We are an early-stage
blank check company, incorporated in Delaware for the purpose of effecting initial business combination.
Initial Public Offering
On November 24, 2020,
we consummated our initial public offering of 20,000,000 units. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock of the
Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company,
with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock for $11.50 per whole share. The units
were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $200,000,000.
Simultaneously with
the closing of the initial public offering, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 7,317,000 warrants to our sponsor
at a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds of $7,317,000.
On December 9, 2020,
the underwriters exercised the over-allotment option in full and purchased an additional 3,000,000 units, generating gross proceeds
of $30,000,000. In connection with the closing of the purchase of the over-allotment units, the Company sold an additional 900,000
private placement warrants to our sponsor at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds of $900,000.
A total of $232,300,000,
comprised of the net proceeds from the initial public offering, the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option,
and certain of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants was placed in the trust account maintained by Continental,
acting as trustee.
It is the job of our
sponsor and management team to complete our initial business combination. Our management team is led by Jay Levine, our Chief Executive
Officer and Chairman, and Daniel Hirsch, our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. We must complete our initial
business combination by May 24, 2022, (or by November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
If our initial business combination is not consummated by May 24, 2022, (or by November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time
to consummate a business combination), then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account.
Overview
We will capitalize on
the thesis-driven idea generation, significant sourcing capabilities, institutional investing expertise, and seasoned operating
experience of our officers; including Jay Levine, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OneMain Financial (“OneMain”)
and Daniel Hirsch, most recently a key advisor to a SPAC sponsored by Trinity Real Estate Investments LLC (“Trinity”).
Through our sponsor, we are also affiliated with Waterfall, an alternative asset manager, with approximately $8.3 billion
in net assets under management (as of August 1, 2020). While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry,
our thesis-driven investment strategy will focus our efforts in the financial services industry, specifically within alternative
lending, asset management, business process outsourcing, housing and commercial real estate finance, insurance and tech-enabled business
opportunities.
Jay Levine’s distinguished
operating track record and leadership experience within public and private financial services markets spans over 30 years.
Mr. Levine served as Chairman of the Board of OneMain Financial (NYSE: “OMF,” f.k.a. “Springleaf”),
a provider of personal loans and other financial services to consumers, from June 2018 until December 2020. He previously
served as President, CEO and Director of OneMain from 2011 until 2018.
In 2010, Fortress Investment
Group LLC (“Fortress”) acquired an 80% stake in Springleaf (f.k.a. American General Finance) for approximately $125 million;
as of August 24, 2020, OneMain’s market capitalization was approximately $4 billion. In 2013, under Mr. Levine’s
leadership, Springleaf entered the public markets with a successful IPO. In 2015, Springleaf’s strategic acquisition of OneMain
and subsequent rebranding propelled the company into its status as one of America’s premier consumer finance companies, more
than doubling its size from 705 branches in 27 states to over 1,800 branches in 44 states. OneMain executed on its transformational
strategic plan, bringing together best-in-class personal finance businesses with complementary branch networks, a leading
digital presence, a risk management culture and business model that is designed to endure GDP cycles, and an ongoing commitment
to responsible lending practices. Today, OneMain is the largest branch-based consumer finance company in the United States.
In his role as CEO and
Chairman, Mr. Levine architected the reinvention of OneMain, accomplished by a disciplined and actionable strategic plan.
Mr. Levine assumed the role in 2011 at a time when OneMain faced numerous points of inertia including constrained liquidity,
an unprofitable business structure, lack of technology / data analytics, a corporate culture handicapped by bureaucracy and the
absence of a long-term strategic plan. At OneMain, Mr. Levine has led and executed many notable strategic initiatives,
which have served as catalysts in transforming OneMain into a modern financial services business with industry-leading market
share, a strong competitive advantage and attractive economic returns, including:
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Augmenting and diversifying the company’s
capital market execution capabilities: Structured an MBS and personal loan ABS financing plan, regained
access to the high yield issuance market and established back-up funding strategies;
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Achieving operational efficiency: Closed
non-core operations and geographies, implemented standards of excellence and efficiency metrics with optimized headcount
and implemented a risk-based pricing model;
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Creating a strong competitive advantage in the
personal lending market: Created a customer-centric culture, reinvigorated the sales culture and
marketing strategy, aligned employee compensation with credit performance and objectives and expanded customer acquisition reach;
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Implementing data analytics and technology to augment
operating leverage and scalability: Recruited senior IT leadership, migrated portions of the IT infrastructure
and data to the cloud and developed next generation data intelligence capabilities for advanced credit and marketing analysis;
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Transforming the corporate culture to enable the
power of people: Evolved an antiquated legacy of formality and hierarchy into a culture of community
with a startup optimism and enthusiasm; and
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Executing a successful merger and acquisition strategy: Key
acquisitions included the 2013 acquisition of the approximately $3.4 billion SpringCastle personal loan portfolio
from HSBC and the 2015 acquisition of OneMain from CitiFinancial Credit Company with approximately $7.6 billion in receivables.
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Prior to OneMain, Mr. Levine
served as President, CEO and a Director of Capmark Financial Group (“Capmark”), a commercial real estate finance company,
as part of its corporate restructuring from 2008 until 2011. From 2000 until 2008, Mr. Levine served as President,
CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Royal Bank of Scotland (“RBS”) Global Banking & Markets in North
America, as well as CEO of its predecessor entity, RBS Greenwich Capital. Additionally, from November 2019 through August 2020,
Mr. Levine served on the Board of Directors of FinServ Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: FSRV), a SPAC focused on the financial services
industry.
