Item 1. Business.
Introduction
We are a blank check company formed as a Delaware
corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar
business combination with one or more businesses (the “business combination”). While we may pursue an acquisition in any business
industry or sector, we intend to focus our efforts identifying businesses offering technology-enabled consumer goods and/or service sectors.
We intend to focus on companies that have powerful and differentiated relationships with their customers, and that have market-leading
insight into how their consumers live, what they need, and how to communicate with them effectively. These companies may serve both domestic
and international audiences.
We are focused on identifying companies that would
benefit from becoming publicly-traded entities. We believe that our business strategy creates a compelling alternative for a growing company
in a traditionally underfunded area to become a public entity and thus gain liquidity, diversify funding sources, and benefit from public
market participation.
We have developed the following high-level, non-exclusive
investment criteria that we will use to screen for and evaluate target businesses.
We will seek to acquire a business that have strong
business fundamentals and that:
Would Benefit Uniquely
from our Capabilities — a business where the collective capabilities of our management and advisors can be leveraged to tangibly
improve the operations and market position of the target.
Is Sourced Through our
Proprietary Channels — we do not expect to participate in broadly marketed processes, but rather will aim to leverage our extensive
network to source potential targets.
Has a Committed and Capable
Management Team — a business with a professional management team whose interests are aligned with those of our investors and
complement the expertise of our founders. Where necessary, we may also look to complement and enhance the capabilities of the target business’s
management team by recruiting additional talent through our network of contacts.
Has the Potential to Grow
Through Further Acquisition Opportunities — a business that has the platform to grow inorganically through acquisitions.
Offers an Attractive Potential
Return for our Stockholders, weighing potential growth opportunities and operational improvements in the target business against any
identified downside risks.
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 on 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 stockholder communications related to our initial business combination,
which would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “SEC”).
Based on our business activities, the Company
is a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations
and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will
generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
On October 22, 2021, we consummated our initial
public offering (the “IPO”) of 23,000,000 units (the “units”), including the issuance of 3,000,000 units as a
result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock
and one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock for
$11.50 per share. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $230 million.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO,
we completed the private sale (the “private placement”) of an aggregate of 1,060,000 units (the “private placement units”)
to Athena Consumer Acquisition Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per private placement unit, generating
gross proceeds of $10,600,000.
Prior to the consummation of the IPO, on June
29, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 5,900,000 shares of our Class B common stock,
par value $0.0001 per share (the “founder shares”), and on September 23, 2021, the Company effected a 1.36440678 for 1 stock
split of its common stock, resulting in the Sponsor owning an aggregate of 8,050,000 founder shares. Up to 1,050,000 founder shares were
subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised. In
connection with the underwriters’ full exercise of their over-allotment option on October 22, 2021, the 1,050,000 founder shares
were no longer subject to forfeiture.
A total of $234,600,000, comprised of $230,000,000
of the proceeds from the IPO (which amount includes $8,650,000 of the underwriters’ deferred underwriting commissions, which commissions
were subsequently waived in full by Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“Citi”) on December 8, 2022) and $4,600,000 of the proceeds
of the sale of the private placement units, was placed in a U.S.-based trust account (the “Trust Account”) maintained by Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
The funds held in the Trust Account are invested
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 of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), which invest only in direct
U.S. government treasury obligations.
On December 21, 2022, we held a special meeting
of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”), at which our stockholders voted in favor of a proposal to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation (the “Charter Amendment”) to provide us with the right to extend the date (the “Deadline
Date”) by which we must consummate an initial business combination up to six times for an additional one month each time (each,
an “Extension”), from January 22, 2023 to up to July 22, 2023. On the same date, we filed the Charter Amendment with the Secretary
of State of the State of Delaware. A total of 20,951,064 shares of our Class A common stock were presented for redemption in connection
with the Special Meeting, and there were 2,048,936 shares of Class A common stock held by public stockholders (the “public shares”)
remaining outstanding following such redemptions.
If an Extension is implemented, the Sponsor or
its designees will deposit into the Trust Account, as a loan, the lesser of (x) $121,000 or (y) $0.055 per public share multiplied by
the number of public shares outstanding (the “Contribution”), on each of the following dates: (i) January 23, 2023; and (ii)
one business day following our public announcement disclosing that our board of directors (the “Board”) has determined to
extend the date by which we must consummate an initial business combination for an additional month in accordance with the Extension.
As there were 2,048,936 public shares outstanding following redemptions in connection with the Special Meeting, the Contribution amount
for each month of the Extension is equal to $112,691.48, which is the product of $0.055 per public share multiplied by the 2,048,936 public
shares outstanding, or up to an aggregate of $676,148.88 in the event the Extension is effectuated for the full six months.
As of March 20, 2023, our Board has implemented
three Extensions and has extended the Deadline Date from January 22, 2023 for three additional months to April 22, 2023. In connection
with these Extensions, the Sponsor has deposited an aggregate of $338,074.44 into the Trust Account, with each Contribution of $112,691.48
deposited on January 23, 2023, February 17, 2023 and March 21, 2023.
As of December 31, 2022, there was $21,752,492
in cash and securities held in the Trust Account, which includes interest income available to us of $3,259,199. $13,612 of cash is held
outside the Trust Account, available for working capital needs.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We intend to effectuate our initial business combination
using cash from the proceeds of the IPO and the private placement of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares
in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into
following the consummation of the IPO or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or
the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.
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 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.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring
of Our Initial Business Combination
While we may pursue an acquisition in any business
industry or sector, we intend to focus our efforts identifying businesses offering technology-enabled consumer goods and/or services.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prohibits us from effectuating a business combination with another blank check company
or similar company with nominal operations.
The rules of the NYSE require that we must consummate
an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the
net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of our signing
a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our Board is not able to independently determine the fair
market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent
entity that commonly renders valuation opinions. While we consider it unlikely that our Board will not be able to make an independent
determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced
with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets
or prospects.
We will complete our initial business combination
only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting
securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the
post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business
combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the
target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number
of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock or shares of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling
interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior
to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80%
fair market value test described above. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction
with our initial business combination; however, in the event that the business combination does involve more than one target business,
the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses
together as our initial business combination for purposes of a seeking stockholder approval or conducting a tender offer, as applicable.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we
expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent
management and employees, document reviews, code reviews, security audits, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities
and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry.
Each of our directors and officers will own founder
shares and/or private placement units following the IPO and, accordingly, 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. Further, such 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.
Certain of our officers and directors presently
have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such
officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity subject to his or her fiduciary
duties (including Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. II). Subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Delaware law, none of the members
of our management team who are also employed by our Sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for
a potential business combination of which they become aware. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination
opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations,
he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity (including Athena Technology Acquisition Corp.
II) prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Delaware law and any
other applicable fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any
corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or
her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial
business combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination
through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete
an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee
of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly
renders valuation opinions stating that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
e.GO Business Combination
On July 28, 2022, we entered into a Business Combination
Agreement (as amended by that certain first amendment to the Business Combination Agreement on September 29, 2022, and as it may be further
amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among the Company,
Next.e.GO Mobile SE, a German company (“e.GO”), Next.e.GO B.V., a Dutch private limited liability company and a wholly-owned
subsidiary of e.GO (“TopCo”), and Time is Now Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of TopCo
(“Merger Sub”), for the Company’s initial business combination (the “e.GO Business Combination”). Pursuant
to the Business Combination Agreement, among other things, (i) TopCo will issue to the holders of e.GO’s equity securities (the
“e.GO Shareholders”) and convertible loan lenders of e.GO (the “Lenders”) an aggregate of up to 79,019,608 newly
issued ordinary shares, par value $10.20 per share, of TopCo (the “TopCo Ordinary Shares”), representing aggregate consideration
to the e.GO Shareholders of $800,000,000, 30,000,000 of such shares will be unvested and subject to an earn-out (the “Earn-Out Shares”),
in exchange for the contribution by the e.GO Shareholders of all of the paid up no-par value shares of e.GO to TopCo and the convertible
loans held by the Lenders, assuming that all e.GO Shareholders and Lender participate in the exchange; (ii) each issued and outstanding
share of the Company’s Class A common stock will be automatically cancelled and extinguished and converted into one share of common
stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the surviving company (the “Surviving Company Common Stock”), (iii) each issued and
outstanding share of the Company’s Class B common stock will be automatically cancelled and extinguished and converted into a number
of shares of Surviving Company Common Stock calculated as the sum of (x) one plus (y) the lower of (a) the total amount funded under the
credit agreement, dated September 29, 2022, between e.GO, Brucke Funding LLC, Brucke Agent LLC and certain lenders party thereto (the
“Bridge Financing”), divided by $15,000,000 and multiplied with one-fifth and (b) one-fifth; (iv) TopCo will change its legal
form from a Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) to a Dutch public limited liability
company (naamloze vennootschap); (v) Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company being the surviving company and,
after giving effect to the merger, becoming a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of TopCo; (vi) each share of the Company’s common
stock will be converted into one share of the Surviving Company Common Stock; (vii) immediately thereafter, each of the resulting shares
of Surviving Company Common Stock will be automatically exchanged for one TopCo Ordinary Share; and (viii) each outstanding warrant to
purchase a share of the Company’s Class A common stock will be converted into a warrant to purchase a TopCo Ordinary Share on the
same contractual terms and conditions as were in effect with respect to each warrant prior to the e.GO Business Combination.
Shareholder Undertakings
On July 28, 2022, concurrently with
the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, substantially all of the shareholders of e.GO (who will receive TopCo Ordinary Shares
pursuant to and in accordance with the Business Combination Agreement) entered into a shareholder undertaking (the “Shareholder
Undertaking”), by and among the Company, e.GO, and the e.GO shareholders party thereto, pursuant to which, among other things, each
such e.GO shareholder (i) agreed to grant one or more powers of attorney authorizing the respective persons identified in such powers
of attorney (acting on behalf of such e.GO shareholder), among other things, to execute and deliver the documents relating to the e.GO
Business Combination to which such e.GO shareholder is or will be a party (including Dutch deeds of issue and German share transfer deeds,
among other documents), (ii) undertook to take all necessary or desirable actions in connection with the transactions contemplated by
the Business Combination Agreement and the other transaction documents, and (iii) agreed to certain covenants to support the transactions
contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement and the other transaction documents (including by way of restrictions on the sale,
disposition or transfer of such e.GO shareholder’s holdings in e.GO), in each case, on the terms and subject to the conditions set
forth in the Shareholder Undertaking.
Lender Undertaking
On July 28, 2022, concurrently with
the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, Lenders holding substantially all of the outstanding amount under the existing convertible
loans entered into a lender undertaking (the “Lender Undertaking”), by and among the Company, e.GO, and the Lenders thereto,
pursuant to which, among other things, each such Lender (i) agreed to grant one or more powers of attorney authorizing the respective
persons identified in such powers of attorney (acting on behalf of such Lender), among other things, to execute and deliver the documents
relating to the e.GO Business Combination to which such Lender is or will be a party, (ii) undertook to take all necessary or desirable
actions in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement and the other transaction documents, and
(iii) agreed to certain covenants to support the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement and the other transaction
documents (including by ways of restriction on sale, transfer, disposition or conversion of the Lender’s respective rights and obligations
as convertible loan lender), in each case, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Lender Undertaking.
Shareholder Lock-Up Agreement
On July 28, 2022, concurrently with
the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, substantially all of e.GO’s shareholders entered into a lock-up agreement,
pursuant to which they agreed not to effect any sale or distribution of any equity securities of TopCo issued to them at the closing of
the e.GO Business Combination (the “Closing”) until the date that is six months after the Closing (each, a “Shareholder
Lock-Up Agreement”) on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Shareholder Lock-Up Agreement.
Sponsor Letter Agreement
On July 28, 2022, concurrently with
the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, the Company, the Sponsor, e.GO, TopCo and certain of the Company’s officers
and directors (the “Athena Insiders”) entered into a Sponsor Letter Agreement, which was amended on September 29, 2022 (as
it may be further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Sponsor Letter Agreement”), pursuant
to which, among other things, the Sponsor and the Athena Insiders have agreed to (i) vote all of its, his or her shares of the Company’s
Class A common stock to approve and adopt the Business Combination Agreement and the e.GO Business Combination, (ii) waive its, his or
her redemption rights with respect to its, his or her shares of the Company’s Class A common stock in connection with the e.GO Business
Combination, (iii) not transfer any of its, his or her shares of the Company’s Class A common stock until the Closing or termination
of the Business Combination Agreement (except in limited circumstances), (iv) not transfer (a) with respect to the Sponsor, 75% of its
TopCo shares and (b) with respect to all other Athena Insiders any of its, his or her TopCo ordinary shares until the date that is 180
days after the Closing (except in limited circumstances), (v) waive any adjustment to the conversion ratio set forth in the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation or any other anti-dilution or similar protection with respect to the shares of the Company’s
Class B common stock held by the Sponsor or the Athena Insiders, in each case, subject to the terms and conditions contemplated by the
Sponsor Letter Agreement.
Pursuant to the Sponsor Letter Agreement,
TopCo will indemnify the Sponsor from and against certain liabilities relating to the e.GO Business Combination for a period of six years
after the Closing and subject to an aggregate maximum indemnity of $4,000,000.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer
rules, our Sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in
privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination.
There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions,
subject to compliance with applicable law and the NYSE rules. However, (apart from the purchase of the private placement units) 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 shares or public warrants in such transactions. If
they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic
information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under 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. We expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section
13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could
be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the
business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a
certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not
be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such
warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases
of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition,
if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial
holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities
on a national securities exchange.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders
upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the
opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock 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 on the funds held in the Trust Account (which
interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the
conditions described herein. The amount in the Trust Account is anticipated to be $10.86 per public share as of March 30, 2023. Our initial
stockholders, 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 public shares they may hold in connection with
the completion of our initial business combination.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to
the target or its owners; (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy
other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that
are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial
business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem
any shares in connection with such initial business combination, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will
be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances
or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop
arrangements, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders 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 stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) without a stockholder vote by means of a tender
offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer
will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether
the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements.
Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we
do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the
NYSE American, we will be required to comply with the NYSE’s stockholder approval rules.
The requirement that we provide our public stockholders
with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above is contained in provisions of our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing
on the NYSE American. Such provisions may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. If we
amend such provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity
to redeem their public shares in connection with a stockholder meeting.
