Attached files
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
December 12, 2014.
Registration No.: 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
FINTECH ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its
charter)
Delaware |
6770 |
46-5380892 |
||||||||
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
712 Fifth Avenue
12th Floor
New York, New York 10019
(212) 506-3808
12th Floor
New York, New York 10019
(212) 506-3808
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including
area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
James J. McEntee, III
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
FinTech Acquisition Corp.
712 Fifth Avenue
12th Floor
New York, New York 10019
(212) 506-3808
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone
number, including
area code, of agent for service)
area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
J. Baur Whittlesey Mark Rosenstein Amanda Abrams Ledgewood 1900 Market Street Suite 750 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 731-9450 (215) 735-2513Facsimile |
Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq. Stuart Neuhauser, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor New York, New York 10105 (212) 370-1300 (212) 370-7889Facsimile |
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Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to
the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of the registration statement.
As soon as practicable after the effective date of the registration statement.
If any of the securities being
registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following
box: o
If this Form is filed to register
additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o
If this Form is a post-effective
amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of
the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o
If this Form is a post-effective
amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of
the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o
Indicate by check mark whether the
registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.
Large
accelerated filer o |
Accelerated filer o |
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Non-accelerated filer þ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Smaller reporting company o |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount to be Registered (1) |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit (1) |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (1) |
Amount of Registration Fee |
||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Units, each
consisting of one share of Common Stock, $.0001 par value, and one Warrant (2)(4) |
11,500,000 | $ | 10.00 | $ | 115,000,000 | $ | 13,363 | |||||||||||
Shares of Common
Stock included as part of the Units (2)(4) |
11,500,000 | | | | (3) | |||||||||||||
Warrants
included as part of the Units (2)(4) |
11,500,000 | | | | (3) | |||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 115,000,000 | $ | 13,363 |
(1) |
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o). See Underwriting. |
(2) |
Includes 1,500,000 units, and 1,500,000 shares of common stock and 1,500,000 warrants underlying such units, which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover overallotments, if any. |
(3) |
No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g). |
(4) |
Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. |
The registrant
hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a
further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the
Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting
pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may
be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This
prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is
not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
|
(Subject to Completion) Dated December 12, 2014 |
$100,000,000
FinTech Acquisition Corp.
10,000,000 Units
FinTech Acquisition
Corp. is a recently formed blank check company that will seek to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business
combination. We have not identified any acquisition target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or
indirectly, with respect to identifying any acquisition target. While we currently intend to consummate our initial business combination with a target
business in the financial technology industry, we are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region.
This is an initial public offering of
our securities. We are offering 10,000,000 units. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our common stock and one
warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $12.00, subject to adjustment as described in this
prospectus. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination or 12 months from
the completion of this offering, and will expire five years after the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption of
our common stock or our liquidation, as described in this prospectus. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an
additional 1,500,000 units to cover overallotments, if any.
We have 18 months from the completion
of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we
will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, pro rata, to our public shareholders by way of redemption and cease all
operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein.
Currently, there is no public market
for our units, common stock or warrants. We have applied to list our units on Nasdaq under the symbol FNTCU on or promptly after the date
of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of
this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., acting as representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate
trading, in each case subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, containing an audited
balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will
begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we anticipate the common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the
symbols FNTC and FNTCW, respectively. (Continued on inside front cover)
We are an emerging growth
company under the federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities
involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 21 of this prospectus. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded
to investors in offerings conducted pursuant to Rule 419 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Neither the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Per Unit |
Total |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public
offering price |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 100,000,000 | ||||||
Underwriting
discount (1) |
$ | 0.70 | $ | 7,000,000 | ||||||
Proceeds to
us (before expenses) |
$ | 9.30 | $ | 93,000,000 |
(1) |
Includes $5.0 million in the aggregate ($0.50 per unit), or $6.05 million in the aggregate ($0.53 per unit) if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. This amount will be placed in the trust account described on the inside front cover page of this prospectus and will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. Please see the section titled Underwriting for further information relating to the underwriting arrangements agreed to between us and the underwriters in this offering. |
The underwriters are
offering the units on a firm commitment basis. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., acting as representative of the underwriters, expects to deliver the units
against payment in New York, New York on or about ____________, 2014.
