Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated in August
2015 as a Delaware corporation formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
On November 3, 2017, we entered into an Agreement
and Plan of Merger (as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto, dated November 15, 2017, Amendment No. 2 thereto, dated December 27,
2017, Amendment No. 3 thereto, dated January 9, 2017 and Amendment No. 4 thereto, dated February 7, 2018, and as it may be further
amended from time to time, the "Merger Agreement") with IEA Energy Services LLC ("IEA Services"), Wind Merger
Sub I, Inc. ("Merger Sub I"), Wind Merger Sub II, LLC ("Merger Sub II"), Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives,
LLC ("Seller"), Oaktree Power Opportunities Fund III Delaware, L.P., solely in its capacity as Seller’s representative,
and, solely for purposes of certain sections therein, M III LLC and M III LP. The Merger Agreement provides for, among other things,
the merger of Merger Sub I with and into IEA Services with IEA Services surviving such merger and, immediately thereafter, merging
with and into Merger Sub II with Merger Sub II surviving such merger as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of our company (together
with the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the "Potential IEA Combination"). As a result of the
foregoing, we will acquire IEA Services and its subsidiaries, which we collectively refer to as "IEA".
IEA is a leading U.S. provider of infrastructure solutions
for the renewable energy, traditional power and civil infrastructure industries. Currently, it is primarily focused on the wind
energy industry, where it specializes in providing a broad range of engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”)
services throughout the U.S. It is one of three Tier 1 providers in the wind energy industry and has completed more than 190 wind
and solar projects in 35 states. The services that it provides include the design, site development, construction, installation
and restoration of infrastructure. IEA believes that, as of December 31, 2017, it holds the #1 U.S. market share among EPCs for
wind. We believe that IEA has the ability to continue to grow its wind energy industry business as the industry grows and that
it is well-positioned to leverage its expertise and relationships to provide infrastructure solutions in other areas, including
the solar energy industry, the traditional power generation industry and civil infrastructure industry.
IEA traces its roots back to the founding of White
Construction in 1947. In the 70 years since, IEA has diversified its business and expanded its geographic footprint, both organically
and through acquisitions. Its historical roots are in civil infrastructure construction, and it continues to operate in that sector
today. It has also expanded into the utility-scale solar energy construction space and has completed more than 190 wind and solar
projects, including more than 14 GW of wind energy generating capacity and more than 700 MW of utility-scale, solar generating
capacity. It has a scalable workforce, with more than 2,000 peak employees. As of February 15, 2018, it had approximately 650 employees.
IEA is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement and the
adjustments set forth therein, the aggregate purchase price for the Potential IEA Combination is expected to be approximately $235,000,000.
The consideration to be paid to the Seller will be in the form of a combination of cash and stock consideration and is subject
to certain adjustments described in the Merger Agreement. The cash consideration payable to Seller at the closing of the Potential
IEA Combination (the "Closing"), assuming no adjustments, is $100,000,000. The stock consideration will be the total
consideration less the cash consideration, with such stock consideration split 74.1% in the form of our common stock and 25.9%
in the form of a newly-issued Series A Preferred Stock, subject to the adjustments described in the Merger Agreement. For purposes
of determining the number of shares of common stock issuable with respect to the portion of the consideration payable in common
stock, the common stock will be valued at $10.00 per share. The foregoing consideration to be paid to Seller may be further increased
by up to 9,000,000 shares of common stock, which may be payable pursuant to an earn-out based upon the post-combination company
achieving certain EBITDA targets in 2018 and/or 2019.
In order to facilitate the Potential IEA Combination,
our Sponsors and two of our directors will enter into an agreement at Closing pursuant to which they will agree that an aggregate
of 1,874,999 shares of our common stock (representing approximately 50% of the founder shares (as defined below)) will be subject
to vesting, half of which will vest on the first day upon which the closing sale price of the common stock on Nasdaq Capital Market
(“NASDAQ”) has equaled or exceeded $12.00 per share for any 20 trading day period in a 30 consecutive day trading period
and the other half of which will vest on the first day upon which the closing sale price of the common stock on NASDAQ has equaled
or exceeded $14.00 per share for any 20 trading day period in a 30 consecutive day trading period.
Consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
Merger Agreement is subject to customary conditions of the respective parties, including the approval of the Potential IEA Combination
by our stockholders in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the completion of a redemption
offer whereby we will be providing our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock for cash
equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account. A special meeting of stockholders to approve
the Potential IEA Combination is scheduled for March 7, 2018.
For a detailed discussion of the Merger Agreement
and related agreements, see the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
on November 3, 2017. For the full text of the Merger Agreement, Amendment No. 1, Amendment No. 2, Amendment No. 3 and Amendment
No. 4, see Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 8, 2017, Exhibit 2.2 to
the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 21, 2017, Exhibit 2.3 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 27, 2017, Exhibit 2.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
with the SEC on January 10, 2018 and Exhibit 2.5 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February
9, 2018. For additional information regarding IEA Services, the Merger Agreement and the Potential IEA Combination, see the definitive
proxy statement filed by the Company with the SEC on February 9, 2018.
Other than as specifically discussed, this Report
does not assume the closing of the Potential IEA Combination.
Objective and Business Opportunity
We have and will continue to focus our efforts on
seeking and consummating an initial business combination with a company that has an enterprise value of between $350 million and
$750 million, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered. While we may pursue an acquisition
opportunity in any business industry or sector and in any geographic region, we have focused to date on businesses based in North
America that engage primarily in the financial services, healthcare services and industrials sectors because we believe that this
best combines the expertise and experience of our combined team with sectors that offer attractive investment opportunities.
It is our philosophy that capital has become increasingly
commoditized and that successful investment results will come not from having capital alone, but rather from having the ability
to accurately assess businesses with complex strategic, management and operational issues and the added expertise to deal with
these issues in increasingly competitive and changing environments. We believe this to be particularly true during times of economic
uncertainty, dislocations in capital markets and other conditions that create a challenge for businesses, and opportunities for
investors with the right management team. In recognition of this, we have assembled a team of executives, directors and other advisors
who blend traditional investment and acquisition expertise, management and operational expertise, and deep experience in financial,
strategic and operational restructurings. We are confident that this team is capable of creating value in businesses that we acquire.
We believe that the broad experience and expertise
of our combined team enable us to explore a wide range of potential acquisition targets. We target companies with strong business
fundamentals and those which are in need of operational improvement and can thereby benefit from our human and financial capital.
The members of our combined team have proven experience and track records in identifying, acquiring and improving businesses that
have strong underlying fundamentals, but are undervalued due to company-specific issues, industry dislocation, limited access to
capital, or other exogenous factors that are fundamentally temporary in nature. Our combined team has played meaningful roles in
contrarian investment situations with businesses requiring significant changes in strategy, enhancement of management or operational
improvement, using our expertise in those areas to improve the businesses and drive ongoing growth.
We believe that the experience, capabilities and track
record of our combined team will make us an attractive partner for potential target businesses, enhance our ability to complete
a successful business combination and, thereafter, improve the performance of the business in order to create value for investors.
Our management team is led by Mohsin Meghji. Mr. Meghji
serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Meghji is the Managing Partner of M-III Partners and is a nationally recognized
U.S. turnaround professional with a track record of building value across a wide range of sectors, including financial services,
healthcare services and industrials. M-III Partners is a merchant banking, investment and restructuring advisory firm founded by
Mr. Meghji whose philosophy and approach marries management and operations with financial expertise in order to enhance performance
and create value. Mr. Meghji has over 25 years of advisory and management experience in building value in companies that are undergoing
financial, operational or strategic transitions. He has accomplished this through both operating management and financial advisory
roles, often in partnership with some of the world’s leading financial institutions, private equity firms and hedge fund
investors.