If we provide our public stockholders with the
opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a stockholder meeting, 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 stockholder approval, we will complete
our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial
business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital
stock of the Company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to
vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our Sponsor, officers
and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and private placement shares they hold and any public shares purchased during or
after the IPO (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes
of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of
our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As of the date hereof and as a result of redemptions in connection with the
Special Meeting, our initial stockholders own approximately 81.6% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock. Accordingly, our
initial stockholders will be able to approve our initial business combination, even if none of our public stockholders vote in favor of
approving the initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders,
may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public
shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, whether they participate in or abstain from voting,
or whether they were a stockholder on the record date for the stockholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do
not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will
|
● |
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. |
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.
In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares,
which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets
to be less than $5,000,001. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer
and not complete the initial business combination.
Upon the public announcement of our initial 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 shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under
the Exchange Act.
We intend to require our public stockholders seeking
to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s
option, either deliver their stock certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using
The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials
or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the vote on
the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote,
we intend to require a public stockholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our
transfer agent two business days prior to the vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials
or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business
combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. 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 stockholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination
is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public
stockholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion
of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer
rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder
or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange
Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. We believe this restriction
will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to
exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares
at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding
more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares
are not purchased by us, our Sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By
limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in the IPO without our prior consent, we believe
we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business
combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a
minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their
shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation
if No Initial Business Combination
We originally had up to 15 months from the closing
of our IPO, or until January 22, 2023, to consummate an initial business combination. However, our second amended and restated certificate
of incorporation provides that we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to six times for an additional
one month each time, from January 22, 2023 to up to July 22, 2023 (the date which is 21 months from the closing of our IPO). As of March
20, 2023, our Board has implemented three Extensions and has extended the Deadline Date from January 22, 2023 for three additional months
to April 22, 2023. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination by the Deadline Date, we will (i) cease all operations
except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem the
public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest
earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution
expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’
rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably
possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, liquidate and dissolve, subject
in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There
will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete
our initial business combination by the Deadline Date.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target
business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to
ours, including other special purpose acquisition companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies 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 us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This
inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash
in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our 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.
Employees
We currently have three executive officers. These
individuals 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 they will devote in any
time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business
combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We are required to file Annual Reports on Form
10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q with the SEC on a regular basis, and are required to disclose certain material events in a Current
Report on Form 8-K. Such reports and other information filed by the Company with the SEC are available free of charge on the Company’s
website at www.athenaspac.com when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains
reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s
Internet website is located at www.sec.gov. In addition, the Company will provide copies of these documents without charge upon request
from us in writing at 442 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 or by telephone at (970) 925-1572. The information included on our website is
not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website
are intended to be inactive textual references only.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial
statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders
to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance
with, or reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), or international
financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”), depending on the circumstances,
and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses
we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose
such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial
statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare
its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may
not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination 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, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a
large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our
internal control procedures audited. A target business 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 business combination.
We are an “emerging growth company,”
as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions
from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies”
including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from
the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments
not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market
for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also
provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B)
of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company”
can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to
take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until
the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the IPO, (b) in which we have
total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market
value of our shares of Class A common stock that are 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 common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million
as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of
our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An investment in our securities involves a
high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in
this Form 10-K, 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.
Risk Factor Summary
Our business is subject to numerous risks and
uncertainties, including those highlighted in this section titled “Risk Factors,” that represent challenges that we face in
connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described
in this section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect our
ability to effect a business combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results
of operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
|
● |
newly formed company without an operating history; |
|
● |
delay in receiving distributions from the Trust Account; |
|
● |
lack of opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination; |
|
● |
lack of protections afforded to investors of blank check companies; |
|
● |
deviation from acquisition criteria; |
|
● |
issuance of equity and/or debt securities to complete a business combination; |
|
● |
lack of working capital; |
|
|
|
|
● |
third-party claims reducing the per-share redemption price; |
|
|
|
|
● |
negative interest rate for securities in which we invest the funds held in the Trust Account; |
|
|
|
|
● |
our stockholders being held liable for claims by third parties against us; |
|
|
|
|
● |
failure to enforce our Sponsor’s indemnification obligations; |
|
|
|
|
● |
warrant holders limited to exercising warrants only on a “cashless basis;” |
|
|
|
|
● |
the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company; |
|
|
|
|
● |
dependence on key personnel; |
|
● |
conflicts of interest of our Sponsor, officers and directors; |
|
|
|
|
● |
the delisting of our securities by the NYSE American; |
|
|
|
|
● |
dependence on a single target business with a limited number of products or services; |
|
● |
our stockholders’ inability to vote or redeem their shares in connection with our extensions; |
|
● |
shares being redeemed and warrants becoming worthless; |
|
● |
our competitors with advantages over us in seeking business combinations; |
|
● |
ability to obtain additional financing; |
|
● |
our initial stockholders controlling a substantial interest in us; |
|
● |
warrants adverse effect on the market price of our common stock; |
|
● |
disadvantageous timing for redeeming warrants; |
|
● |
registration rights’ adverse effect on the market price of our common stock; |
|
● |
impact of COVID-19 and related risks; |
|
● |
uncertain geopolitical conditions resulting from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia; |
|
● |
business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction; |
|
● |
changes in laws or regulations; |
|
● |
impact of rising inflation and interest rates; |
|
● |
uncertainty concerning the applicability of the Investment Company Act to SPAC; |
|
● |
impact of the excise tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 on the value of our securities following the business combination and the amount of funds available for distribution; |
|
● |
tax consequences to business combinations; |
|
● |
exclusive forum provisions
in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation; and |
|
● |
our ability to continue as a going concern. |
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation
of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Our public stockholders may not be afforded
an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares and private
placement shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of
our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to
approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law
or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required
by law or the rules of the NYSE, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination
or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based
on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to
seek stockholder approval. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will participate
in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public
shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination,
regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved
if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares and private placement
shares. As of the date hereof and as a result of redemptions in connection with the Special Meeting, our initial stockholders own approximately
81.6% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will be able to approve our initial business
combination, even if none of our public stockholders vote in favor of approving the initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment
decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will
not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our Board may
complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote
on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision
regarding our initial business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be
at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial
business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem
their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult
for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination
transaction agreement with minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (ii) cash for working
capital or other general corporate purposes; or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. If too many public stockholders
exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with
the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets
to be less than $5,000,001. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets
to be less than $5,000,001 or make us unable to satisfy a minimum cash condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption
and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of
these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise
redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or
optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our
initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to
structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business
combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have
a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to meet such requirements, or
arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we
may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the Trust Account or arrange for third-party financing.
Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable
levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B common stock results in
the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the shares of Class B common stock
at the time of our initial business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business
combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise
redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would
be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement
requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash
at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination
is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the Trust Account until we liquidate the Trust Account. If you are in
need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a
discount to the pro rata amount per share in the Trust Account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment
or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights until we liquidate or you are able to sell
your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial
business combination by the Deadline Date may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination
and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach
our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value
for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter
into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination by the Deadline
Date, which is currently April 22, 2023 but may be extended by the Company up to three more times for an additional one month each time,
to up to July 22, 2023. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing
that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial
business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition,
we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected
upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial
business combination by the Deadline Date, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would
redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.86 per share based on the amount held
in the Trust Account as of March 30, 2023, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business
and complete our initial business combination by the Deadline Date. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be adversely
impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not
completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding
up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the
Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the
number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders
(including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such
redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case, to our
obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law, in which case our public
stockholders may only receive $10.86 per share based on the amount held in the Trust Account as of March 30, 2023, or less than such amount
in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our search for a business combination, and
any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared
novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted
global supply chains, lowered equity market valuations, created significant volatility and disruption in financial markets, and increased
unemployment levels, all of which may become heightened concerns upon another wave of infection or future developments. The COVID-19 pandemic
could continue to, and an outbreak of other infectious diseases could in the future, result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely
affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business
combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued
concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s
personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to
which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot
be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat
its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of
time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business
combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction
may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a
result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us
or at all.
Our search for a business combination, and
any target business with which we may ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the geopolitical
conditions resulting from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and subsequent sanctions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and
entities and the status of debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets.
U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility
and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. In response to
such invasion, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and
the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions
against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society
for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also
provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine during the ongoing military conflict, increasing geopolitical
tensions with Russia. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future,
by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have created global security concerns that could
have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine is
highly unpredictable, the conflict could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in energy and other commodity prices,
credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. Additionally, Russian military actions and the resulting sanctions
could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Any of the abovementioned factors, or any other
negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine
and subsequent sanctions, could adversely affect our search for a business combination and any target business with which we may ultimately
consummate a business combination. The extent and duration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulting sanctions and any related market
disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial, particularly if current or new sanctions continue for an extended period
of time or if geopolitical tensions result in expanded military operations on a global scale. Any such disruptions may also have the effect
of heightening many of the other risks described elsewhere in this Form 10-K. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern
continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with
which we may ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, the recent invasion of Ukraine by
Russia, and the impact of sanctions against Russia and the potential for retaliatory acts from Russia, could result in increased cyber-attacks
against U.S. companies.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination, our Sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares
or public warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float”
of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer
rules, our Sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in
privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination,
although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers
or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the NYSE rules. However, other than
as expressly stated herein, 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 or public warrants
in such transactions. Such purchases may include a contractual acknowledgment that such stockholder, although still the record holder
of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.
In the event that our Sponsor, initial stockholders,
directors, executive officers or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have
already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem
their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby
increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement
with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination,
where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce
the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection
with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination
that may not otherwise have been possible. We expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the
Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public
“float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced,
possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of
our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for
tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender
offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with
these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, such stockholder may not
become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will
furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that
must be complied with in order to validly tender or submit public shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our public
stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,”
to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their stock certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer
agent electronically prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy
materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In
addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote, we intend to require a public stockholder seeking redemption
of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the vote in which
the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures
disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed.
You will not have any rights or interests in
funds from the Trust Account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to
sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive
funds from the Trust Account only upon the earlier to occur of (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in
connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described
herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete
our initial business combination by the Deadline Date or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’
rights (including redemption rights) or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we
are unable to complete an initial business combination by the Deadline Date, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
In addition, if our plan to redeem our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination by the Deadline Date
is not completed for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders
for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our Trust Account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait
beyond the Deadline Date before they receive funds from our Trust Account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any
right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the Trust Account
with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially
at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally
afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale
of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not
been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we
have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating
this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly,
investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately
tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419.
Moreover, if the IPO were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the Trust
Account to us unless and until the funds in the Trust Account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business
combination.
As the number of special purpose acquisition
companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets.
This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate
an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose
acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies
have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets
for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive
targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate
an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose
acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets
with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive
deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases
in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase
the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result
in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Changes in the market for directors and officers
liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and
officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. 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. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.
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.
Because of our limited resources and the significant
competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we
are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds
in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter competition from other
entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships),
other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire.
Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly,
acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater
technical, human and other resources to ours or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively
limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially
acquire with the net proceeds of the IPO 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, we are obligated to offer holders of
our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder
vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business
combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If
we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds
in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of the IPO 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 until April 22,
2023, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination,
and we will depend on loans from our Sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of
the private placement units, only $1,450,000 will be available to us initially outside the Trust Account to fund our working capital requirements.
We believe that, upon closing of the IPO, the funds available to us outside of the Trust Account will be sufficient to allow us to operate
for at least until April 22, 2023; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could
use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also
use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger
agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on
terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any
current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity
from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might
not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business.
Prior to the completion of our initial business
combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third
parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our Trust Account.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced
to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.86 per share
based on the amount held in the Trust Account as of March 30, 2023, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our
warrants will expire worthless.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial
business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have
a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you
to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on
a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present
with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence,
or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be
forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in
our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known
risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and
not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions
about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be
subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially
finance the initial business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain stockholders
or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or
warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction
was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully
bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, relating to the business
combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
If third parties bring claims against us, the
proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than the
$10.86 per share held in the Trust Account as of March 30, 2023.
Our placing of funds in the Trust Account may
not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our
independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements
with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our public
stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing
claims against the Trust Account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar
claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim
against our assets, including the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims
to the monies held in the Trust Account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us
and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in
the best interests of the company under the circumstances. The underwriters of the IPO as well as our independent registered public accounting
firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage
a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills
are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases
where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities
will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements
with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to
complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with
our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought
against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could
be less than the $10.86 per public share held in the Trust Account as of March 30, 2023, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to
the letter agreement, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services
rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have 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)
$10.20 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the
Trust Account, if less than $10.20 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that
such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights
to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity
of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked
our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds
to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we
cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made
against the Trust Account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20
per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount
per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third
parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the
indemnification obligations of our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution
to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account
are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date
of the liquidation of the Trust Account if less than $10.20 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each
case less taxes payable, and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations
related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its
indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our
Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment
and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce
these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to our public stockholders may
be reduced below $10.20 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy
indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors
to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of
any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account and to not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly,
any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the Trust Account or (ii)
we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from
bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of
reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might
otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay
the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the
Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that
is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our Board may be viewed as having breached
their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our Board and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust
Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not
dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either
a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover
some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our Board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors
and/or having acted in bad faith, by paying public stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby
exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the
Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that
is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount
that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust
Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not
dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy
estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims
deplete the Trust Account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation
may be reduced.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims
by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable
for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion
of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our
initial business combination by the Deadline Date may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies
with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against
it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during
which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are
made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s
pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the
third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following
the Deadline Date in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the
foregoing procedures.
Because we will not be complying with Section
280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment
of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution.
However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective
target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or
prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with
respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed
to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot
assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially
be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend
beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders
upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination by the Deadline Date is not
considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to
the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to
Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution,
instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders
until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
In accordance with the NYSE American 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 initial listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders
for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a
meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination,
and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders
want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold
one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We may seek business combination opportunities
in industries or sectors that may 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 business combination opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent
in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant
risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in
the initial public offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event
we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may
not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information regarding the areas of our management’s expertise
would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to ascertain
or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial
business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction
in value.
