Formation, general, and administrative costs, as reported on the statements of operations, are the significant segment expenses provided to the CODM on a regular basis. All other segment items included in net income or loss are reported on the statements of operations and described within their respective disclosures.
The CODM reviews the position of total assets available with the Company to assess if the Company has sufficient resources available to discharge its liabilities. The CODM is provided with details of cash and liquid resources available with the Company. Additionally, the CODM regularly reviews the status of deferred costs incurred to assess if these are in line with the planned use of proceeds to be raised from the public offering.
F-12
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On June 16, 2026, the Sponsor was issued 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate price of $25,000 paid to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company. On August 4, 2026, the Company effectuated share recapitalizations resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,666,667 Founder Shares. All share and per share data have been retrospectively presented. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter's over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor will own, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Offering).
The Founder Shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of Founder Shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the Founder Shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) the Founder Shares are entitled to registration rights, (iii) the Company's Sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the Company's initial business combination, (B) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company's amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (1) to modify the substance or timing of the Company's obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company's initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Company's public shares if the Company has not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (2) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, (3) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their Founder Shares and private placement shares if the Company fails to complete the Company's initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete the initial business combination within such time period and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the Trust Account and (4) vote any Founder Shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of the initial business combination (including any proposals recommended by the Company’s board of directors in connection with such business combination) (except with respect to any public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto), (iv) the Founder Shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of the Company's initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and (v) prior to the closing of the Company's initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
The Founder Shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of the initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of the Proposed Offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriter's over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrant issued to the Sponsor) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding the issuance of any ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and any private placement units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans). Holders of Founder Shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
F-13
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
With certain limited exceptions, the Founder Shares are not transferable, assignable or saleable (except to the Company's officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the Company's Sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of the Company's initial business combination and (B) subsequent to the Company's initial business combination, the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company's public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 1,000,000 Founder Shares will be surrendered to the Company for no consideration depending on the exercise of the over-allotment option.
Promissory Note - Related Party
On June 16, 2026, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Proposed Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Promissory Note”). This loan is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2026 or the date on which Company consummates an initial public offering of its securities. As of June 30, 2026, the Company had $75,000 outstanding under the Promissory Note.
Administrative Support Agreement
The Company’s Sponsor has agreed, commencing from the date of the Proposed Offering through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to make available to the Company certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative services, as the Company may require from time to time. The Company has agreed to pay to the Sponsor up to $15,000 per month for these services during the completion window.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with the initial Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company's officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required. If the Company completes the initial Business Combination, the Company will repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, including the repayment of loans from the Sponsor to pay for any amount deposited to pay for any extension of the time to complete the initial Business Combination, but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into Private Placement Units, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of the initial Business Combination. The Units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. The terms of such loans by the Company's officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. As of June 30, 2026, the Company had no outstanding related party loans.
NOTE 7. COMMITMENTS
Risks and Uncertainty
The Company’s ability to find a potential target business and the business of any potential company with which the Company may consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected by events that are outside of the Company’s control. For example, geopolitical unrest (such as the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in Iran and the Middle East), including war, terrorist activity and acts of civil or international hostility are increasing. Although the length, impact and outcome of these ongoing military conflicts is highly unpredictable, these conflicts could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in the commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage.
The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries have and may continue to implement sanctions, export controls or other measures against Russia, Belarus and other countries, regions, officials, individuals or industries in the respective territories. Such evolving conflicts may expand to other countries and markets.
F-14
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Further, in recent years, the U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto. For example, the U.S. government has imposed, and may in the future further increase, tariffs on certain foreign goods, including from China, such as steel and aluminum. Most recently, the current U.S. Presidential administration has imposed or sought to impose significant increases to tariffs on goods imported into the U.S., including from China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Some foreign governments, including China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, have instituted or announced an intention to impose retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. Such tariffs, export controls or other governmental actions related to international trade agreements, and policies that materially constrain cross-border flows of investment, goods, or data, may have the potential to increase costs, decrease margins, and reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by potential target businesses and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of potential target businesses.
Such sanctions, tariffs, export controls and other measures, as well as the potential for expanded military activities, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect the Company’s ability to search for a business combination or finance such business combination, and the business, financial condition and results of operations of any target business with which the Company ultimately consummate a business combination may be materially adversely affected.
Similarly other events outside of our control, including natural disasters, climate-related events, pandemics or health crises may arise from time to time, and such events may cause significant volatility and declines in the global markets, disproportionate impacts to certain industries or sectors, disruptions to commerce (including to economic activity, travel and supply chain), loss of life or property damage, and may adversely affect the global economy or capital markets, and the business of any potential target business with which the Company may consummate a business combination and could be materially adversely affected. In addition, the Company’s ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity or debt financing that may be impacted by these and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable or at all.