Mr. Meghji has led the repositioning of, and driven
value creation at, numerous businesses over the past two decades in an operating management or financial advisory capacity. Mr.
Meghji’s most recent corporate management role was at Springleaf Holdings, LLC, a subprime consumer finance company (now
known as OneMain Holdings, Inc.), where he served as Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy and as Chief Executive Officer
of its captive insurance companies, Merit Life Insurance Co. and Yosemite Insurance Company. These insurance companies provided
life, property and casualty insurance coverage to Springleaf’s customers. Springleaf was created in late-2010 when American
International Group, Inc. sold 80% of its subsidiary, American General Finance Inc., to affiliates of Fortress Investment Group
LLC. At the time of the sale, American General Finance Inc. provided consumer loans, retail financing and mortgages to more than
one million families through more than 1,100 branches located across the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the
United Kingdom. After multiple years of operating losses, Springleaf turned profitable in 2013 as a result of the strategic, management
and operational improvements implemented by its new ownership and management team, evidencing a significant turnaround in its performance.
Springleaf went public (NYSE: LEAF) in October 2013 at a $1.95 billion valuation. As part of its senior management team and Head
of Strategy for the company, Mr. Meghji played a key role in this successful transition.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Meghji, along with
several of his colleagues at M-III Partners, has driven improvements in performance for numerous companies experiencing challenges.
The following represents a sample of such cases:
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Mariner
Health Care, Inc., one of the largest nursing home operators in the United States, with more than 400 locations containing more
than 49,000 beds at the time of its bankruptcy filing. Mr. Meghji was retained in 1999 as turnaround advisor to the various private
equity funds who controlled Mariner following its bankruptcy. During his tenure at Mariner, he worked with the investor group
to develop the turnaround business plan, hired a new management team and served on the Board of Directors from 2002 – 2004.
The business plan included significant overhead and cost reductions, facility rationalization and a significant investment in
IT improvements.
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Covanta Energy Corp., a national provider of waste management and energy generation services to municipal entities. Mr. Meghji was retained as Chief Restructuring Advisor to assist Covanta in the development of a business plan while restructuring through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. While at Covanta, Mr. Meghji spearheaded a restructuring of the company’s operations through divestiture of non-core operations, increasing focus on the core “waste-to-energy” business, rationalizing the overall cost structure and enhancing the management team.
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Masonite International Inc., one of the largest door manufacturers in the world. Mr. Meghji and Thomas Persteiner, who serves as one of our operating advisors, were initially retained in 2008 as financial advisors to debtholders who had taken control of Masonite during a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. At Masonite, Messrs. Meghji and Persteiner worked with a new management team to develop a turnaround business plan and manufacturing strategy. This business plan required significant overhead and other cost reductions in order to counter a massive decline in sales due to the global financial crisis.
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Capmark Financial Group Inc., a leading commercial real estate finance company with businesses in commercial real estate lending and mortgage banking, investment and funds management, and servicing in North America, Asia and Europe. Capmark was the successor to GMAC’s Commercial Mortgage Business which was purchased by affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., Goldman Sachs and others in March 2006. Mr. Meghji was retained as Chief Restructuring Officer in 2009 and worked with Capmark’s management team to restructure the business through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding which culminated in 2011.
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In each of these cases and others, Mr. Meghji and
his team successfully identified the value within the business, designed and implemented a business plan which maximized this value
and enabled stockholders to realize this value. We caution that the historical results reflected above are not indicative of future
results and no assurance can be given as to whether future transactions will achieve similar results.
Mr. Meghji’s management and restructuring expertise
has been supplemented by the investment expertise of Suleman E. Lunat, who serves as our Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate
Development, and investment professionals from M-III Partners. Collectively, Mr. Lunat and such investment professionals bring
extensive experience in investment, mergers and acquisitions, finance, accounting, law, and other relevant disciplines.
In addition to leveraging the contacts and relationships
held by our combined team to identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we benefit from the long-standing relationships held
by the management, directors, operating advisors and other advisors of M-III Partners with owners of private and public companies,
private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and business brokers. Certain key members of the M-III Partners
team are active members of our combined team and the remainder of the professionals of M-III Partners are available to us to provide
specific expertise on an as-needed basis. M-III Partners receives a regular stream of investment opportunities in the ordinary
course of its business and these opportunities are made available to us prior to their review by M-III Partners for its own account.
Acquisition and Business Strategy
Target Industries of Focus
We focus primarily on identifying attractive acquisition
candidates in the financial services, healthcare services and industrial sectors based in North America, but our search for business
combination targets may extend across the wider range of industry sectors and geographies in which we believe that we can create
stockholder value. We believe that our investment and operating expertise across multiple industry verticals will give us a large,
addressable universe of potential targets in order to enable us to maximize our chances of completing a business combination in
a timely manner and to maximize stockholder returns following such acquisition.
We have elected to focus our search for an initial
business combination target on financial services, healthcare services and industrials because multiple members of our combined
team have extensive experience and a successful track record of investment and management within those sectors. We believe that
each of these three industries is currently experiencing some element of change or dislocation that is having a broad impact on
businesses within the industry. Those businesses which have the capital and expertise to respond well will obtain a competitive
advantage that should drive a disproportionate increase in shareholder value. We believe that this creates a significant opportunity
for us to apply our human and financial capital to our initial acquisition target in order to capture this disproportionate increase
in value for our stockholders.
Our experience and the broad rationale for our interest
with respect to each of these three primary sectors for investment focus is as follows:
➤ Financial Services.
The financial services sector is a primary area of
focus due to a combination of our combined team’s depth of experience in this industry and the opportunity that we perceive
from the rapid change that is transforming the industry. Driven primarily by the after-effects of the global financial crisis,
the imposition of the Dodd-Frank regulatory regime, potential and enacted regulatory changes under the Trump administration, as
well as other regulatory and market events, financial services firms are being forced to reconsider their core strategies. We would
expect that this change would be accelerated in an environment characterized by economic uncertainty, instability in capital markets
and uncertain regulatory regimes. In many cases, non-regulated entities have the opportunity to play a more important role in providing
services such as lending, specialty finance, insurance and asset management and regulated entities are electing to exit business
lines. Concurrently, many smaller financial services firms are being forced to raise capital in order to satisfy regulatory requirements,
finance necessary investment or exploit available growth opportunities. This trend may be reversed if proposed regulatory initiatives
are implemented.
In addition to regulatory changes, the financial services
industry is also being transformed by technological changes. Currently, new technologies are driving the conversion of traditional,
relationship-driven market segments into online solutions as, for example, traditional money managers are seeing increasing competition
from online management products and traditional consumer lenders are seeing increased competition from online lenders and loan
brokers. Similarly, in areas such as payment processing and credit cards, long-established market leaders are facing new competition
that is more convenient, secure and cost-effective than the traditional solutions. The changes wrought by these new technologies
are forcing established companies to re-think their business models and strategies. Many of these companies have a sustainable
business, but are challenged by identifying their key competitive strengths in this new environment or obtaining the capital needed
to adapt.
We believe that regulatory and technological change
will continue to drive industry dislocation for the foreseeable future, despite growing demand for financial services. We believe
that this creates opportunity for an investment team with deep expertise in the financial services industry, such as us, to create
value.
Members of our combined team have extensive experience
in a wide variety of sectors in the financial services industry, having been involved in a variety of capacities in companies such
as Springleaf, Capmark, Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, Hunt Mortgage Group, American International Group, John Hancock Financial
Services, MacKay Shields, LLC and Pioneer Investments USA. We also believe that we have access to a deep roster of professional
contacts in the industry, resulting from decades of our combined team’s analysis, investment and restructuring of companies
within these sectors. These include senior executives of private equity firms, commercial banks, investment banks, finance companies,
insurance companies and asset managers. We believe that our relationships with these senior executives will provide us with access
to investment opportunities from which we can seek an appropriate business combination target.