Waterfall Asset Management
Waterfall was founded
in 2005 by Tom Capasse and Jack Ross, who each have over 30 years of making investments and providing liquidity to the financial
services markets. With approximately $8.3 billion in net assets under management (as of August 1, 2020) and 15 years
of successful transaction execution, Waterfall has developed specialized financial services capabilities, with a focus on transaction
sourcing, durable counterparty relationships, and data collection and analysis, toward a goal of seeking to create accretive capital
markets structures. Mr. Capasse and Mr. Ross were founders of Merrill Lynch’s asset-backed securities (“ABS”)
group in the 1980’s, where they completed many first-time ABS issues and purchased non-performing loans from the
Resolution Trust Corporation. Mr. Capasse subsequently managed structured credit Banking & Trading groups at Greenwich
Capital, Nomura Securities and Macquarie Securities. Mr. Ross similarly has deep ABS and structured credit experience, having
completed some of the earliest ABS issues at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Today, Waterfall is a source of liquidity to the U.S. and
European specialty finance markets through its ABS, whole loan and direct lending strategies across more than 50 asset types, including
the residential and commercial mortgage market. Waterfall is also the external manager of a permanent capital vehicle, Ready Capital
Corporation (NYSE: RC), a publicly traded multi-strategy real estate finance REIT, which focuses on small to medium-sized business
lending and residential and commercial real estate lending. Waterfall seeks to achieve both organic and strategic growth for its
clients’ investments, executing on its M&A, roll-up and carve-out experience with some notable examples including
Ready Capital Corporation’s merger with ZAIS Financial Corp (NYSE: ZFC) and Ready Capital Corporation’s acquisitions
of Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc. and Knight Capital LLC. Waterfall’s depth of platform acquisition capabilities is further
exemplified by the acquisitions of financial services and financial technology businesses completed by Waterfall’s private
equity team. Started in 2017 and operating under the Waterfall umbrella, the private equity team co-headed by Mr. Weil
and Mr. Nelligan targets private equity opportunities in the lower-middle market specialty finance and broader financial
services sector, with a focus on special situations and secular opportunities created by economic, capital market, regulatory and
credit performance shifts.
Having reviewed several
hundred private equity opportunities since 2017, the Waterfall private equity team has made a number of investments, namely: including:
Strong Home Mortgage, LLC, a multi-billion dollar single-family residential mortgage lender which originates conforming
loans with a focused business strategy on the direct-to-consumer sales channel (June 2020); Flex Fleet Rental LLC, a short
to medium term commercial truck rental company (February 2019); EdgeCo Holdings, LP, a holding company established to pursue a
roll-up strategy in the retirement services sector to build a next-generation financial technology business for the small
plan retirement market (June 2018); and Oasis Financial, a pre-settlement and medical lien funder and asset manager (August
2017). As the Waterfall private equity team is primarily focused on the lower-middle market, we do not anticipate a conflict
between the Company and the broader Waterfall strategy, when considering potential opportunities for their fund. Further, the breadth
of relationships and specialized industry knowledge has generated select transaction opportunities of significant size outside
the scope of the private equity team’s lower-middle market mandate, including take private, carve-out and recapitalization
transactions that would have been appropriate targets for our business.
The past performance
of our management team, Waterfall, or their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify
a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may
consummate. You should not rely on the historical performance record of our management team’s, Waterfall’s, our advisor’s
or their respective affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance. Our management team, Waterfall and their
respective affiliates have been involved with a large number of public and private companies in addition to those identified above,
not all of which have achieved similar performance levels.
Our Investment Themes
We are focusing our
efforts in the following sub-sectors of the financial services industry in search of value oriented and opportunistic transaction
opportunities:
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Asset Management: non-correlated asset classes
and non-traditional asset management models; innovative manufacturers of financial assets; administrators, servicers and
special servicers;
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Consumer and Business Lending: businesses with advanced
capabilities in data modeling, risk management and asset management; differentiated and defendable customer acquisition and risk
management strategies; consumer finance and commercial finance businesses with responsible lending models;
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Commercial Real Estate Tech and Services: fee-based services
creating efficiency to the burdensome and expensive transaction life cycle; businesses focused on property management, operational
efficiency and tenant experience;
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FinTech and Business Process Outsourcing: businesses
providing critical workflow to financial institutions, including data aggregation and analytics, risk management and compliance;
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InsurTech and Insurance Services: business models with
unique products and/or customer acquisition strategies, including but not limited to business with specialized product design
focused on regulatory capital arbitrage, with rollup opportunities among niche brokerage and agencies; and
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Mortgage Origination, Housing Services and Technology:
businesses with disruptive and scalable mortgage platforms with competitive advantage in customer acquisition, origination and
servicing cost, businesses providing housing-related lead generation, alternative home ownership and rental models, iBuyer
investment models and other opportunities for equity monetization.