Although we have identified general criteria
and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination
with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial
business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and
guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business
combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not
meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of
our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our
general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for
us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition,
if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal
reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does
not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may
only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and
our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek business combination opportunities
with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings,
which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows 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 sales or earnings,
we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in
a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition
and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent
in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not
have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability
to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from
an independent investment banking firm or from a valuation or appraisal firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent
source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination
with an affiliated entity or our Board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including
with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from
another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial
point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our Board, who will determine fair market
value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or
tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with
target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with
some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that the proxy
statement with respect to the vote on an initial business combination include historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure.
We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required
under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP,
or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards
of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets
may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and
complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources,
and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires
that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December
31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging
growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal
control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with
the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that
we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared
to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance
with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of
any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business
combination.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption
threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which
a substantial majority of our stockholders or warrant holders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that
would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum
cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate
purposes; or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination
even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if
we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business
combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our Sponsor,
officers, directors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares
of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the
terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination
or redeem any shares in connection with such initial business combination, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption
will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business
combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing
instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that
our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination,
special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments,
including their warrant agreements. For example, special purpose acquisition companies have amended the definition of business combination,
increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants,
amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation requires the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, and amending our public warrant agreement will
require a vote of holders of at least a majority of the public warrants (which may include public warrants acquired by our Sponsor or
its affiliates in the IPO or thereafter in the open market). In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires
us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we
do not complete an initial business combination by the Deadline Date or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’
rights (including redemption rights) or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed
to fundamentally change the nature of the securities offered in the IPO, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for,
the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to
consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing
the release of funds from our Trust Account) may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower
amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders
may not support.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the
IPO and the sale of private placement units into the Trust Account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and
to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock
entitled to vote thereon and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account may
be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. If we amend such provisions of our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection
with a stockholder meeting. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of
a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock
exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own approximately 81.6% of our common stock (including the private
placement shares), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and
will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other special purpose acquisition
companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue
remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors
have agreed, pursuant to written agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial
business combination by the Deadline Date or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights (including
redemption rights) or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem
their Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then
on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes
payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of,
these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our Sponsor, executive officers, or directors
for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative
action, subject to applicable law.
Certain agreements related to the IPO may be
amended without stockholder approval.
Each of the agreements related to the IPO to which
we are a party, other than the public warrant agreement and the investment management trust agreement, may be amended without stockholder
approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement; the letter agreement among us and our initial stockholders, Sponsor, officers
and directors; the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders; the private placement units purchase agreement
between us and our Sponsor; and the administrative services agreement among us, our Sponsor and an affiliate of our Sponsor. These agreements
contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting
agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, private placement units and other securities held by
our initial stockholders, Sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties
thereto and would need to be approved by our Board, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business
combination. While we do not expect our Board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination,
it may be possible that our Board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or
more amendments to any such agreement. Any amendment entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination
will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any
other material amendment to any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments would not require
approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible,
and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For example, amendments to the lock-up provision discussed
above may result in our initial stockholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an
adverse effect on the price of our securities.
Our initial stockholders control a substantial
interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do
not support.
Our initial stockholders own approximately 81.6%
of our issued and outstanding common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote,
potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our
initial stockholders purchase any additional Class A common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would
increase their control. Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention
to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this Form 10-K. Factors that would be considered in making such additional
purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our Board, whose members
were elected by our Sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with
only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior
to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least
the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” Board, only
a minority of the Board will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable
influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of
our initial business combination.
Our initial business combination and our structure
thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations
may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
Although we will attempt to structure our initial
business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and
may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial
business combination and subject to any requisite stockholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires
stockholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes, effect a business combination with a target company
in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target
company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection
with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a stockholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting
from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares received. In addition,
stockholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership
of us after our initial business combination.
In addition, we may effect a business combination
with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions.
If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number
of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations
and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and
non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial
condition.
Resources could be wasted in researching business
combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another
business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion
of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific
target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require
substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a
specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable.
Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating
to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond
our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent
attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public
stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders,
and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment
or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination
may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation
following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular
business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our
company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements
in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination
and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would
render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention
or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation
in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.
We may have a limited ability to assess the
management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose
management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting
our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may
be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management,
therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target
business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and
profitability of the post-combination business may be adversely impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose
to remain stockholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.
Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim
that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they
are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable,
relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition
candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel
could adversely 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.
If we effect our initial business combination
with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
If we pursue a target company with operations
or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with
investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would
be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations
or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border
business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting
due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes
in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination
with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international
setting, including any of the following:
|
● |
costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations; |
|
● |
rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
|
● |
complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
|
● |
laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
|
● |
exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
|
● |
tariffs and trade barriers; |
|
● |
regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
|
● |
local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
|
● |
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
|
● |
challenges in managing and staffing international operations; |
|
● |
tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
|
● |
currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
|
● |
challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
|
● |
cultural and language differences; |
|
● |
employment regulations; |
|
● |
underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
|
● |
protection of intellectual property; |
|
● |
social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances; |
|
● |
regime changes and political upheaval; |
|
● |
terrorist attacks and wars; and |
|
● |
deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
We may not be able to adequately address these
additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such
initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
If our management following our initial business
combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which
could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any
or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the Company, and the management of the target business at the
time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws.
If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws.
This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
We may issue notes or other debt securities,
in addition to our Notes (as defined below) issued in connection with the first Extension, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete
a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus adversely impact the value of our stockholders’
investment in us.
We have, and we may choose to incur additional,
substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness
unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the Trust
Account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the Trust Account. Nevertheless,
the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
|
● |
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
|
● |
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
|
● |
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
|
● |
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
|
● |
our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock; |
|
● |
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
|
● |
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
|
● |
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
|
● |
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may only be able to complete one business
combination with the proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a
single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may adversely impact our operations
and profitability.
The net proceeds from the IPO and the sale of
the private placement units provided us with $234,600,000 that we could use to complete our initial business combination (which amount
included the $8,650,000 of deferred underwriting commissions that were subsequently waived in full by Citi on December 8, 2022). On December
21, 2022, we held a Special Meeting at which our stockholders voted in favor of the Charter Amendment, which provides us with the right
to extend our Deadline Date up to six times for an additional one month each time, from January 22, 2023 to up to July 22, 2023. A total
of 20,951,064 shares of our Class A common stock were presented for redemption in connection with the Special Meeting. Following the redemptions,
there was approximately $21,750,000 in cash left in the Trust Account as of December 31, 2022. In addition, as of March 20, 2023, our
Board has implemented three Extensions and has extended the Deadline Date from January 22, 2023 for three additional months to April 22,
2023. In connection with these Extensions, the Sponsor has deposited an aggregate of $338,074.44 into the Trust Account. As of March 30,
2023, there is $22,256,212 in cash held in the Trust Account, which we may use to complete our initial business combination.
We may effectuate our initial business combination
with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able
to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence
of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating
results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial
business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory
developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting
of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different
areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
|
● |
solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or |
|
● |
dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to
numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry
in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may 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). The purpose of such issuances will be
to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may be less, and
potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management
Team
Our ability to successfully effect our initial
business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us
following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our
post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial
business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however,
cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory
positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain
in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you
that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating
a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business
combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and
profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion
of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business
combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial
business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination 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 are dependent upon our executive officers
and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively
small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued
service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers
and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest
in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related
due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers.