➤ Healthcare Services.
We believe that the healthcare services industry will
provide attractive acquisition opportunities because it is experiencing rapid transformation and strong secular tailwinds. Factors
such as demographic change, technological change and the rising incidence of chronic disease will, we believe, drive increasing
demand for various healthcare and healthcare-related services. For example:
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in
its
Health, United States, 2015
report, the Centers for Disease Control reported that the average life expectancy in the
United States increased from 76.8 years in 2000 to 78.8 years in 2014; and
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the Administration for Community Living of the US Department of Health and Human Services reports that the number of Americans who are 65 or older is projected to increase from 40.2 million in 2010 to 54.8 million in 2020 and then to 72.0 million by 2030.
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Although the aging population and rising incidence
of chronic disease drive demand for increased healthcare services, this increased demand is offset by a global focus on reducing
the cost of healthcare delivery and payment based upon successful outcomes (rather than volume or cost).
Concurrently with this increase in demand for healthcare
services and changes in delivery and reimbursement models, the healthcare services industry is also being transformed by technological
change. These changes include advances in both hardware and software that can provide more effective and efficient delivery of
healthcare services. Notably, the introduction of online medical records and network-enabled diagnostic equipment has created the
ability to collect large quantities of real-time patient data. Similarly, improved data analysis technologies are enabling both
providers and consumers of healthcare services to identify the factors that produce the most positive outcomes in order to develop
the most cost-effective solutions.
Potential and enacted regulatory changes under the
Trump administration also may significantly alter the economics of, and opportunities and challenges for, businesses in the healthcare
sector.
These changes are forcing businesses in the healthcare
services sector to adapt to new conditions. Some of these businesses are successfully navigating these changes with internal resources,
but many others require additional financing or management expertise to address this rapidly changing business environment. These
changes have triggered a wave of merger and acquisition activity within the industry, as companies seek acquisitions to achieve
scale or obtain technologies that are perceived as necessary to thrive in this new environment, while simultaneously divesting
non-core assets in order to preserve high growth rates in a cost-sensitive environment.
Members of our combined team have significant management
experience in the healthcare services sector, having been involved in a variety of capacities in companies such as HealthSouth
Corporation, Mariner, Interim HealthCare, Medical Staffing Network, Gyrus ACMI, Tender Loving Care Home Health Care, American HomePatient
and Rotech. From this experience, we understand the regulatory and insurance reimbursement complexities that are inherent in managing
healthcare services companies, as well as the unique challenges of managing multi-locational healthcare businesses. While the regulatory
and reimbursement regime can be complex and may deter many investors, a knowledgeable management team, such as ours, can navigate
those complexities in order to drive growth.
We believe that the healthcare services sector offers
to us a large pool of potential acquisition candidates and that our extensive range of contacts within the industry will provide
us with access to a stream of potential investment opportunities. When coupled with our specialized expertise in this sector, we
believe that we will possess a competitive advantage as we source and act upon investment opportunities in the sector.
➤ Industrials.
We believe that industrial companies today are facing
a changing operating environment that is having a significant impact on profitability. Changes in market demand, end-buyer preferences,
technology, regulation, currency, input costs and manufacturing costs are ongoing. These changes can have a significant impact
on the size and growth rate of various market segments and on the competitive position of the assets and business models that serve
them. Moreover, the effect of these changes on many industrial companies has been magnified by the forces of globalization and
by continuing global economic instability.
The industrial dynamics described above create both
opportunities and threats, including (i) end markets can grow or shrink, (ii) capacity can be long or short and (iii) a given asset
type or business model can become advantaged or not. Under any of these circumstances, management teams may or may not accurately
diagnose how best to respond. This constant interplay between the changing environment and individual companies’ evolving
strategies creates the potential for situations in which assets are mispriced relative to their potential. This is particularly
true in the middle market where many industrial companies lack the resources to navigate this complex business environment.
We believe that all of these changes are driving the
need for adjustments to strategy, operations and capital structure that create opportunity for us to acquire an industrial company
and enhance its value. Whether the challenge arises from globalization, technology or other causes, we believe that the changing
environment for industrial companies has made management skill a significant competitive advantage for an industrial company. Those
industrial companies that have strong management and sufficient financial resources will become industry leaders, while those who
are unable to recognize or adapt to the changing environment will fall behind.
We have assembled a team of executives, directors, operating
advisors and others who have a broad range of experience, enabling us to provide the financial and management resources necessary
for an industrial company to thrive in today’s competitive environment. Members of our combined team have successfully transformed
industrial companies in multiple industry segments by re-designing strategy, enhancing management capabilities and improving operations.
They have been involved in a variety of capacities in companies such as GKN plc, Johnson Controls, Volvo Truck, GE Aerospace, Electrical
Components International, Standard Pacific Corporation and Champion Home Builders. Members of our combined team have successfully
transformed struggling industrial companies in multiple industry segments by re-designing strategy, enhancing management capabilities
and improving operations. In the course of these efforts, they have created substantial value. We believe that our team will provide
us with skilled resources to source, analyze, negotiate and close an attractive initial business combination, as well as to provide
us with additional expertise and insights as we work to maximize value of the companies that we acquire.
Acquisition Criteria
Our management team is committed to efficiently and
effectively identifying and conducting due diligence on appropriate acquisition targets in order to maximize our opportunity to
consummate a business combination. Based upon the experience of our combined team, we have identified a variety of criteria and
guidelines that we expect to apply when evaluating any potential acquisition. These include:
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Underlying Fundamentals of the Target Business.
The factors that we will evaluate in determining whether the underlying fundamentals of a target business meet our anticipated criteria include: Its financial condition and historical results of operation; our expectations of projected performance; the industry in which it operates; its brand recognition and potential; the experience and skill of existing management and availability of additional personnel; any additional capital requirements; its competitive position; any barriers to entry for potential competitors in the relevant industry; the stage of development of its key existing and potential products, processes or services; existing distribution channels for its products and potential for expansion; the degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services; any proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas; and industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which the business participates.
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External Factors Affecting the Target Business.
The external factors affecting the target business that we anticipate we will evaluate include: The impact of regulation on the business; the regulatory environment of the industry; and the specific competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes.
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Anticipated Contribution that our Combined Team can Make to Growth of the Business.
The factors that we will evaluate in determining the anticipated contribution that our combined team can make to the growth of the target business include: The scope of experience and skills possessed by our combined team in the relevant business and industry; the need for additional capital or management support required by the target business; and the value of our expertise in strategy, management and operations to the business.
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Opportunity for Superior Investment Return.
The factors that we will evaluate in determining whether we are likely to obtain a superior return on our investment in the business include: the valuation at which our investment is made; the appropriateness of the business for public capital markets; the potential for growth from add-on acquisitions; the potential for profitable, organic long-term growth; and the costs associated with effecting the business combination.
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We anticipate that we will find the greatest number
of opportunities for our initial business combination among middle market companies with aggregate enterprise value of approximately
$350 million to $750 million, as determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably accepted
valuation standards and methodologies.
We believe that our investment results will be strongest
when our expertise and resources can meaningfully contribute to the management and growth of the acquired business. This includes
situations such as:
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Strategic or Operational Improvements.
Our combined team has significant and successful experience in investing in, and working with, companies where there is an opportunity to effect meaningful operational improvements or derive meaningful benefit from a change in strategy.
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Members of our combined team have worked with such companies as investors, senior management, board members and consultants. We intend to tailor our approach to working with the target company’s management team to address the unique challenges and opportunities they face. Our combined team has the versatility and flexibility to allow us to provide strategic guidance as board members or to take on direct senior leadership roles to design and implement operational improvements or strategic change at the target company.