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The past decade has
witnessed rapid developments across the broader financial services ecosystem:
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Digitization and mobilization of financial services;
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Improved ability to harness, validate, analyze and
store vastly unprecedented amounts of data;
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Sustained low interest rates fueling increased investor
demand for risk assets with enhanced yields;
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Increased sophistication of alternative capital market
and risk management strategies;
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Additional regulatory reporting / costs and capital
requirements;
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Aging population requiring new financial products and
services;
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A growing U.S. housing supply shortage, with housing
affordability constraints despite unprecedented support from Government Sponsored Enterprises (“GSE”) and the rapid
development of alternative ownership and rental business models; and
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Evolving convergence trends within the financial services
sub-verticals to increase customer “wallet share” and arbitrage customer acquisition costs, as well as the use
of venture capital to finance customer acquisitions.
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As a result, we see
a financial services ecosystem that continues to evolve from both a size and sophistication perspective, where our management team
can focus on opportunities with alternative consumer, commercial and mortgage lenders that possess differentiated origination,
servicing and asset management capabilities, as well as balance sheet light outsourced services and financial technology companies
that face and support the lending and asset management sectors.
We believe the financial
services ecosystem is at an inflection point, as the way consumers and small businesses spend, invest, borrow, and insure themselves
continues to evolve. There are a lot of legacy-infrastructure, asset-heavy businesses that may benefit from a balance sheet-light,
customer-oriented approach. Conversely, the fragmented financial technology and business process outsourcing ecosystems may
be able to supplement their modern, robust technology stacks with underwriting and capital markets expertise to create beneficial
outcomes for core operating businesses. As traditional financial services firms increasingly seek to outsource their financial
technology and processing needs to disruptor platforms rather than build out these capabilities in-house, disruptor platforms will
benefit from partnerships that help them scale and address the ever-growing customer-facing market. High-growth companies
tend to thrive in periods of market expansion, bolstered by investor optimism; however, recent COVID-19 related market dislocations
and illiquidity have led to inefficiencies in the valuation for these companies in the private sector. In times of high market
volatility as well as inherent economic uncertainty and given the risk and significant time commitment associated with executing
a traditional public offering, a SPAC transaction that brings management expertise and enhanced liquidity may present an attractive
alternative to companies looking to go public.
We believe that the
current macroeconomic backdrop has created favorable market conditions for the set of investment opportunities we intend to pursue.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption, creating uncertainty around the shape of the economic recovery driven
by high unemployment levels, near-zero interest rates, credit degradation (and diminished availability or reduced scope of
financing alternatives), market volatility and changing consumer sentiment. The resulting market dislocation and uncertainty have
created (and may further create) funding and liquidity challenges that are rippling through the financial services industry, presenting
event-driven opportunities at attractive valuations. In addition, our management team’s proven operational success and
experience investing through prior recessions can provide a valuable “roadmap” to companies as they leverage our team’s
sponsorship, operating expertise and additional liquidity to capitalize on the opportunity to solidify their market position and
expand while competitors are retrenching.
The financial services
industry is a large addressable market, comprising approximately 21% of U.S. GDP in 2019. In recent years, the financial services
industry has been primarily characterized by two business models: the disruptive financial technology (“FinTech”) companies
(including a wide array of business process outsource and offshoring models) and the incumbent balance-sheet heavy market
leaders. While some investors may skew towards one of these models, we see the current macroeconomic trends as exposing both the
fundamental weaknesses and strengths in each of these revenue models, thus highlighting the necessity of collaboration between
the two. Technology-enabled challengers benefit from more customer-friendly user interfaces and nimbler operations, enabling
them to quickly attract many users, especially in the millennial and younger age groups. However, many high-top-line-growth companies
struggle to identify a reliable path to profitability and monetize their vast user base, thus burning through cash reserves and
their equity base and ultimately losing investor confidence. In addition, increasing regulatory constraints and burdens limit the
methods through which they may deploy capital. On the other hand, traditional financial services players are often plagued by outdated
technology infrastructure that is costly to replace or innovate upon, especially when sitting inside a larger corporation saddled
with legacy systems, outdated processes and corporate bureaucracy. At the same time, the management and professionals at such legacy
firms are usually better equipped with industry expertise and place an emphasis on a healthier financial profile, thus making the
company itself a “safer bet” in terms of returns stability and consistency. We expect transactions and partnerships
akin to Lending Club / Radius Bank becoming more commonplace as the need for collaboration between the two business models evolves.
As an opportunistic and value-oriented investor, we are looking for best-in-class companies across both business models,
and believe we have the transaction experience and operational expertise to help any company achieve the optimal balance it needs,
whether to optimize the balance sheet structure and capital deployment of a FinTech company or modernize a traditional financial
services company.