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
The date of this prospectus is ________, 2014
(Continued from front cover)
Of the proceeds we receive from this
offering and a simultaneous private placement of units described below and in this prospectus, $100 million ($10.00 per share), or $115 million ($10.00
per share) if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full, will be deposited into a trust account in the United States maintained by
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, and such amounts less any deferred underwriting commissions ($5.0 million, or $6.05
million if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full) will be available to fund an initial business combination. Except for interest
income earned on the trust account balance, which may be released to us for working capital purposes and to pay any taxes or dissolution expenses, each
as described herein, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that none of the funds held in trust will be released until the
earlier of (i) the consummation of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), subject to
applicable law as set forth in this prospectus; or (iii) otherwise upon our liquidation or if our management resolves to liquidate the trust account
and ceases to pursue the consummation of a business combination prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The proceeds deposited in the trust
account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of holders of the common stock sold as
part of the units in this offering, which we refer to as our public stockholders.
We will provide holders of the common
stock sold as part of the units in this offering, or our public stockholders, with the opportunity to redeem their shares of our common stock upon the
consummation 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, including any interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us, divided by the number of then outstanding shares of
common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to as our public shares, subject to the limitations described in
Managements Discussion and Analysis Effecting Our Initial Business Combination and any limitations (including cash
requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. If we are unable to consummate a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), we will
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 any
amounts representing interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares,
subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, FinTech Investor Holdings,
LLC, and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., which we refer to as Cantor Fitzgerald, have committed to purchase 250,000 placement units (150,000 units by our
sponsor and 100,000 units by Cantor Fitzgerald), each consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock at
an exercise price of $12.00, at a price of $10.00 per unit (for a total purchase price of $2.5 million) in a private placement that will occur
simultaneously with the completion of this offering. These placement units and their component securities are subject to lockup provisions described in
this prospectus.
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F-1 |
You should rely only on the
information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized any other person to provide you with different
information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not,
making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing
in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operation and
prospects may have changed since that date.
This summary provides an overview of
selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our
securities. You should carefully read the prospectus in its entirety before investing in our securities, including the information discussed under
Risk Factors beginning on page 21 and our financial statements and notes thereto that appear elsewhere in this prospectus. Unless otherwise
stated in this prospectus, all the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their overallotment
option.
As used in this
prospectus:
|
references to we, us, company or our company refer to FinTech Acquisition Corp.; |
|
references to our sponsor refer to FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company formed for the express purpose of acting as the sponsor of this offering. The managing member of our sponsor is Daniel G. Cohen; |
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references to initial holders or initial stockholders are to Daniel G. Cohen, Betsy Z. Cohen, DGC Family FinTech Trust, Frank Mastrangelo, James J. McEntee, III and our sponsor, which is also purchasing placement units in the private placement, but excludes Cantor Fitzgerald, which is also purchasing placement units in the private placement; |
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references to founder shares are to 3,916,667 shares of our common stock sold by us to our initial stockholders, which includes an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the overallotment option is not exercised by the underwriters; |
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references to our management or our management team refer to our officers and certain of our directors; |
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references to our public shares are to shares of our common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
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references to public stockholders refer to the holders of our public shares, which may include our initial holders, Cantor Fitzgerald and members of our management team if and to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that any such holders status as a public stockholder shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
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references to private placement refer to the private placement of 250,000 units being purchased by our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald, which will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering, at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $2.5 million; |
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references to placement units are to the 250,000 units being purchased separately by our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald (150,000 units by our sponsor and 100,000 units by Cantor Fitzgerald) in the private placement, each placement unit consisting of one placement share and one placement warrant; |
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references to placement shares are to an aggregate of 250,000 shares of our common stock included within the placement units being purchased separately by our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald in the private placement; and |
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references to placement warrants are to warrants to purchase an aggregate of 250,000 shares of our common stock included within the placement units being purchased separately by our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald in the private placement. |
General
We are a blank check company formed in
November 2013 that will seek to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business
combination with one or more businesses or assets, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. To date, our
efforts have been limited to organizational activities and activities relating to this offering. We have not identified any acquisition target and we
have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions,
1
directly or indirectly, with respect to identifying any acquisition target. We have generated no revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues at the earliest until we consummate our initial business combination.
We currently intend to concentrate our
efforts in identifying businesses providing technological services to the financial services industry, with particular emphasis on businesses that
provide data processing, storage and transmission services, data bases and payment processing services. We are not, however, required to complete our
initial business combination with a financial technology business and, as a result, we may pursue a business combination outside of that industry. We
will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial, operational, strategic or
managerial redirection to maximize value. We do not intend to acquire start-up companies, companies with speculative business plans or companies that
are excessively leveraged.