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Value-Added Capital for Growth and/or Consolidation Opportunities.
Over decades of combined investment experience, our combined team has developed significant expertise in successfully identifying and investing in companies that are achieving rapid and profitable organic growth and growth through strategic initiatives. Our combined team also has a long and successful track record in managing businesses of this nature. Through this experience, we have found that management teams vary in their ability to recognize growth opportunities and take advantage of them. It is our current intent to target companies whose management teams recognize the opportunities in their industry, but lack the capital to take advantage of those opportunities or could benefit from our combined team’s years of business experience in order to most effectively take advantage of those opportunities.
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Established Companies in an Industry Experiencing Dislocation.
We may seek to acquire an established company operating in an industry undergoing dislocation. Industries typically experience dislocation when faced with, among other things, supply and demand imbalances, new technology entrants, cyclicality and legal or regulatory challenges. We view episodes of industry dislocation as opportunities to acquire a company at an attractive multiple and invest in strengthening the long-term market position of the company over its competitors. The history of our combined team in successfully managing companies during periods of dislocation makes this a criterion that we will particularly seek as we identify appropriate business combination targets.
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Complex or Out-of-Favor Businesses.
Our management team believes that businesses that have situational complexity or operate in industries that have fallen out-of-favor with investors can provide attractive investment opportunities. Within a business, situational complexity can often arise from business, legal, regulatory or capital structure issues. Our combined team has a successful record of managing investments and operating improvements in complex or out-of-favor businesses by applying tailored solutions that drive value creation. Recognizing that capital today is becoming commoditized, we believe that it is the management skills of our combined team and our experience in managing complex situations that provide us with our greatest strategic advantage.
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Ownership Transition Transaction.
In our experience, acquisition opportunities for good businesses periodically arise when the external needs of the current owner restrict further investment in the business. These restrictions can arise from changing corporate priorities, financial distress within the owner, contractual divestiture requirements applicable to private equity funds, or other factors. In situations of this nature, it is not unusual for the seller to seek to retain a meaningful stake in the business in order to preserve the opportunity for further appreciation. We expect to actively seek out opportunities to acquire businesses of this nature in which we believe that the underlying business fundamentals justify the investment cost and provide a strong opportunity to achieve superior investment returns. Moreover, we believe that our close relationships with private equity firms will provide us with access to investment opportunities of this nature.
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Deleveraging Transaction.
Our combined team’s extensive relationships with lenders and private equity firms, as well as their prior experience in making deleveraging investments, should position us well to source and execute a recapitalizing acquisition. We believe that the record issuance of high yield debt and leveraged loans from 2011 through the first half of 2015 will lead to an increase in companies that will need to de-lever within the next two years. As opposed to distressed debt funds and investors, we believe we would be a preferred refinancing/de-leveraging solution to owners and management teams of middle-market companies.
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“Partnership” Sale.
We may seek to acquire one or more companies from a current owner, private equity or otherwise, who would like to retain a meaningful stake in the company to preserve and enhance potential upside. As a source of public equity capital, we believe that we will be well-positioned to provide liquidity to such an owner and expect that potential acquisition targets and partners would view the contribution to be made by our combined team as a positive factor in reviewing any acquisition proposal from us. We also could be an attractive financial and operating partner for a private equity firm that sees compelling acquisition opportunities, but may be already fully-invested.
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The criteria and situations described above are not
intended to be exhaustive and our evaluation of any particular initial business combination may reflect other considerations, factors
and criteria deemed relevant by our management in effecting the relevant transaction, consistent with our business objective and
strategy. Additionally, our management team may prioritize the importance of those factors differently when evaluating different
target businesses, based upon our experiences with investments and acquisitions in the relevant industry.
Acquisition Process
In implementing the strategy described above, we have
undertaken a disciplined approach to identifying, analyzing, negotiating, documenting and consummating any business combination
and have developed investment policies and procedures that are intended to allow us to respond quickly to opportunities, while
preserving the quality of our investment approval process.
Sourcing of Potential Acquisition Targets
Each member of our combined team is tasked with the
responsibility for identifying and introducing to us potential business combination targets in order to provide a steady flow of
investment opportunities. Our combined team are all highly experienced in their fields and have been selected with the goal of
ensuring that we have the contacts and expertise needed to source our initial business combination target and add-on acquisitions.
Each of them has developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships and has committed to using those contacts and
relationships to assist us in sourcing investment opportunities.
Our combined team has developed its network of contacts
and relationships though personal experience in sourcing, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses,
as well as executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. Members of our combined team have served
as executive officers or directors of financial services, healthcare services and industrial companies such as Bluestem Group Inc.
(formerly known as Capmark Financial Group Inc.), Mariner Health Care Inc., iStar Financial Inc., Champion Home Builders, Springleaf
Financial, John Hancock Financial Services, Ormet Corporation and Standard Pacific Corp. Through the professional experiences of
our combined team, we have access to senior management of companies in our target industries (i.e., financial services, healthcare
services and industrials) and others, as well as to executives and senior leaders of commercial banks, investment banks, private
equity funds and hedge funds, who either hold business combination targets within their portfolios or otherwise can introduce us
to valuable investment contacts. In addition, key members of our combined team have long-standing and strong relationships with
senior players in the restructuring industry (such as financial advisors, distressed debt traders and investors, lenders, accounting
firms, law firms and others).
We are confident that these networks of contacts and
relationships are important sources of investment opportunities, both by making introductions to specific opportunities and by
providing us with investment ideas and targets that we can investigate through our internal resources. We also anticipate that
this network will provide our management team with introductions to opportunities which are proprietary or where a limited group
of investors is invited to participate in the sale process.
Investment Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect
to conduct a thorough and extensive due diligence review, which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management
and employees, document reviews and inspection of facilities, and review of financial and other information that is made available
to us.
We believe that our combined team is uniquely qualified
to conduct a thorough diligence examination and understand the risks and opportunities inherent in the business of a particular
company. In addition to the substantial management and operating experience of our combined team, key members of our combined team
have extensive expertise in managing businesses in a wide variety of industries through financial and operational restructurings.
Though this experience, we have built an expertise in quickly and efficiently identifying the risks, inefficiencies and opportunities
for a business. We have also developed expertise in identifying management strengths and weaknesses, so that we can provide support
where appropriate and otherwise make difficult, but often essential, management changes.
Our combined team also is well-qualified to undertake
the financial analysis necessary to determine whether a particular business is an attractive business combination candidate. Members
of our combined team have a diverse professional backgrounds and qualifications, including experience as investment bankers, “buy-side”
investment professionals and restructuring advisors. Our combined team possesses valuable professional credentials and certifications,
including certified turnaround professionals, chartered accountants, CPA’s, MBA’s and law degrees.
Our experience has shown us that successful acquisition
transactions result not just from thorough diligence and attractive deal terms, but also from intangible factors, such as personal
relationships and trust. Our combined team is well-versed in the art and science of negotiating investment and acquisition transactions,
having been involved in a wide variety of such transactions during their careers. We also have found that trust which is built
with the business management team during the diligence and negotiation stages of a transaction often provide the glue that binds
the team together and allows difficult decisions to be made more easily after the transaction closes. Through our professional
experience, we have learned how to delicately balance the conflicting goals of obtaining the best transaction terms for our investors
and maintaining a strong relationship with the seller and the business management team. We believe that this, when coupled with
our management experience, allows us to act more quickly and effectively to make the changes needed to improve management and operational
efficiency of a business and build value.