On the back of this
evolving dynamic within the financial services ecosystem, the balance-sheet light businesses that are looking to provide ancillary
services to or outright replace the traditional players have been experiencing a revolution of their own. As customers look for
differentiated, personalized services that cater to their specific needs in a fast, seamless, convenient and transparent manner,
advances in automation, predictive analytics, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Machine Learning (“ML”)
allow companies to access, conform and process data faster as the human element is gradually cut out of the picture. The enormous
potential of these technologies to improve operational efficiency, cut redundant costs and enhance the growth profile manifests
itself in mortgage technology, where digitization is still in its earliest innings. For example, the current mortgage process is
highly document-intensive, with wider populations of prospective borrowers often ignored due to lack of credit history data, and
with the existing customer base often underserved from origination through closing. Utilization of predictive technologies and
automation can help organize and process the paperwork efficiently and accurately, analyze additional data variables and discover
hidden or previously ignored correlations. For example, these technologies can unlock access to the borrowers’ ability to
repay a loan through insights into their credit history, opening a newly targeted prospective borrower pool, and create a superior
customer experience by introducing chatbot advisors — all in turn driving more volume for originators and servicers. Similar
digitization opportunities are abundant in insurance technology, where the entirety of the insurance process lifecycle –
from customer identification to pricing, risk analytics, fraud assessment and claims management – is digitally underpenetrated
and riddled with inefficiencies. Additionally, business process outsourcing (“BPO”) companies will be beneficiaries
of these emerging technologies as well. Their cost-sensitive customers are increasingly shifting towards mobile, adopting
solutions with an enhanced cybersecurity profile and differentiated cloud computing capabilities and these BPO companies are looking
for new channels to support their clients, such as social media in addition to traditional call-centers (especially pertinent
during the COVID-19 crisis). Lastly, with continuous emphasis on cost reduction amidst increasing regulatory burdens and reporting
requirements for financial institutions, regulatory and compliance technologies have experienced an uptick in demand as well. As
breaches compromise customers’ personal data and tarnish companies’ reputation – often costly to damage
control – the ability to securely access, store and synthesize large amounts of data becomes of paramount importance,
leading to rise of distributed ledger technologies in financial services. The aforementioned shifts were already underway pre-COVID-19,
but we expect the pandemic to catalyze the adoption of these trends with additional urgency, permanently reshaping the financial
services industry as the domino effects of the crisis cascade through the ecosystem. As digital partnerships and touchpoints proliferate,
AI / ML use and automation increase, and cost bases are transformed; we are well positioned to apply our transactional, operational
and investing expertise to identify high-reward opportunities in this FinTech ecosystem in need of capital.
In H1 2020, the residential
mortgage market, with outstanding debt of approximately $11.2 trillion per the Federal Reserve Flow of Funds and Urban Institute,
saw significant tailwinds as the low interest rate environment put almost 90% of all outstanding mortgages in-the-money for
a refinance. Q1 and Q2 refinance volumes were the highest seen since Q2 2013, and 2020 total mortgage origination volumes significantly
exceeded previous market forecasts according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. As interest rates
are expected to remain low, research analysts predict refinance volumes will maintain current peak volumes until supply slows down,
which would drive market participants to compete on pricing and result in compressed margins. However, the timing of such a transition
remains uncertain as the refinance volume is oversaturated with supply for the foreseeable future. On the purchase side, many investors
were pleasantly surprised by the speed by which the market recovered from COVID-19 setbacks, after initially predicting tremendous
losses in the space due to the effect of social distancing on purchase volumes during the summer housing months. With the help
of real estate property management technology and ancillary real state providers, the purchase market quickly adapted to virtual
tours and closings and thus did not experience a contraction as severe as what was witnessed in previous periods of economic contraction.
At the same time, research analysts still expect that many potential homeowners delayed their house hunting activities and decisions.
The purchase volumes rose in H2 2020 as more prospective homeowners re-entered the market, aided by prevailing low interest
rates; an especially favorable condition for first time purchasers, a dynamic which was further bolstered by demographic trends.
Many companies in the
mortgage sector experienced record volumes, revenues and profitability over the last couple of quarters and are looking for ways
to capitalize on current valuations. Rocket Companies, a leading tech-enabled mortgage originator and servicer and one of
the pioneers of digital mortgage solutions and a customer-centric approach, priced one of the largest traditional IPOs of
2020 and raised $1.8 billion (initial market capitalization of $36 billion) in the public markets in August 2020.
Rocket Companies revolutionized the mortgage process as one of the first end-to-end digital experiences at the time, leveraging
decades of technology investment, automated data retrieval solutions, advanced underwriting technology and tailored client approach
for the ultimate front-end user experience. In addition, heightened activity and volumes drove a wave of consolidation in
the adjacent industries of mortgage software platforms and data and analytics as well, as demonstrated by Black Knight’s
acquisition of Optimal Blue, a provider of secondary market solutions and data services to the mortgage industry, and Intercontinental
Exchange’s acquisition of Ellie Mae, a cloud-based platform provider for the mortgage finance industry. As activity
in this space continues to grow, we believe there will continue to be significant opportunities to invest in the mortgage technology
space, as well as more traditional mortgage origination and servicing market participants.
In addition, the commercial
real estate market has recently experienced market dislocation and is once again grappling with an ambiguous future while recovering
from the unforeseen COVID-19 crisis. Headwinds such as the unpredictability around projected GDP growth and the unemployment
outlook, paired with the aftermath of the COVID-19 setback, are reminiscent (though quite different) of the challenges faced
by market participants in the period immediately following the 2008 Great Financial Crisis. We believe the financing, special servicing
and asset management opportunities in various commercial real estate sub-sectors will present opportunities in the near-term to
capitalize on such dislocations.
Sourcing, Due Diligence and Value Creation
Strategy
Our sourcing and value
creation strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a fundamentally sound, growth-oriented, market-leading company
in the financial services industry that delivers a unique product or service to its customers, complements the collective investment
and operational expertise of our management team and provides the target with access to capital markets to help the company grow
into the next phase of its life cycle.
Sourcing Philosophy and Approach
We will seek to combine
our proactive sourcing with a high conviction, thematic investment strategy leading to manufactured, proprietary transactions outside
of competitive bidding processes. We will leverage our team’s multi-decade network of potential transaction sources,
ranging from owners and directors of private and public companies to private equity funds, investment bankers, lenders, attorneys,
accountants and other trusted advisors. We will benefit from our relationship with Waterfall, which has over 50 investment professionals
throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, and the experience, scale, and relationships that we believe has the potential
to provide a robust and consistent flow of acquisition opportunities. We will communicate with their networks of relationships
to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential business combination and begin the process of
pursuing and reviewing actionable opportunities.