The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
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 shares of common stock to materially decline.
While we offered our units at an offering price
of $10.00 per unit and the amount in the Trust Account was initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share, implying an initial value
of $10.00 per public share, our Sponsor paid only a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately
$0.003 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted in the event we consummate an initial business
combination.
Our Sponsor invested an aggregate of $10,625,000
in us in connection with the IPO, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $10,600,000 purchase price for
the private placement units. As a result, even if the trading price of our shares of common stock significantly declines, our Sponsor
will stand to make significant profit on its investment in us. In addition, our Sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment
in us even if the trading price of our shares of common stock is less than $1.17 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 shares of common stock to decline, while our public stockholders who purchased their units in the IPO 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 stockholders paid for their public shares.
Since our Sponsor, executive officers and directors
will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares
they may acquire during or after the IPO), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target
is appropriate for our initial business combination.
In June 2021, our Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover
certain of our offering costs in exchange for 5,900,000 founder shares, and in September 2021, we effected a 1.36440678 for 1 stock split
of our common stock, so that our Sponsor owns an aggregate of 8,050,000 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 the IPO would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment
option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25.07% of the outstanding shares (including the private
placement shares) after the IPO. Up to 1,050,000 of the founder shares were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor depending on the extent
to which the underwriters’ over-allotment was exercised. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business
combination. In addition, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,060,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $10,600,000,
that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each private placement unit consists of one share
of Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one whole share of common stock at
$11.50 per share. These securities will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination and our Sponsor and members
of our Board acquired founder shares for approximately $0.003 per share and we offered units at a price of $10.00 per unit in the IPO;
as a result, our Sponsor and members of our Board could make a substantial profit after the initial business combination even if public
investors experience substantial losses and, accordingly, 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.
Additionally, on January 17, 2023, we issued an
Extension Note (as defined below) and a Working Capital Note (as defined below) to our Sponsor with a principal amount equal to $676,148.88
and $400,000.00, respectively. If a business combination is not consummated, any loans or advances under such Notes will be repaid only
from funds held outside of the Trust Account or will be forfeited, eliminated or otherwise forgiven.
The personal and financial interests of our executive
officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial
business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more
acute as the Deadline Date nears, which is the current deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
Our executive officers and directors will allocate
their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs.
This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers and directors are not required
to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our
operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior
to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for
which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number
of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive
officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess
of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our
ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’
other business affairs, please see “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Directors and Executive Officers.”
Our officers and directors presently have,
and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts
of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial business combination,
we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Each of our officers and directors presently
has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such
officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. 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, subject to our directors’
and officers’ fiduciary duties under the DGCL. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our
interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely
in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted
to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that
opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. In addition, our Sponsor and our officers and directors may Sponsor, invest
in, form or otherwise become involved with any other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours, including in connection with
their initial business combinations, or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an
initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or ventures may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial
business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our
initial business combination.
For a complete discussion of our executive officers’
and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Directors,
Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Directors and Executive Officers,” “Directors, Executive Officers and
Corporate Governance — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”
Our executive officers, directors, security
holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits
our directors, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in
any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may
enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, our directors or executive officers, although
we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business
activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours. The
personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target
business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting
a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular
business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their
fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Delaware law and we or our stockholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing
on our stockholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
We may engage in a business combination with
one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors
or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our Sponsor, executive
officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers,
directors or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation,
those described under “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — 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 initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been
no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing
on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated
entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested
directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from another independent entity that
commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with
one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential
conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public
stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Our management may not be able to maintain
control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target
business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination
so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets
of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more
of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to
be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not
meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior
to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations
ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial
number of new shares of Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would
acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of Class A common stock,
our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A common stock subsequent
to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or
group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that
our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
Members of our management team and Board have
significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have
been, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which
they were, are, or may be in the future be, affiliated. These activities may have an adverse effect on us, which may impeded our ability
to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of
our management team and Board have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As
a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons, are now, or may in the future become, involved
in litigation, investigations or other proceedings relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by
such companies. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert the attention and resources of the members of both
our management team and our Board 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.
Risks Relating to our Securities
The securities in which we invest the funds
held in the Trust Account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the
per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than the $10.86 per share held in the Trust Account as of March
30, 2023.
The proceeds held in the Trust Account are 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. While short-term U.S. government
treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central
banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has
not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to
complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public
stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the Trust Account, plus any interest income, net of
taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution
expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received
by public stockholders may be less than the $10.86 per share held in the Trust Account as of March 30, 2023.
If we are deemed to be an investment company
under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted,
which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under
the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| ● | restrictions
on the nature of our investments; and |
| ● | restrictions
on the issuance of securities, |
each of which may make it difficult for us to
complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
| ● | registration
as an investment company with the SEC; |
| ● | adoption
of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| ● | reporting,
record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are not subject to. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment
company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business
other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding
or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash
items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the
post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from
their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal
activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the Trust Account may only be invested in
United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity
of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which
invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in
other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted
at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or
private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company
Act. The IPO is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The
Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business
combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do
not complete our initial business combination by Deadline Date or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’
rights (including redemption rights) or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination by
Deadline Date, our return of the funds held in the Trust Account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares.
If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to
be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which
we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for
distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Recent increases 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 increases in inflation and interest rates
in the United States and elsewhere may lead to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, and may lead
to other national, regional and international economic disruptions, any of which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an
initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company
for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may be forced to abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead
be required to liquidate the Company. To mitigate the risk of that result, on or prior to the 24-month anniversary of the effective date
of the registration statement relating to our IPO, we may instruct Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company to liquidate the securities
held in the Trust Account and instead hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash. As a result, following such change, we would likely
receive minimal, if any, interest, on the funds held in the Trust Account, which would reduce the dollar amount that our public stockholders
would otherwise receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company if the assets in the Trust Account had remained in U.S. government
securities or money market funds.
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules
(the “SPAC Rule Proposals”), relating, among other things, to circumstances in which special purpose acquisition companies
(“SPACs”) such as us could potentially be subject to the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. The SPAC Rule
Proposals would provide a safe harbor for such companies from the definition of “investment company” under Section 3(a)(1)(A)
of the Investment Company Act, provided that a SPAC satisfies certain criteria. To comply with the duration limitation of the proposed
safe harbor, a SPAC would have a limited time period to announce and complete a de-SPAC transaction. Specifically, to comply with the
safe harbor, the SPAC Rule Proposals would require a company to file a report on Form 8-K announcing that it has entered into an agreement
with a target company for an initial business combination no later than 18 months after the effective date of the registration statement
for its initial public offering. The company would then be required to complete its initial business combination no later than 24 months
after the effective date of the registration statement for its initial public offering. As indicated above, we completed our IPO on October
22, 2021 and have operated as a blank check company searching for a target business with which to consummate an initial business combination
since such time. On July 28, 2022, or approximately nine months after the effective date of the registration statement for our IPO, we
entered into the Business Combination Agreement for our initial business combination. However, we may be unable to complete the e.GO Business
Combination within 24 months after the effective date of the registration statement for our IPO (assuming that we were to amend our second
amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the amount of time we have to complete our initial business combination to
or beyond 24 months from the closing of our IPO).