Initial Business Combination
NASDAQ rules require that our initial business combination
must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust
account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) 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 the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member
of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or a qualified independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction
of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination
so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests
or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction
company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives
of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the
post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires
a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment
Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders
prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations
ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue
a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire
a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders
immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our
initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned
or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will
be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80%
of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business
combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial
business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent
directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a qualified independent
accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly
own common stock and warrants following our initial public offering, 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,
each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination
if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement
with respect to our initial business combination. For additional information regarding our executive officers’ and directors’
business affiliations, see “Management — Directors and Executive Officers”.
Each of our officers and directors presently has,
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 required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers
or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has current
fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business
combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however,
that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers will materially affect our ability to complete our
business combination. 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 our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake
and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
Our executive officers have agreed, pursuant to a
written letter agreement, not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company
until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our
initial business combination by July 12, 2018.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive
business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to
the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target
business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of
our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs
and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this process a more certain and
cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering,
there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same
extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination
is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to
the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could prevent the offering
from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of
providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s
profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as
defined in the JOBS Act. 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 our initial public offering, (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 common
stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30
th
, and (2) the date on which we have
issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination currently
in the amount of $151,428,395 (including amounts held outside the trust account at December 31, 2017), assuming no redemptions
and after payment of $6,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees, we offer a target business a variety of options. These include,
among other things, creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its
operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our business combination
using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient
combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However,
we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing (other than financing to be provided by the Seller with respect to
the Potential IEA Combination, as described in the Merger Agreement) and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage
in, any operations for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the
proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of the private placement units, our capital stock, debt or a
combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business
combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which
would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using
stock or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in
connection with our business combination or used for redemptions of purchases of our common stock, we may apply the balance of
the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations
of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business
combination, funding for the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
Although our management will assess the risks inherent
in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying
all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we
can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private
offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate
our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject
to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our
business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our
tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only
if required by law, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds
privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement
or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Origination and Sourcing of Target Business Opportunities
We believe our combined team’s extensive investment
and transaction experience, along with relationships with intermediaries and companies, will provide us with a substantial number
of potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our combined team have developed a
broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. This network has been developed over the course of over
25 years, in the case of our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
We believe that the combined team’s network
of existing contacts and relationships will be able to deliver a flow of potential platform and add-on acquisition opportunities
which are proprietary or where a limited group of established, credentialed buyers have been invited to participate in the sale
process. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will continue to be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated
sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core
assets or divisions.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business
combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or making the acquisition 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 which is a member of FINRA or a qualified
independent accounting firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We
are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
If any of our executive officers becomes aware of
a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary
or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to
presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our executive officers currently have certain relevant fiduciary
duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. 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 our company and such opportunity
is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
We anticipate that target business candidates will
also continue to be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, private investment
funds and other intermediaries. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being
solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may
be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read the prospectus relating to our initial public
offering and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also
bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal
or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to
receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of
the track record and business relationships of our officers and directors.
Selection of a target business and structuring
of our initial business combination
NASDAQ rules provide that our initial business combination
must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust
account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive
agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined
by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash
flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of
the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA
or a qualified independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Subject to this requirement, our
management has virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although
we are not permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with
nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business
combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling
interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business
or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net
assets test.
To the extent we effect our business combination with
a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous
risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular
target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
The time required to select and evaluate a target
business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently
ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective
target business with which our business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce
the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion
of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business.
Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries,
it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line
of business. By completing our business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
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subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and
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cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
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Limited ability to evaluate the target’s
management team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management
of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our business combination with that business, our
assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have
the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management
team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our
directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will
devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of
our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel
will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key
personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit
additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability
to recruit additional managers, or that the additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary
to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders may not have the ability to approve
our initial business combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote
pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable
stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table
below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is
currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
Type of Transaction
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Whether
Stockholder
Approval is
Required
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Purchase of assets
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No
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Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company
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No
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Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company
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No
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Merger of the company with a target
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Yes
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Under NASDAQ’s listing rules, stockholder approval
would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
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we issue common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our common stock then outstanding;
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any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by NASDAQ rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding shares of common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or
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the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.
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Permitted purchases of our securities
In the event we seek stockholder approval of our business
combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our
sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open
market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments,
plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None
of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. They will not make any such purchases when
they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by
Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement 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. We have adopted an insider trading policy which requires insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain
blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information and (ii) clear all trades with our legal
counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1
plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending
on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan
is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers,
advisors 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. 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.
The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote
such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business
combination or (ii) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a
certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be
met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public
“float” of our common stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which
may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates
anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately
negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders
following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers,
directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders
who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business
combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply
with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors
and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent
such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under
Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in
order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make
purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
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 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 as of two business days prior to the
consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by
the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account as of
December 31, 2017 was approximately $10.07 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly
redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our initial stockholders
have entered into a letter agreement with us (and Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed as part of its unit purchase agreement), pursuant
to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares and (except
for Cantor Fitzgerald) any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity
to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in
connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision
as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us,
solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms
of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. 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. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender
offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek
stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
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, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
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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.
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Upon the public announcement of our business combination,
we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our common stock in
the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the
tender offer rules, our offer to purchase 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 are not purchased by our sponsor, 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination to be less than
$5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or
cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. 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.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction
is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal
reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
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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
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
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In the event that we seek stockholder approval of
our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders
with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
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 business
combination. In such case, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any
public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering in favor of our initial business combination. Cantor Fitzgerald
has not committed to vote any private placement shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result,
we would need only 5,515,001 of the 15,000,000 public shares outstanding (approximately 36.8%) sold in our initial public offering
to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have such transaction approved. Each public stockholder may
elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our
initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us (and Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed as part of its unit purchase
agreement), pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement
shares and (except for Cantor Fitzgerald) public shares in connection with the completion of a business combination.
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 upon consummation
of our initial business combination to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock”
rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to
an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash
consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general
corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business
combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are
validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business
combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares,
and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on redemption upon completion of our
initial business combination if we seek stockholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder
approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant
to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated 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 20% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares”. 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 20% of the shares sold in our initial public offering
could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium
to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem more than
20% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to
unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination
with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would
not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business
combination.
Tendering stock certificates in connection with
redemption rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to
exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either
tender their certificates to our transfer agent up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business
combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository
Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The proxy materials 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. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from two days prior to
the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its
redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their
public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced
tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically
charge the tendering broker $35.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder.
However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender
their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such
delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used
by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank
check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder
could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking
to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder
to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option
window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s
stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before
actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders
were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion
of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery
prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is
approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may
be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the stockholders meeting set forth
in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with
an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such
holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that
the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after
the completion of our business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved
or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled
to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates
delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not
completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until July 12, 2018.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if
no initial business combination
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have
agreed that if we do not complete our initial business combination by July 12, 2018, we will: (i) cease all operations except for
the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public
shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest
(less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses (which interest shall be net of taxes payable)), 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors,
dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) 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 business combination by July 12, 2018.
Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter
agreement with us (and Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed as part of its unit purchase agreement), pursuant to which they have waived
their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares
if we fail to complete our initial business combination by July 12, 2018. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares
in or after our initial public offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect
to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination by July 12, 2018.
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have
agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete
our initial business combination by July 12, 2018, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their
shares of 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number
of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible
assets upon consummation of our initial business combination to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s
“penny stock” rules). Prior to acquiring any securities from our initial stockholders, permitted transferees must enter
into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by the same restriction.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with
implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately
$370,414 of proceeds held outside the trust account (as of December 31, 2017), although we cannot assure you that there will be
sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing
our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may
request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $50,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our
initial public offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any,
earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately
$10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have
higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received
by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide
for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient
assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders.