We will seek to capitalize on the
significant financial services, financial technology and banking experience and contacts of Daniel G. Cohen, our President, Chief Executive Officer and
a director, Betsy Z. Cohen, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, and James J. McEntee, III, our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer,
to identify, evaluate, acquire and operate a target business. If we elect to pursue an investment outside of the financial technology industry, our
managements expertise related to that industry may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in
this prospectus regarding that industry might not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire.
Daniel G. Cohen, our President, Chief
Executive Officer and a director, Betsy Z. Cohen, our Chairman of the Board, and James J. McEntee, III, our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating
Officer, have extensive experience in the financial services industry generally, and the financial technology industry in particular, as well as
extensive experience in operating financial services companies in a public company environment.
Mr. Cohen, with over 20 years of
experience in financial services and financial technology, is a founder, the former Chief Executive Officer and the current Chairman of The Bancorp,
Inc. (NASDAQ: TBBK), which we refer to herein as Bancorp, a financial holding company with approximately $4.3 billion of total assets as of September
30, 2014, whose principal subsidiary is The Bancorp Bank, that provides a wide range of commercial and retail banking products and services to both
regional and national markets. Bancorps customers access its banking services through its website and obtain cash withdrawals from automated
teller machines. Bancorp provides affinity banking services to members and employees of organizations or businesses under the name of and through the
website of such organization or business, and has developed extensive systems for processing debit and credit card transactions and providing prepaid
(or stored value) card services. Mr. Cohen is also the Vice Chairman and Head of Europe of Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. (NYSE: IFMI), an
investment firm specializing in credit-related fixed income investments, which we refer to as IFMI, and is an officer and director of subsidiaries of
Institutional Financial Markets, including J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC, a registered broker-dealer which we refer to herein as JVB Financial. He is
also a past Chief Executive Officer and trustee of RAIT Financial Trust and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Taberna Realty Finance Trust, a
real estate investment trust, until its merger into RAIT Financial Trust. Mr. Cohen was also a past director of Jefferson Bank of Pennsylvania, a
commercial bank acquired by Hudson United Bancorp in 1999.
Mrs. Cohen, with over 40 years of
experience, is a founder and the current Chief Executive Officer of Bancorp; she will serve as Bancorps Chief Executive Officer through December
31, 2014. Mrs. Cohen is also a founder of RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE:RAS), a real estate investment trust with approximately $3.8 billion of total
consolidated assets as of September 30, 2014, which invests in and manages a portfolio of real-estate-related assets, secured and unsecured real estate
debt and real properties, and was its Chairman until December 2010 and its Chief Executive Officer until December 2006. She was also the founder and
Chief Executive Officer of JeffBanks, Inc., a publicly traded bank holding company, and its subsidiary banks from 1974 until the merger of JeffBanks
into Hudson United Bancorp in 1999.
Mr. McEntee, with over 20 years of
experience, is a director of The Bancorp, Inc. and The Bancorp Bank, was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Alesco Financial, an investment firm
specializing in credit related fixed income investment, until it merged with Cohen & Company and was the Chief Operating
2
Officer of Cohen & Company. In addition, he was a managing director of IFMI and the Vice-Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer of JVB Financial.
We believe our management team has the
skills and experience to identify, evaluate and consummate a business combination and is positioned to assist businesses we acquire. However, our
management teams network of contacts, and its investing and operating experience, do not guarantee a successful initial business combination. The
members of our management team are not required to devote any significant amount of time to our business and are involved with other businesses. We
cannot guarantee that our current officers and directors will continue in their respective roles, or in any other role, after our initial business
combination, and their expertise may only be of benefit to us until we complete our initial business combination. Past performance by our management
team is not a guarantee of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate.
We anticipate structuring our initial
business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interest or assets of the target business or businesses. However, we may structure our initial
business combination to acquire less than 100% of the equity interest or assets of the target business, but only if we (or any entity that is a
successor to us in a business combination) acquire a majority of the outstanding voting securities or assets of the target. We believe that, if we own
a majority of the targets outstanding voting securities, we will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, since the securities of a majority owned subsidiary that is not itself deemed an
investment company are not deemed to be investment securities as defined in the Investment Company Act, and since we expect that 60% or
more of the value of our total assets (excluding government securities and cash) will be represented by the securities of our target business which we
expect will be an operating business. Even if we own a majority interest in the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may
collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business
combination transaction.
Nasdaq rules require that our initial
business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the
trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in
connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based
upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If
our board is not independently able to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an
independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, and that is reasonably acceptable to
Cantor Fitzgerald, with respect to fair market value and that such an initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point
of view. However, if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq or another securities exchange, we will no longer be required to consummate a business
combination with a target whose fair market value equals at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions
and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account).