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) Founder Shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of this Proposed Public Offering, (ii) private placement securities, which will be issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this Proposed Public Offering and (iii) private placement securities that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including any private placement shares, any private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants underlying the private placement units) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering, requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to our Class A ordinary shares). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
Pursuant to the underwriting agreement, the Sponsor and the executive officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the effective date of the underwriting agreement, will not, without the prior written consent of the representatives, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any units, ordinary shares, Founder Shares or warrants, subject to certain exceptions. The representatives in their discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. The Sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their Founder Shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the letter agreement described herein.
F-15
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of 2.0% of the gross proceeds of the Units offered in the Proposed Public Offering, or $4,000,000 (or up to $4,600,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised in full).
Additionally, the underwriter will be entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of 3.50% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account, $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised in full), payable to BTIG, LLC to be deposited in the Trust Account and released to BTIG, LLC only upon the completion of an initial Business Combination. The deferred underwriting commissions are payable as follows: (i) $0.20 per unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be paid to BTIG, LLC in cash upon the closing of the initial Business Combination, (ii) up to $0.10 per unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be payable to BTIG, LLC in cash, based on the percentage of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby the Company has a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial Business Combination and (iii) up to $0.05 per unit sold in this offering shall be paid in cash to the underwriters (such amount, the “Allocable Amount”), provided that, after completion of the offering and the underwriters’ receipt of 100% of the Base Fee, the Company has the right, in their sole and absolute discretion, to reallocate any portion of the Allocable Amount to third parties not participating in the Proposed Public Offering (but who are members of FINRA) that assist the Company in consummating the initial Business Combination.
NOTE 8. SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY
Preference shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of June 30, 2026, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A ordinary shares — The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of 0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of June 30, 2026, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B ordinary shares — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of 0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of June 30, 2026, there were 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. Of the 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, up to 1,000,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial shareholders will collectively own 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after a Proposed Offering.
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company's shareholders except as required by law. Prior to the closing of the initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of the initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). On any other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of the initial business combination, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.
F-16
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Founder Shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of a Business Combination, and may be converted at any time prior to the Business Combination, at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis (unless otherwise provided in the business combination agreement), subject to adjustment for share subdivisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with the Business Combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, approximately 25% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion (not including the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities or rights exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, provided that such conversion of Founder Shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Warrants — No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole Public Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its Public Warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use the Company's commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following the initial Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
Once the public warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the warrants for redemption for cash:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days' prior written notice of redemption; |
F-17
LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| ● | if, and only if, (a) the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Warrants”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of the Company's initial business combination and ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. (the “measurement period”), and (b) if public warrants are exercisable and a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating thereto is available throughout the measurement period and the 30-day redemption period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may redeem the public warrants during the measurement period if the public warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. |
If and when the public warrants become redeemable by the Company for cash, the Company may not exercise its redemption right if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary shares (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company's board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares or Private Placement Shares held by the initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination. The Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the Public Warrants being sold as part of the units in the Proposed Offering.
NOTE 9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-18
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
| Legal fees and expenses | 350,000 | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses | 97,000 | |||
| Trustee fees and expenses | 8,000 | |||
| SEC and FINRA expenses | 58,120 | |||
| Nasdaq listing and filing fees | 80,000 | |||
| Printing and engraving expenses | 22,500 | |||
| Travel and Road Show | $ | 10,500 | ||
| Miscellaneous expenses | 123,880 | |||
| Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions) | $ | 750,000 |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
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 have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
II-1
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On June 16, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 7,666,667 founder shares (up to 1,000,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 200,000 founder shares to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard A. Barasch, and 50,000 founder shares to each of Avi Rafalson, our Chief Financial Officer, and Benjamin Barasch, our Vice-President, Acquisitions, at their original purchase price.
Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon consummation of this offering, excluding the private placement shares.
Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D under the Securities Act.
In addition, our sponsor and BTIG have committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase from us an aggregate of 600,000 private placement units (or 660,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit, or approximately $6,000,000 in the aggregate (or $6,600,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Of these private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 350,000 private placement units (or 372,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and BTIG has agreed to purchase 250,000 private placement units (or 287,500 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of this offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | Exhibits. The Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference. |
| (b) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
| (b) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| (c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
| A. | (1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| B. | (2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
II-2
EXHIBIT INDEX
| To be filed by amendment |
II-3
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Greenwich, State of Connecticut, on the 16thday of September, 2026.
| LOWER CROSS ACQUISITIONS CORP | ||
| By: | /s/ Richard A. Barasch | |
| Name: | Richard A. Barasch | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints each of Richard A. Barasch and Avi Rafalson his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement on Form S-1 (including all pre-effective and post-effective amendments and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that any such attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ Richard A. Barasch | Chief Executive Officer | September 16, 2026 | ||
| Richard A. Barasch | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Avi Rafalson | Chief Financial Officer | September 16, 2026 | ||
| Avi Rafalson | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
II-4
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 6(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned has signed this registration statement, solely in its capacity as the duly authorized representative of Lower Cross Acquisitions Corp in the City of Greenwich, State of Connecticut, on the 16th day of September, 2026.
| By: | /s/ Richard A. Barasch | |
| Name: | Richard A. Barasch | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
II-5