While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all
creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service
providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right,
title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders,
there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented
from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility
or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage
with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute
an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives
available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes
that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible
instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant
whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that
would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver.
In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of,
or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any
reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, Mohsin Meghji, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer has
agreed that he will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or
a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in
the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as
of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets other than due to the failure
to obtain such waiver, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims
by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under
our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities
Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then Mr. Meghji will not be responsible
to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We cannot assure you, however, that Mr. Meghji would be able to satisfy
those obligations. None of our other officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims
by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account
are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date
of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets other than due to the failure to obtain
such waiver, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and Mr. Meghji asserts that he is
unable to satisfy his indemnification obligations or that he has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim,
our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against Mr. Meghji to enforce his indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against Mr. Meghji to enforce his
indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose
not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of
the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that Mr. Meghji
will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective
target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or
claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Mr. Meghji will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity
of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
We will have access to up to approximately $370,414 from the proceeds held outside the trust account (as of December 31, 2017)
with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently
estimated to be no more than approximately $50,000).
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 business combination by July 12, 2018 may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. Delaware law provides
that 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.
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 business
combination by July 12, 2018, is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution
is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then
be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution.
If we are unable to complete our business combination by July 12, 2018, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose
of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares,
at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net
of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes and less up to $50,000 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and
(iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our
board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of
creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as
reasonably possible following July 12, 2018, and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. 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 well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
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 subsequent 10 years. 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 and
auditors) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement,
we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business
execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that could
be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to
the trust account is remote. Further, Mohsin Meghji, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, may be liable only to the extent
necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser
amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in
value of the trust assets other than due to the failure to obtain such waiver, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn
to pay taxes and less any per-share amounts distributed from our trust account to our public stockholders in the event we are unable
to complete our business combination by July 12, 2018 and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters
of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an
executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, Mr. Meghji will not be responsible to the extent of any liability
for such third-party claims.
If 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, we cannot assure you we will be able
to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if 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 all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed
as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our
company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive
funds from the trust account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination
by July 12, 2018 or if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. In
no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek
stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the business
combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust
account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to our initial public offering that will apply to us until the consummation
of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide public stockholders with the opportunity
to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive any redemption rights
with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial
business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
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prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
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we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets upon consummation of our initial business combination of at least $5,000,001 and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination;
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if our initial business combination is not consummated by July 12, 2018, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and
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prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.
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These provisions cannot be amended without the approval
of holders of 65% of our common stock. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination,
our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may consummate our initial business combination only if
approved by a majority of the shares of common stock voted by our stockholders at a duly held stockholders meeting.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target
business for our business combination, we have encountered, and may continue to encounter intense competition from other entities
having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout
funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive
experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors
possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than 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. Members
of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much
of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time
that Mr. Meghji or any other members of our management will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business
has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process, but he has and
will continue to devote a substantial portion of his professional time to our affairs.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We registered our units, common stock and warrants
under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports
with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports contain financial statements audited
and reported on by our independent registered public auditors.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial
statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders
to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with,
or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financing
reporting standards, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited
in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. We cannot assure you
that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared
in accordance with GAAP or IFRS, that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance
with GAAP or IFRS, or that the potential target may be able to obtain a PCAOB-compliant audit. To the extent that this requirement
cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition
candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We are required to evaluate our internal control procedures
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, 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. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance
with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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 our initial public offering,
(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 common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June
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, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year
period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
You should carefully consider all of the following
risk factors and all the other information contained in this Report, including the financial statements. If any of the following
risks occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In that event,
the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risk factors described
below are not necessarily exhaustive and you are encouraged to perform your own investigation with respect to us and our business.
We are a recently formed 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 recently formed company with no operating
results. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective
of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We may be unable to complete our business combination.
If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an
opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even if
a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our
initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable state law or the
NASDAQ rules or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, the NASDAQ rules currently
allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval
if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination.
Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we
would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by law, the decision as to whether we
will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender
offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction
and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate
our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock do not approve of
the business combination we consummate.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination, after approval of our board, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business
combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the
initial stockholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders
in connection with an initial business combination, after approval of our board, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their
founder shares and, except with respect to Cantor Fitzgerald, private placement shares, as well as any public shares purchased
during or after our public offering, in favor of our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders, excluding Cantor Fitzgerald,
own 21.3% of our outstanding shares of common stock. As a result, we would need only 5,515,001 of the 15,000,000 public shares
outstanding (approximately 36.8%) to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have such transaction approved.
Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, after approval of our board, it is more likely
that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial stockholders agreed to vote their
founder shares and private placement shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment
decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us
for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not
be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Since our board of directors
may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval (unless stockholder approval is required by law or the
NASDAQ rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons), 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 a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights
within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public
stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem
their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it
difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction
agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of
cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and,
as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares
in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets upon consummation of our initial business combination to be less than $5,000,001
(so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement
which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted
redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets upon consummation of our initial business combination to be less than $5,000,001
or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and
the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware
of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our 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 business combination
agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum
amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange
for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we
may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party
financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at
higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination
available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our stockholders to exercise redemption
rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would
be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our 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 stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may
trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss
on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to
sell your stock in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business
combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination
and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution
deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our 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 July
12, 2018. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if
we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial
business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time frame described above. In addition,
we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have
rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business
combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up
and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have
agreed that we must complete our initial business combination July 12, 2018. We may not be able to find a suitable target business
and complete our initial business combination by such date. If we have not completed our initial business combination by such date,
we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than
ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then
on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $50,000 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 liquidation distributions, if any), subject
to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining
stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations
under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from
public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of
our common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our
sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or
in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no
obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement 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, directors, executive officers, advisors 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 such purchases 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 business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result
in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public
“float” of our common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making
it difficult to maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a public stockholder fails to receive notice
of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for
tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy
rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these
rules, if a public stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become
aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that
we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures
that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. In the event that a public stockholder fails to
comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds
from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced
to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
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 our common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations
described herein, and (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination by
July 12, 2018, 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 July 12, 2018 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 July 12, 2018 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. 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 our initial public offering
and the sale of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business
that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws.
However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000, 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 that we will have a longer period of time to complete our business combination than
do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if our initial public offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the
release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released
to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group”
of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in
excess of 20% of our common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer
rules, our 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 20%
of the shares sold in our initial public offering, 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 business
combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our business combination
and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally,
you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our business combination. And as
a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required
to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant
competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per
share, on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We have encountered and expect to encounter intense
competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals
or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types
of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in
identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries.
Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and
our financial resources are 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 our initial public offering and the sale of
the private placement units, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable
is limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the
acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, if we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of common stock redeemed
and, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our business combination, we make purchases of our common stock, this may potentially
reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive
disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination,
our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants
will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of our initial public offering
not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate until July 12, 2018, we may be unable to complete our
initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account
may not be sufficient to allow us to operate until July 12, 2018, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed
during that time. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account, are sufficient to allow us to operate
until July 12, 2018; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a
portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also
use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed
to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such
target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to
do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were
subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds
to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial
business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account
and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of our initial public offering
not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business
or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to
fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our business combination.
Of the net proceeds of our initial public offering,
only $370,414 (as of December 31, 2017) are available to us outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements.