Due Diligence
Our management team
and sponsor affiliates have extensive experience in performing disciplined due diligence processes that measure risk while identifying
the catalysts for increased value. Through our diligence process we intend to identify several value enhancing initiatives and
develop a methodic strategic plan to install processes to implement and optimize those initiatives post business combination. We
believe COVID-19 has created an attractive climate to evaluate management teams, business models, durability of earnings and
market sector winners and losers during a high stress, shifting market environment. Our experience along with our well-established network
of key industry partners with specialized knowledge (accounting, legal, regulatory, technology, etc.) will allow for an efficient
and effective due diligence process.
Value Creation
Our investment strategy
is fundamentally value oriented and focused on sectors where we have differentiated insights; additionally, we rigorously drive
change through a comprehensive value creation plan framework. We favor opportunities where we can improve the risk-reward profile
by implementing high impact changes and accelerating the target’s growth initiatives. Our management team has successfully
applied this approach over the past 30 years and deployed capital in a range of market cycles. We have accomplished this by
following these principles:
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Identify situations early where we are able to add
value in a way that others don’t or can’t;
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Utilize ongoing value creation toolkit based on both
revenue enhancement and margin expansion strategies;
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Pursue accretive M&A opportunities;
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Leverage extensive history of accessing the capital
markets across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies with transition to public ownership;
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Manufacture off-the-run deal flow as we leverage
the broader Waterfall platform as well as management team’s networks across credit, permanent capital and private equity
businesses to create a differentiated and proprietary spectrum of investment opportunities; and
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Tap into vast potential transaction sources such as
sponsor monetization, corporate carve-outs, private equity “orphans,” and founder- / entrepreneur-owned private
businesses prior to sale or IPO process.
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We do not intend to
limit our search to one segment of the financial services ecosystem, but will instead target a wide variety of businesses that
deliver a solution or product to the financial services end-market. We believe that our management team’s extensive experience
and demonstrated success in advising and investing in businesses in this industry provides us with a unique set of capabilities
that will be utilized in generating stockholder returns. We anticipate that our broad networks will deliver access to a broad and
diverse spectrum of potential business combination targets across the financial services landscape. In addition to any potential
business candidates we may identify on our own, we expect that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention
from various unaffiliated sources. Our acquisition strategy will leverage the network of proprietary deal sources through a proactive
outreach, as well as receptivity to inbound ideas.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our
investment themes and business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important
in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities,
but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.
We expect that no individual criterion will entirely determine a decision to pursue a particular opportunity. We will seek to acquire
companies that we believe:
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are fundamentally sound businesses that have a sustainable
business model with the ability to successfully navigate the ebbs and flows of an economic downturn, and changes in the industry
landscape and regulatory environment;
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can benefit from the vast network, experience and guidance
of our management team;
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have a defensible market position and demonstrate differentiated
competitive advantages with high barriers to entry against new competitors;
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have recurring, predictable revenues and the history
of, or the near-term potential to, generate stable and sustainable free cash flow;
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exhibit unrecognized value, desirable returns on capital,
and a need for capital to achieve the company’s growth strategy;
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are able to structure around or ring fence exposure
to legacy assets to the extent desirable to enhance stockholder returns or reduce volatility of such returns;
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have the potential for strong and continued growth
both organically and through add-on acquisitions;
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are at an inflection point and would benefit from a
catalyst such as incremental capital, innovation through new operational practices and application of innovative financial services
technologies, product creation or additional management expertise;
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have publicly traded comparable companies which operate
in a similar industry sector or which have similar operating metrics which may help establish that the valuation of our initial
business combination is attractive relative to such public peers; and
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are positioned to be a publicly traded company and
can benefit from being a publicly traded company, with access to broader and more efficient capital markets, to drive improved
financial performance and achieve the company’s business strategy.
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These criteria and guidelines
are not exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent
relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team
may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does
not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines
in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this Report, would be in
the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC.
We may need to obtain
additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant
number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise
value significantly above the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. Depending
on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several
additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of a target business,
debt issued by banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement of equity or debt, or a combination of the
foregoing. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, including because we do not
have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following
our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may
need to obtain additional financing.
Initial Business Combination
In accordance with the
rules of the NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate
fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts
held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in
connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors 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 or another independent
entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to satisfaction of such criteria. Our stockholders may not be provided
with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses
in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management has virtually
unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective businesses, although we are not permitted to effectuate
our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
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 outstanding 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 prior owners of the target business, 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 business or otherwise acquires a controlling interest
in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50%
or more of the voting securities of the target, our 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, shares or other equity interests of a target business or issue a substantial number of new shares
to third parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling
interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately
prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our
initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned
or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what
will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business,
the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses
together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
To the extent we effect
our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development
or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to
evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all
significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective
target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent
management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and
other information which will be made available to us.
The time required to
select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated
with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification
and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result
in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Our Business Combination Process
In evaluating a prospective
target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things,
meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities
and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our
management team’s operational and capital planning experience.
In addition to any potential
business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will 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.