There is currently uncertainty concerning the
applicability of the Investment Company Act to a SPAC. It is possible that a claim could be made that we have been operating as an unregistered
investment company, including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, based on the current views
of the SEC. If we were deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we might be forced to abandon our
efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead be required to liquidate the Company. If we are required to liquidate
the Company, our investors would not be able to realize the benefits of owning shares in a successor operating business, including the
potential appreciation in the value of our shares and warrants or rights following such a transaction, and our warrants or rights would
expire worthless.
The funds in the Trust Account have, since our
IPO, been held only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely
in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. As of December
31, 2022, amounts held in Trust Account included approximately $3,259,199 of accrued interest. To mitigate the risk of us being deemed
to have been operating as an unregistered investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may, in our discretion, on or prior
to the 24-month anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement relating to our IPO (assuming that we are to amend our
second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the amount of time we have to complete our initial business combination
to or beyond 24 months from the closing of our IPO), or October 19, 2023, instruct Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the
trustee with respect to the Trust Account, to liquidate the U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds held in the Trust
Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash (i.e., in one or more bank accounts) until the earlier of the consummation
of a business combination or our liquidation. Following such liquidation of the assets in our Trust Account, we would likely receive minimal
interest, if any, on the funds held in the Trust Account, which would reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would otherwise
receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company if the assets in the Trust Account had remained in U.S. government securities
or money market funds. This means that the amount available for redemption may not increase in the future.
In addition, even prior to the 24-month anniversary
of the effective date of the registration statement relating to our IPO, we may be deemed to be an investment company. The longer that
the funds in the Trust Account are held in short-term U.S. government securities or in money market funds invested exclusively in such
securities, even prior to the 24-month anniversary, there is a greater risk that we may be considered an unregistered investment company,
in which case we may be required to liquidate. For so long as the funds in the Trust Account are held in short-term U.S. government securities
or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, the risk that we may be considered an unregistered investment company
and required to liquidate is greater than that of a SPAC that has elected to liquidate such investments and to hold all funds in its Trust
Account in cash (i.e., in one or more bank accounts). Accordingly, we may determine, in our discretion, to liquidate the securities held
in the Trust Account at any time, even prior to the 24-month anniversary, and instead hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash, which
would further reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would receive upon any redemption or our liquidation.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders
are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15%
of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer
rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder
or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange
Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO without
our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’
ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem
the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material
loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions
with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number
of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially
at a loss.
The NYSE American 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 cannot assure you that our securities will
continue to be listed on the NYSE American in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our
securities on the NYSE American prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock
price levels, including maintaining a minimum amount of stockholders’ equity and a minimum number of public stockholders. In addition
to objective standards, the NYSE American may delist our securities if, in their discretionary opinion: (i) our financial condition and/or
operating results appear unsatisfactory; (ii) it appears that the extent of public distribution or the aggregate market value of the security
has become so reduced as to make further dealings on NYSE American inadvisable; (iii) we sell or otherwise dispose of principal operating
assets or cease to be an operating company; (iv) we fail to comply with the listing requirements of the NYSE American; or (v) any other
event occurs or any condition exists which makes further dealings on the NYSE American unwarranted.
Additionally, in connection with our initial business
combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE American’s initial listing requirements, which are more
rigorous than the NYSE American’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities
on the NYSE American. For instance, we will generally be required to have a stock price of at least $2.00 per share, a global market capitalization
of at least $50,000,000, an aggregate market value of publicly-held shares of at least $15,000,000, stockholders’ equity of at least
$4,000,000, a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities and a minimum of 1,000,000 publicly-held shares. We cannot assure you
that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE American 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 common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock
to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our
securities; |
| ● | a
limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | a
decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act
of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred
to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on the NYSE American, our units,
Class A common stock and warrants are 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 the NYSE American, our securities
would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection
with our initial business combination.
Since our Sponsor paid only approximately $0.003
per share for the founder shares, certain of our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire
a target business that subsequently declines in value.
In June 2021, we issued 5,900,000 founder shares
to our Sponsor in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, and in September 2021, we effected a 1.36440678 for 1 stock split of
our common stock, so that our Sponsor owns an aggregate of 8,050,000 founder shares. Our Sponsor paid approximately $0.003 per share for
the founder shares. Certain of our officers and directors have a significant economic interest in our Sponsor. As a result, the low acquisition
cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit
even if we complete a business combination with a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common
stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of
our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the founder 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 certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Class B
common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after the
IPO, there were 75,940,000 and 1,950,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively,
available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares
issuable upon conversion of the Class B common stock. The Class B common stock is automatically convertible into Class A common stock
upon the consummation of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein
and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Immediately after the IPO, there were no shares of preferred stock issued
and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional
shares of Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive
plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of the Class
B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions
as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, 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 as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond April 22, 2023 or (y)
amend the foregoing provisions. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common
stock or shares of preferred stock:
| ● | may
significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the IPO; |
| ● | may
subordinate the rights of holders of Class A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded
our Class A common stock; |
| ● | could
cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of Class A common stock is issued, which 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 common stock and/or warrants. |
Unlike some other similarly structured special
purpose acquisition companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of Class A common stock if we issue certain shares
to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert
into shares of Class A common stock upon the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment
for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with
our initial business combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal,
in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25.07% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding (including the private
placement shares) after such conversion, including the total number of shares of Class A common stock 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 initial business combination, excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities
or rights exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial 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. This is different than some other similarly
structured special purpose acquisition companies in which the initial stockholders will only be issued an aggregate of 25.07% of the total
number of shares to be outstanding (including the private placement shares) prior to our initial business combination.
You will not be permitted to exercise your
warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A common stock or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A common stock upon
exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable
state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire
worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price
solely for the Class A common stock included in the units.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but
in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with
the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement relating to the IPO or a new registration statement covering the registration
under the Securities Act of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to
cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus
relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the
provisions of the warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which
represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained
or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the shares of Class A common stock issuable
upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the public warrant agreement, holders of
warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless
basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash
or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance
of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption
from registration or qualification is available.
If our shares of Class A common stock are at the
time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered
securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise
their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities
Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the
shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts
to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle
any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) 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.
You may only be able to exercise your public
warrants on a “cashless basis” under certain circumstances, and if you do so, you will receive fewer shares of Class A common
stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The public warrant agreement provides that in
the following circumstances holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do for cash and will, instead,
be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act: (i) if the shares of Class A common
stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the public warrant
agreement; (ii) if we have so elected and the shares of Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on
a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the
Securities Act; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption. If you exercise your public warrants on
a cashless basis, you would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock
equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied
by the excess of the “fair market value” of our shares of Class A common stock (as defined in the next sentence) over the
exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported closing price
of the shares of Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of
exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a
result, you would receive fewer shares of Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
We may amend the terms of the public warrants
in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding
public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number
of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our public warrants will be issued in registered
form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant
agreement provides that the terms of the public warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct
any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make
any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the
public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority 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 a majority 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
public warrants, convert the public warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period
or decrease the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrant.