If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties
to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under
any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the
trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. 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 approximately $10.00 per share 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 our stock price, which could cause you to lose
some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target
business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside
a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence,
or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we
may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could
result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and
previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even if these charges may
be non-cash items and would not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could
contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate
net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or
by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following
the 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 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 tender offer materials or proxy statement 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 $10.00
per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not
protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective
target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or
claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not
execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust
account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well
as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against
our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims
to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only
enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s
engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage
a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or
skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver
or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee
that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations,
contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public
shares, if we are unable to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame, or upon the exercise of a redemption
right in connection with our business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were
not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount
received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such
creditors. Mohsin Meghji has agreed that he will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered
or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce
the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held
in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets,
in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver
of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of
our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event
that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, Mr. Meghji will not be responsible to the extent of
any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether Mr. Meghji has sufficient funds to satisfy
their indemnity obligations and, therefore, Mr. Meghji may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked Mr. Meghji
to reserve for such eventuality. We believe the likelihood of Mr. Meghji having to indemnify the trust account is limited because
we will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving
any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification
obligations of Mohsin Meghji, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the
trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account
are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share or (ii) other than due to the failure to obtain such waiver, such lesser amount
per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the
trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and Mr. Meghji asserts that he is unable to
satisfy his obligations or that he has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors
would determine whether to take legal action against Mr. Meghji to enforce his indemnification obligations. While we currently
expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against Mr. Meghji to enforce his indemnification obligations
to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular
instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust
account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust
account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that
is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed
as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims
of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust
account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that
is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy
laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court
could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached
its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages,
by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust
account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that
is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share
amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust
account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that
is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in
our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent
any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection
with our liquidation may be reduced.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under
the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted,
which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under
the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
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restrictions on the nature of our investments, and
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restrictions on the issuance of securities,
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each of which may make it difficult for us to complete
our business combination.
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome
requirements, including:
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registration as an investment company;
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adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
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reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
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We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities
will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United
States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States
Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds
will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated
under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional
regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete
a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only
approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to
comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by
national, regional and local governments. In particular, we are 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 and results of operations.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims
by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, or 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 July 12, 2018 may be considered a liquidation 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 July 12, 2018 in the event we do not complete
our business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those 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 and auditors) 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 July 12, 2018 is not considered a liquidation distribution under
Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of
limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years,
as in the case of a liquidation distribution.
We do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting
of stockholders until after our consummation of a business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections
provided by such a meeting.
We do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting
of stockholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by NASDAQ), and thus may not be in compliance
with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors
in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore,
if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of a 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 have not registered the shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration
may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its
warrants and causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We have not registered the shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of the warrants issued in our initial public offering under the Securities Act or any state securities laws
at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed, as soon as practicable, but in no event later
than thirty (30) days after the closing of our initial business combination, to use our best efforts to file a registration statement
under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise
of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. 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 issuable upon exercise of the warrants issued in our initial
public offering are not registered under the Securities Act within 90 days after the closing of our initial business combination,
we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for
cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless
the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising
holder, unless an exemption is available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or
other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the
warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants
is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled
to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants
as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of common stock included in the
units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register
or qualify the underlying shares of common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
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 common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently
with the issuance and sale of the securities in our initial public offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees
can demand that we register the founder shares and holders of our private placement units (and their constituent securities) and
their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement units, private placement shares, private placement
warrants and the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants. We will bear the cost of registering
these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market
may have an adverse effect on the market price of our 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 common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our
private placement units (and their constituent securities) or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry
or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits
or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
We intend to seek a business combination with an operating
company in the financial services, healthcare services or industrial sectors, but may also pursue acquisition opportunities in
other industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate
our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. To the extent we complete
our business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example,
if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected
by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or an early stage entity. Although our officers
and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly
ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore,
some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks
will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be
more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a potential business combination target.
Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the 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 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 tender offer or proxy statement
materials relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
We may seek investment opportunities in industries
outside of the financial services, healthcare services or industrial sectors (which industries may or may not be outside of our
management’s area of expertise).
Although we are focusing on identifying business combination
candidates in the financial services, healthcare services and industrial sectors, we will consider a business combination outside
of the financial services, healthcare services or industrial sectors if a business combination candidate is identified and we determine
that such candidate offers an attractive investment opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate
in the financial services, healthcare services or industrial sectors after having expended a reasonable amount of time and effort
in an attempt to do so. 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 securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in our initial public
offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate.
In the event we elect to pursue an investment outside
of the financial services, healthcare services or industrial sectors, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable
to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained herein regarding the financial services, healthcare services or industrial
sectors would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire.
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 receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation
of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek investment opportunities with a financially
unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination
with 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 volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties
in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a
particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not
have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with
no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an
independent investment banking or accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that
the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our business combination with an
affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm that the
price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be
relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by
the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as
applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional common or preferred shares
to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination,
any one of which 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 35,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, par value $0.0001 per share. There are currently 8,060,000 authorized but unissued shares of common stock available for
issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants. There are currently
no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred
stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business
combination. 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 of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive
funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred
stock:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in our initial public offering;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded to our common stock;
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could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, common stock and/or warrants.
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Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions
that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another
business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately
$10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific
target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments
will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide
not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely
would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete
our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a
loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge
with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only
approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
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 executive officers and directors, at least until we have completed our 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 management 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.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial
business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom
may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability
of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our business combination
is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently
be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions
following our business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place.
While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our 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
and take time away from oversight of our operations.
None of our executive officers or directors has
ever been associated with a special purpose acquisition corporation and such lack of experience could adversely affect our ability
to consummate a business combination.
None of our executive officers or directors has ever
been associated with a special purpose acquisition corporation. Accordingly, you may not have sufficient information with which
to evaluate their ability to identify and consummate a business combination using the proceeds of our initial public offering.
Our management’s lack of experience in operating a special purpose acquisition corporation could adversely affect our ability
to consummate a business combination and could result in our not completing a business combination in the prescribed time frame.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting
agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to
receive compensation following our business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining
whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company
after the completion of our business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection
with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination
and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services
they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals
may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals
to remain with us after the completion of our business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether
or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will
remain with us after the completion of our business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain
in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us
will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management
of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management
may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our
initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may
be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management,
therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should
the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations
and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain
stockholders following the 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 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 tender offer materials or proxy statement 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 departure of a potential business combination target’s
key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition
candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although
we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition
candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate
will not wish to remain in place.
Our executive officers and directors will allocate
their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our
affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers and directors are not required
to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between
our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees
prior to the completion of our business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors
for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific
number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities.
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.
Certain of our executive officers and directors
are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended
to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity
should be presented to our company or to another entity.
Until we consummate our initial business combination,
we will continue to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our executive officers and
directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of
business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary
or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business opportunity
should be presented to our company or to another entity. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target
business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
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 our company and such opportunity
is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly
own common stock and warrants following our initial public offering, 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,
each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination
if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement
with respect to our initial business combination.
Our 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. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for
their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict
between their interests and ours.
We may engage in a business combination with one
or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our 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 and directors. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Such entities may compete with
us for business combination opportunities. Although we are not 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 disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an
opinion from an independent accounting firm or independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA 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 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.
Since our sponsor, executive officers and directors
will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining
whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
As of the date of this report, our sponsor, executive
officers and directors beneficially own an aggregate of 3,750,000 founder shares, for which they paid an aggregate purchase price
of $25,000. In addition, our sponsor has purchased an aggregate of 340,000 private placement units, each consisting of one share
of common stock and one warrant to purchase one half share of common stock with an exercise price of $5.75 per half share, at a
price of $10.00 per unit (a total of $3,400,000) simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering. Subsequent
to our initial public offering, Mr. Meghji, who controls our sponsor, has purchased an additional 1,353,803 warrants to purchase
one half share of common stock with an exercise price of $5.75 per half share in the public markets for total consideration of
$292,248. All of these securities will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.