Each of our directors
and officers may directly and indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement 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, such directors and officers may have a conflict of interest
with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such directors and officers
was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We are not prohibited
from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers or directors.
In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any of
our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking
firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such 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.
Certain of our officers
and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other
entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such
entity subject to his or her fiduciary duties. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination
opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then,
subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual
obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity, or in the case
of a non-compete restriction, may not present such opportunity to us at all. If these other entities decide to pursue any
such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties or obligations to materially
affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination. Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity
offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as
a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
In addition, 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.
In addition, our sponsor
and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other
business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies,
businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. We do not believe
that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure
as a public company makes 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
with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares
of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding
company) or for a combination of our Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific
needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost-effective method to becoming
a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer
period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public
offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, 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 delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target
business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’
interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by
augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that
our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses
may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval
of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
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) November 24, 2025, (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 Class A common stock that are held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million
as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt
securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are
a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take
advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial
statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value
of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual
revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held
by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Financial Position
With funds available
for an initial business combination in the amount of $225,441,779, as of December 31, 2020, after the payment of the deferred underwriting
fees of $6,854,750, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing
capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt leverage
ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination
of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration
to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing
and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently
engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations until we consummate our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate
our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering, the private placements of the private
placement warrants, our equity, 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.
We will have until May
24, 2022 to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial
business combination by May 24, 2022 (or by November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination),
we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination
by an additional six months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing
additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
and the trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order for the time available
for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five business
days advance notice prior to the deadline, must deposit into the trust account $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case) on or prior to the date of the deadline. Any such
payment would be made in the form of non-interest-bearing loans. If we complete our initial business combination, we will, at the
lender’s option, repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us or convert a portion or
all of the total loan amount into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, which warrants will be identical to the private warrants.
If we do not complete a business combination, we will repay such loans only from funds held outside of the trust account. In the
event that we receive notice from our sponsor five business days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect
an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline.
In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been
timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for
us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time
period, we will redeem 100% of our issued and outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account,
equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account
and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the
number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve
and liquidate.
If our initial business
combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment
of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A 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, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We have not selected
any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions with any business
combination target. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine,
we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore,
some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks
will adversely affect a target business.
We may need to obtain
additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available
from the proceeds held in our trust account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares
upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with
such business combination. There are no prohibitions on our ability to issue securities or incur debt in connection with our initial
business combination. We are not currently a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising
any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
Our process of identifying
acquisition targets leverages our management team’s industry experiences, proven deal-sourcing capabilities and broad
and deep network of relationships in numerous industries, including executives and management teams, private equity groups and
other institutional investors, large business enterprises, lenders, investment bankers and other investment market participants,
restructuring advisers, consultants, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of business combination
opportunities. We expect that the collective experience, capability and network of our directors and officers, Waterfall and their
respective affiliates, combined with their individual and collective reputations in the investment community, will help to create
prospective business combination opportunities.
In addition, we anticipate
that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers
and private investment funds. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being
solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may
be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this Report 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
of which they become aware 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.
We also expect to receive
a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business
relationships of our officers and directors. In January 2021, we engaged Bulhon Advisors, LLC to provide consulting services to
us in connection with our search for a potential merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar
business combination with one or more businesses that are in the financial services industry. In consideration of the services
provided by Bulhon Advisors, LLC, we paid $41,668 on signing the engagement agreement and are paying monthly compensation of $20,834.
We will engage additional finders only to the extent our management determines that the use of such other finders may bring opportunities
to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction
that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion
of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will
our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s
fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the
completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). Other than certain limited advisory
fees to independent directors, none of our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will
be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in
connection with a contemplated acquisition of such target by us.
We are not prohibited
from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers
or directors or from making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers
or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination 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 an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business
combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
Each of our officers
and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities,
including entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be 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 then-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,
subject to their fiduciary duties.
Evaluation of a Target Business and
Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
In accordance with the
rules of the NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate
fair market value of at least 80% of our net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions
and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business
combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more
standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses.
If our board of directors 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 FINRA or from an independent valuation or
appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in
unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management has virtually
unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted
to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will
only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the
target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment
company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business
or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what
will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test.
To the extent we effect
our business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth
we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the
risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant
risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective
target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which will encompass, among other things, meetings with
incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well
as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move
forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
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, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately
completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The
company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services
rendered to or in connection with our initial 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 initial 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 initial 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. The
determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the
time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some
capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to
our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team
will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you
that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination
as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business
combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot
assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills,
knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
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 subject to the provisions of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation. 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 reasons.
Under the NYSE’s
listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
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we issue (other than in a public offering for cash)
shares of common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then
outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding;
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any of our directors, officers or substantial security
holders (as defined by the rules of the NYSE) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or
assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into
which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of
the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares
of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or
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the issuance or potential issuance will result in our
undergoing a change of control.
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The decision as to whether
we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required
by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of
factors, including, but not limited to:
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the timing of the transaction, including in the event
we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval
or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company;
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the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;
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the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve
the proposed business combination;
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other time and budget constraints of the company; and
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additional legal complexities of a proposed business
combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.