Our public warrant agreement designates the
courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum
for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our public warrants, which could limit the ability of
warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our public warrant agreement provides that, subject
to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the public warrant agreement,
including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District
Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the
exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts
represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions
of the public 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 public warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum
provisions in our public warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the
public 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 public 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 public 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.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior
to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants
at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price
of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations,
recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable
and ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption.
We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common
stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is
available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the 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 exercise our redemption
right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption
of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be
disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your
warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely
to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an
adverse effect on the market price of our shares of Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business
combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 11,500,000 shares
of our Class A common stock as part of the units. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we issued in a private placement an aggregate
of 1,060,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $10,600,000. Each private placement unit consists of one private
placement share and one-half of one private placement warrant and each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share
of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In addition, if our Sponsor or an affiliate
of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors makes any working capital loans, such lender may convert those loans into up to
an additional 150,000 private placement-equivalent units, at the price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the private
placement units. To the extent we issue common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial
number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle
to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock
and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more
difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants included in the
private placement units are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in the IPO except that, so long as they are held by our
Sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not,
subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our Sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial
business combination and (ii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.
Because each unit contains one-half of one
public warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other special purpose acquisition
companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one public warrant.
Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will
trade. 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 the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder. This
is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one common 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-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain
a whole warrant to purchase one 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 it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make
it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, if we issue additional shares of
common stock 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 share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price
to be determined in good faith by our Board, and in the case of any such issuance to our initial stockholders or their respective affiliates,
without taking into account any founder shares held by them, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”),
the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the Newly Issued Price.
The grant of registration rights to our initial
stockholders and holders of our private placement units 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 shares of Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently
with the issuance and sale of the securities in the IPO, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register
the private placement warrants, the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, the shares
of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, the shares of Class A common stock included in the private placement
units and holders of unit that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such Class A common
stock, warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such units and warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these
securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an
adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial
business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity
stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class
A common stock that is expected when the shares of common stock owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement units
or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future
for our shares of Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These
provisions include a staggered Board and the ability of the Board to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, which
may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over
prevailing market prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions
under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more
difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
An investment in the IPO may result in uncertain
or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in our securities may result in
uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar
to our units, their treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes is uncertain, and the allocation an investor makes with respect to
the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A common stock and the one-half of one redeemable warrant included in each unit
could be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or the courts. In addition, if we are determined to be a personal
holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our taxable income would be subjected to an additional 20% federal income tax, which
would reduce the net after-tax amount of interest income earned on the funds placed in our Trust Account. Furthermore, the U.S. federal
income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in our units is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear
whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining
whether (i) any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A common stock is long-term capital gain or loss,
(ii) any dividends we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (iii) any dividend
we pay would be eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors
with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
A new 1% U.S. federal excise tax could be imposed
on us in connection with redemptions by us of our shares or our liquidation.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into
law 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) occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The Excise Tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself,
not its stockholders from which the stock is repurchased. Because we are a Delaware corporation and our securities are trading on the
NYSE American, we are a “covered corporation” for this purpose. 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 December
27, 2022, the Treasury issued a notice that provides interim operating rules for the Excise Tax, including rules governing the calculation
and reporting of the Excise Tax, on which taxpayers may rely until the forthcoming proposed Treasury regulations addressing the Excise
Tax are published. Although such notice clarifies certain aspects of the Excise Tax, the interpretation and operation of other aspects
of the Excise Tax remain unclear, and such interim operating rules are subject to change.
Whether and to what extent we would be subject
to the Excise Tax on a redemption of our shares of Class A common stock or other stock issued by us would depend on a number of factors,
including (i) whether the redemption is treated as a repurchase of stock for purposes of the Excise Tax, (ii) the fair market value of
the redemption treated as a repurchase of stock in connection with our initial business combination, an extension or otherwise, (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 stock and (v) the content of forthcoming regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. As noted above, the Excise Tax would be
payable by us, 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 could cause a reduction in the cash
available on hand to complete our initial business combination or for effecting redemptions and may affect our ability to complete our
initial business combination, fund future operations or make distributions to stockholders. In addition, the Excise Tax could cause a
reduction in the per share amount payable to our public stockholders in the event we liquidate the Trust Account due to a failure to complete
our initial business combination within the requisite timeframe.
Whether a redemption of Class A common stock
will be treated as a sale of such Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on a stockholder’s specific
facts.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a redemption
of Class A common stock will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of such Class A common stock under Section 302(a) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by
the stockholder electing to redeem Class A common stock (including any shares of stock constructively owned by the holder as a result
of owning private placement warrants or public warrants or otherwise) relative to all of the shares of our stock outstanding both before
and after the redemption. If such redemption is not treated as a sale of Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the
redemption will instead be treated as a corporate distribution of cash from us.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
requires, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought
on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or
our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision
of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors,
officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware,
except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject
to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of
Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than
the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside
of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel.
Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits
to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may
have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived
our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or
liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange
Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the
rules and regulations thereunder.
Additionally, unless we consent in writing to
the selection of an alternative forum, the federal courts shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a
cause of action arising under the Securities Act against us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or agents. Section 22 of
the Securities Act, however, created concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or
liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court
would enforce these exclusive forum provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’
charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. While the Delaware courts have determined that such exclusive forum provisions
are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum
provisions, and there can be no assurance that such provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions. Any person or
entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions;
however, we note that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Although we believe this provision benefits us
by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may
limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us and may have the effect of discouraging
lawsuits against our directors and officers.
General Risk Factors
We are a blank check company with no operating
history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check company incorporated under
the laws of the State of Delaware with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through the IPO.
Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing
our initial business combination. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business
combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we
will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by our management team and
their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses
associated with, our management team or businesses associated with them is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance
by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that
we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of the
performance of our management team or businesses associated with them as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or
the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could
result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information
systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and
deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the
cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early
stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences.
We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents.
It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial
loss.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure
to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial
business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted
by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements.
Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations
and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our
business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted
and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business
combination, and results of operations.
We may face risks related to technology and
consumer businesses.
Business combinations with technology and consumer
businesses entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business,
we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks after the business combination:
| ● | we
may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue; |
| ● | we
will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer; |
|
● |
the loss of one or more members of our management team, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could seriously harm our business; |
|
|
|
|
● |
if our security is compromised or if our platform is subjected to attacks that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, our users, advertisers, and partners may cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business; |
|
|
|
|
● |
mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation; |
|
|
|
|
● |
if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business will suffer; |
|
|
|
|
● |
if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed; |
|
|
|
|
● |
we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; |
|
|
|
|
● |
an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
an inability to build strong brand identity and improve subscriber or customer satisfaction and loyalty. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact
on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited
to the technology and consumer businesses. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject
to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different
than those risks listed above.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller
reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements
available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and
may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company”
within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting
requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being
required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure
obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding
a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company
for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A
common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging
growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we
will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions,
the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities
and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts
emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that
is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered
under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company
can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but
any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when
a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company,
can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our
financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has
opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards
used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting
company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure
obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting
company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million
as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of
our common stock held by non-affiliates 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.
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.”
In connection with the Company’s assessment
of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update
(“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,”
we have determined that if the Company is unable to complete a business combination by the Deadline Date, then the Company will cease
all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial
doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K
do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to continue as a going concern.