The personal and financial interests of our executive
officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an
initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
Since our sponsor, executive officers and directors
will not be eligible to be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses if our business combination is not completed, a conflict
of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
At the closing of our initial business combination,
our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due
diligence on suitable business combinations. In the event our business combination is completed, there is no cap or ceiling on
the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. However, our sponsor, executive
officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will not be eligible for any such reimbursement if our business combination
is not completed and we do not have funds outside the trust account. These financial interests of our sponsor, executive officers
and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial
business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or
otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition
and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of
this report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial
debt to complete our business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from
the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such,
no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence
of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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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;
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
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using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
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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.
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We may only be able to complete one business combination
with the proceeds of our initial public offering 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 negatively
impact our operations and profitability.
The remaining net proceeds from our initial public
offering and the private placement of units have provided us with $151,428,396 as of December 31, 2017 (including $370,414 held
outside the trust as of such date and excluding up to $6,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account)
that we may use to complete our initial business combination.
We may effectuate our business combination with a
single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able
to effectuate our business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of
complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present
operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By
completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic,
competitive and regulatory risks. 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:
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solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
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dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
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This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous
economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular
industry in which we may operate subsequent to our business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business
combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our business combination and give rise
to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several
businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business
is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay
our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks,
including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there
are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products
of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively
impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business
combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with
a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek
to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information exists
about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination
on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we
suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control
of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target
business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure a business combination so that the
post-transaction company in which our public 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 transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction
in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a
target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number
of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding
shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their
holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired.
Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold.
The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial
majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount
that would cause our net tangible assets upon consummation of our initial business combination to be less than $5,000,001 (such
that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement
which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our
business combination even if 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 business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their
shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would
be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy
cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us,
we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be
returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher
than in many similar blank check company offerings in the past, and, accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the public warrants is higher
than many similar blank check companies in the past. Historically, the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of
the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $5.75 per half share,
or $11.50 per whole share. Warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares of common stock. As a result, the warrants
are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
In order to effectuate our initial business combination,
blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments.
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, blank
check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For
example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and changed
industry focus. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments 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 blank check 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.
Some other blank check companies have a provision
in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s
pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies,
amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public stockholders. 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 our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account
and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described
herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing
the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock. In all other instances,
our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock, subject to applicable
provisions of the DGCL or NASDAQ rules. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own 21.3% of our common stock,
will 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 blank check 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 a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete
our initial business combination by July 12, 2018, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their
shares of 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 (net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes), divided by
the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with
our sponsor, executive officers, and directors. Prior to acquiring any securities from our initial stockholders, permitted transferees
must enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by the same restriction. Our stockholders are not parties to,
or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor,
executive officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our
stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing
to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to
restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we have not yet entered into any definitive
agreement with any prospective target business, and thus cannot ascertain the capital requirements for our initial business combination,
we anticipate that we will find the greatest number of opportunities for our initial business combination among companies with
aggregate enterprise value of approximately $350 million to $750 million. If we are unable to use our capital stock in sufficient
quantity in addition to the proceeds from our initial public offering and the private placement of units, the acquisition of a
target business with enterprise value within this range will require that we seek additional financing in excess of the net proceeds
of our initial public offering the sale of the private placement units. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available
on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial
business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination
and seek an alternative target business. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our business combination,
we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing
could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors
or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our business combination. If we are unable
to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation
of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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 currently own 21.3% of our
issued and outstanding shares of 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 shares of 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 report. Factors that would be considered
in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our common stock. In addition,
our board of directors, whose members were elected by our sponsor, is divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve
for a term of two 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 business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue
in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered”
board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because
of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will
continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner
that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants.
Our warrants are issued in registered form under a
warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides
that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective
provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change
that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner
adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our
ability to amend the terms of the warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited,
examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the
exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
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 last
reported sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $24.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period
ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants
become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities
for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your
warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants
at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption
price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market
value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by their initial
purchasers or their permitted transferees.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the
market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 7,500,000 shares of
our common stock as part of the units offered in our initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of our initial
public offering, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 460,000 private placement warrants contained in the private placement
units, each exercisable to purchase one-half of one share of common stock (or an aggregate of 230,000 shares of common stock) at
$5.75 per half share. Warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares of common stock. To the extent we issue shares
of common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares
of 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 our common stock and reduce the value of
the shares of 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 are identical to the
warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor, Cantor
Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the common stock issuable
upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the sponsor
until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless
basis. In addition, for as long as the private placement warrants are held by Cantor Fitzgerald or its designees or affiliates,
they may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the registration statement for our initial public offering
.
Because each warrant is exercisable for only one-half
of one share of our common stock, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each warrant is exercisable for one-half of one share
of common stock. Warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares of common stock. No fractional shares will be issued
upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in
a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the
warrant holder. As a result, warrant holders not purchasing an even number of warrants must sell an odd number of warrants in order
to obtain full value from the fractional interest that will not be issued. This is different from other initial public offerings
similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock 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 half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a
warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless,
this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if our units included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
The requirements of being a public company may
strain our resources and divert management’s attention.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting
requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes Oxley Act”), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of NASDAQ and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance
with these rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming
or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.”
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal
control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal
control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result,
management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and operating
results. We may need to hire more employees in the future or engage outside consultants to comply with these requirements, which
will increase our costs and expenses.
A market for our securities may not develop, which
would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
The price of our securities may vary significantly
due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market
for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless
a market can be established and sustained.
NASDAQ may delist our securities from trading on
its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading
restrictions.
Our securities are currently listed on NASDAQ. However,
we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on NASDAQ in the future or prior to our initial business combination.
In order to continue listing our securities on NASDAQ prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial,
distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000)
and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial
business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with NASDAQ’s initial listing requirements, which are
more rigorous than NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities
on NASDAQ. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4 per share, our stockholders’ equity
would generally be required to be at least $5 million and we would be required to have 300 round-lot holders. We cannot assure
you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If NASDAQ delists our securities from trading on its
exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be
quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our 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;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
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In addition, although we intend to satisfy the 80%
requirement even if our securities are not listed on NASDAQ at the time of our initial business combination, if NASDAQ were to
delist our securities for any reason, we may choose at that time not to comply with the requirement that our initial business combination
must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust
account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive
agreement in connection with our initial business combination.
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, common stock and warrants are listed on NASDAQ, our units, 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 NASDAQ, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer
our securities.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target
business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with
some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement
with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma
financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with
our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required
to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America,
or GAAP, or international financing reporting standards, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements
may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States),
or PCAOB. These financial statements may also be required to be prepared in accordance with GAAP in connection with our current
report on Form 8-K announcing the closing our initial business combination within four business days following such closing. These
financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable
to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial
business combination within the prescribed time frame.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning
of the Securities Act and, if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth
companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance
with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within
the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting
requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to,
not being required to comply with the auditor 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 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.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our business combination, require substantial financial and management resources,
and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that
we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December
31, 2017. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply
with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting.
Further, 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 company with which we seek to complete our business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity
to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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 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 of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and
issue new series of preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that
otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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 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.
If we effect our initial business combination with
a company located in the United States but with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to
a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with
a company located in the United States but with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject
to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
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costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations
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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
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complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
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tariffs and trade barriers;
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
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tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
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challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
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cultural and language differences;
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employment regulations;
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crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and
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deterioration of political relations with the United States.
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We may not be able to adequately address these additional
risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial
condition.