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Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek stockholder
approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination
pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase
shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion
of our initial business combination. 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 or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases
when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited
by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
Such a purchase may include a contractual
acknowledgment that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof
and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, 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 any such
purchases of shares could 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) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with
a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination,
where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be
to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for
approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion
of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such
purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants may be reduced and the number
of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing
or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, directors,
officers, and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, directors, officers,
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 (in the case of our Class A common stock) following our mailing of proxy
materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, directors, officers, 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 our initial business combination,
whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such
shares have not already been voted at the stockholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, directors,
officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price
and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply
with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our
sponsor, directors, officers and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange
Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor
from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has
certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor,
directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will not make purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2)
or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16
of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
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 Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business
combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated
as of two business days prior to the completion of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of then outstanding public
shares, subject to the limitations described herein. As of December 31, 2020, the amount in the trust account was approximately
$10.10 per public share, and such amount will be increased by $0.10 if we choose to extend our time to consummate an initial business
combination by six months, as described herein. 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. The redemption rights will
include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption
rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor and each member of our
management team have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights
with respect to any founder shares and any public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination
and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect
the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem
100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022
if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible
assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, 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 Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required
to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available
to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A common stock submitted for redemption
will be returned to the holders thereof.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our
public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business
combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the 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 applicable law or stock
exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather
than seeking stockholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share 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
shares of outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder
approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required
by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules
of the SEC for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NYSE, we will be
required to comply with the NYSE rules.
If we held a stockholder
vote to approve our initial business combination, 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 initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares
of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock
of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the terms
of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares
and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering, in favor of our initial business combination. For
purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect
on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’
founder shares, we would need 8,625,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted), or 1,437,501, or 6.25% (assuming
only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted) of the 23,000,000 public shares sold in our initial public offering
to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Additionally,
because Mr. Levine and Mr. Weil purchased units in our initial public offering (with respect to which they are required
by their letter agreement with us to vote any shares underlying the units owned by them in favor of our initial business combination),
and to the extent that affiliates of Waterfall purchased any units in our initial public offering and vote the underlying shares
in favor of our initial business combination, the number of votes from other public stockholders that would be required to meet
quorum requirements for the meeting and to approve our initial business combination would be reduced.
These quorum and voting
thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will complete our initial business
combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the
proposed transaction or whether they were a stockholder on the record date for the stockholder meeting held to approve the proposed
transaction. In addition, our sponsor and each member of our management team, have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant
to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection
with (i) the completion of a business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection
with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination
within 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of our initial
public offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a 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 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 initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to
purchase Class A 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 redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance
with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until
the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering
more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. 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.
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 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 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 15% 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,
our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our
stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering without our prior consent,
we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete
our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing
condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not
be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial
business combination.
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection
with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
Public stockholders
seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,”
will be required to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation
or tender offer materials, as applicable, mailed to such holders, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically
using DWAC System, at the holder’s option, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote to
approve the business combination. The proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders
of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which
will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly,
a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period,
or up to two days prior to the initial vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender
its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short period in which to exercise redemption
rights, 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 a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up
to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether
or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement
of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different
from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business
combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the 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 shares 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 general 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 stockholder’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 two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business
combination, unless otherwise agreed to by us. 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 initial 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
May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation
if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation will provide that we will have only until May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the
period of time to consummate a business combination) to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an 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 earned on the funds held in the
trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses),
divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims
of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with
respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or
until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Our sponsor and each
member of our management team have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to
liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we do not complete an initial business
combination by May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
However, if our sponsor, director or members of our management team 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 do not complete
an initial business by May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
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 allow redemption in connection
with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination
by May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), unless we provide
our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution
expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount
that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny
stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that
we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our
public shares at such time. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed
by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
If we do not consummate
our initial business combination by the deadline set forth in our amended and restate certificate of incorporation, we expect that
all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded
from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1.3 million held outside the trust account as of December 31, 2020, although we
cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds
of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, 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 $10.10 (assuming the period of time to consummate an initial business
combination is not extended as provided for herein). 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 $10.10. 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 have sought
and will continue to seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm),
prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title,
interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, 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.
Marcum, Bulhon Advisors, LLC and the underwriters of our initial public offering have not executed agreements with us waiving
such claims to the monies held in the trust account. 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, our
sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products
sold to us (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have
discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per
public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the
trust account if less than $10.10 per share, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest
that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective
target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims
under our indemnity of the 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, our sponsor will
not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve
for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its
indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure
you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors are required to 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 the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public
share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.10 per share, due to reductions
in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, and our sponsor
asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a
particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification
obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor
to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment
may choose not to do so 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 less than $10.10 per share.
We seek to reduce the possibility that
our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers
(other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which
we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust
account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering
against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have access to the amounts held outside the trust
accounts (approximately $1.3 million as of December 31, 2020) with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and
expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event
that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who
received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater
than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such stockholder. Because the offering expenses of our initial
public offering (including underwriting commissions) were less than our estimate of $1,000,000, the amount of funds we held outside
the trust account increased by approximately $277,708 to approximately $1,277,708.
Under the DGCL, stockholders
may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution.
The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the
event we do not complete our initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or by November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time
to consummate a business combination) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the 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 initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering or prior
to the expiration of the six-month extension period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such
redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring
or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations
for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case
of a liquidating distribution. If we do not complete our initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or by November 24, 2022
if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose
of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares,
at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest
earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest
to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish
public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and
(iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders
and our board of directors, 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 by May 24, 2022 (or by November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination)
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 ten 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, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement,
we have sought and will continue to 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, our sponsor
may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.10 per
public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the
trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes
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, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
If we file a bankruptcy
or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed,
the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our
bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any
bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.10 per share to our public stockholders.
Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed
against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or
bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result,
a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board
of directors 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
are entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do
not complete an initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate
a business combination), (ii) in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
(A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination
or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or until November
24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) or (B) with respect to any other provisions
relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if they redeem their respective
shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. Public stockholders who redeem their shares of our Class A
common stock in connection with a stockholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled
to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not
completed an initial business combination by May 24, 2022 (or until November 24, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate
a business combination), with respect to such shares of our Class A common stock so redeemed. 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. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating
and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities
having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout
funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and
have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these
competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses
will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition
of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption
rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future
dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place
us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
We currently maintain
our executive offices, free of charge, at 1900 Sunset Harbour Dr., Suite 2102, Miami Beach, FL 33139. We consider our current office
space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two
executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters, but they intend
to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination.
The amount of time they devote in any time period varies based on the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do
not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
Our units, Class A
common stock and warrants are registered under the Exchange Act, and we have reporting obligations, including the requirement that
we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual
reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders
with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials,
as applicable, sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements
may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical
financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements
may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements
in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination
within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition
candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target
business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that
these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of
potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required
to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth
company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the
provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls
of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete
any such acquisition.
We have filed a Registration
Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.
As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing
a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the completion of our
initial business combination.
We are an “emerging
growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible
to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that
are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation
in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on
executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find
our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our
securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107
of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period
provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words,
an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise
apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging
growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion
of 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 the shares of our Class A common stock
that are held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the
date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are
a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take
advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial
statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value
of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual
revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held
by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30.
As a smaller reporting
company, we are not required to include risk factors in this Report. However, below is a partial list of material risks, uncertainties
and other factors that could have a material effect on the Company and its operations:
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we
are a blank check Company with no revenue or basis to evaluate our ability to select a suitable business target;
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we
may not be able to select an appropriate target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination in the prescribed
time frame;
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our
expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses may not be realized;
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we
may not be successful in retaining or recruiting required officers, key employees or directors following our initial business
combination;
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our
officers and directors may have difficulties allocating their time between the Company and other businesses and may potentially
have conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
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we
may not be able to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or reduce the number of shareholders
requesting redemption;
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we
may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing
market price of our shares at that time;
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you
may not be given the opportunity to choose the initial business target or to vote on the initial business combination;
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trust
account funds may not be protected against third party claims or bankruptcy;
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an
active market for our public securities’ may not develop and you will have limited liquidity and trading;
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the
availability to us of funds from interest income on the trust account balance may be insufficient to operate our business prior
to the business combination; and
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our
financial performance following a business combination with an entity may be negatively affected by their lack an established
record of revenue, cash flows and experienced management.
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Risks Relating to Restatement of Our Previously
Issued Financial Statements
Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities
and changes in the value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.
On April 12, 2021, the staff
of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC issued a public statement on accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued
by SPACs. In the SEC Staff Statement, the SEC staff expressed its view that certain terms and conditions common to SPAC warrants may require
the warrants to be classified as liabilities instead of equity on the SPAC’s balance sheet. As a result of the SEC Staff Statement,
we reevaluated the accounting treatment of our 11,500,000 public warrants and 8,217,000 private placement warrants, and determined to
classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value reported in our statement of operations
for each reporting period.
We have recorded our warrant
liability at fair value as of the issuance of the warrants, as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from a third-party
valuation firm. This warrant liability is subject to adjustment for changes in fair value during subsequent reporting periods, with each
such change being reported as a non-cash gain or loss in our relevant statement of operations. The impact of such changes in fair value
on our earnings, which may be material, may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets
may seek a business combination partner that does not have warrants that are accounted for as liabilities, which may make it more difficult
for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
We identified a material weakness in our
internal control over financial reporting. This material weakness could continue to adversely affect our ability to report our results
of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially
and adversely affect our business and operating results.
Our management is responsible
for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our
management also evaluates the effectiveness of our internal controls and we will disclose any changes and material weaknesses identified
through such evaluation in those internal controls. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal
control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial
statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
As described in Item 9A of
this Report, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the classification of our warrants
as equity instead of liability. On May 16, 2021, our audit committee authorized management to restate our audited financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2020, and, accordingly, management concluded that the control deficiency that resulted in the incorrect
classification of our warrants constituted a material weakness as of December 31, 2020. This material weakness resulted in a material
misstatement of our warrant liabilities, change in fair value of warrant liabilities, additional paid-in capital, accumulated deficit
and related financial disclosures for the affected periods.
Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. Measures to remediate material weaknesses
may be time-consuming and costly and there is no assurance that such initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects. If we identify
any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a
misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements.
In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in
addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our share price
may decline. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient
to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
For a complete list of risks relating to our business and operations, see the section titled “Risk Factors”
contained in our final prospectus, dated November 23, 2020,
filed with the SEC on the same day.