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.
In evaluating a prospective target
business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent
management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, and a review of financial and other
information about the target and its industry.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an
initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, initial holders, officers or directors, nor are we prohibited from
partnering, submitting joint bids, or entering into any similar transaction with our sponsor, or an affiliate of our sponsor, in the pursuit of an
initial business combination. If we seek to complete an initial business combination with such a company
3
or we partner with our sponsor, one of our initial holders or any of their respective affiliates in our pursuit of an initial business combination, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA and reasonably acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald with respect to fair market value that the business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
As more fully discussed in
Management Conflicts of Interest, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls
within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to
present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our directors
currently have relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. However, our existing officers and
directors have agreed (and future officers and directors will be required to agree) not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or
director of, any blank check company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination, failed to complete
our initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering or liquidated prior to the end of such 18 month
period.
We are an emerging growth company as
defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (which we refer to as the JOBS Act) and expect that we will remain such for up to five
years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period or revenues exceed $1 billion, or the market value of our common stock
that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an
emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we have elected, under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, to take
advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which we refer to as the
Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards.
Our executive offices are located at
712 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10019 and our telephone number is (212) 506-3808.
4
The Offering
In making your decision on whether
to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also, among other things,
the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 under the
Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider
these and the other risks set forth in the section Risk Factors beginning on page 21 of this prospectus.
Securities
offered |
10,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
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one share of common stock; and |
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one warrant. |
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Proposed
NASDAQ Capital Market symbols |
Units: FNTCU Common Stock: FNTC Warrants: FNTCW |
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Trading
commencement and separation of common stock and warrants |
We
anticipate the units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin
separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald, acting as representative of the underwriters, informs
us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject, in each case, to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and
having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. |
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Separate
trading of the common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K |
In no
event will our common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited
balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds from this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the
completion of this offering, which we anticipate will take place four business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters exercise
their overallotment option following the initial filing of such Current Report, we will file a second or amended Current Report to provide updated
financial information reflecting that exercise. |
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Units: |
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Number of
placement units outstanding before this offering |
0 |
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Number of
placement units to be sold simultaneously with this offering |
250,000(1) |
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Number of
units to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement |
10,250,000(1) |
5
Common
stock: |
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Number of
shares outstanding before this offering |
3,916,667(2) |
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Number of
shares outstanding after this offering and private placement |
13,666,667 (3)(4) |
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Warrants: |
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Number of
warrants outstanding before this offering |
0 |
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Number of
warrants outstanding after this offering and private placement |
10,250,000(4)(5) |
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Exercisability |
Each
warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of our common stock. |
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Exercise
price |
$12.00 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. |
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Exercise
period |
The
warrants will become exercisable on the later of: |
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30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination, or |
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12 months from the completion of this offering; |
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provided that no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of
common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock is available, and such shares are
registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if
a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants has not been declared effective by the end
of 60 days following the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration
statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis
pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act. |
||||||
We
are not registering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed to use our best efforts to
file and have an effective registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to maintain a current
prospectus relating to those shares of common stock until the earlier of the date the warrants expire or are redeemed and the date on which all of the
warrants have been exercised, and to qualify the resale of such shares under state blue sky laws, to the extent an exemption is not
available. |
6
(1) |
The underwriters have agreed to defer all underwriting commissions in respect of any units sold pursuant to the underwriters exercise of their overallotment option and to have the amounts attributable to those commissions placed in the trust account. The sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald do not expect to purchase additional placement units if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option. |
(2) |
Includes an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture by holders of founder shares to the extent that the overallotment option is not exercised by the underwriters. |
(3) |
Includes all founder shares in an amount equal to 25% of the aggregate of (a) the public shares outstanding after this offering, (b) the founder shares and (c) the placement shares. Further assumes that the underwriters overallotment option will expire without exercise and that, accordingly, 500,000 founder shares have been forfeited. The founder shares are subject to transfer restrictions. See Prospectus Summary Transfer restrictions on founder shares. |
(4) |
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option and the resulting forfeiture by the initial holders of an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares as described in notes (2) and (3). Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have committed to purchase, simultaneously with the completion of this offering, an aggregate of 250,000 placement units (150,000 units by our sponsor and 100,000 units by Cantor Fitzgerald), each unit consisting of one placement share and one placement warrant. Holders of founder shares and placement shares will hold 26.8% of the outstanding common stock following this offering and the expiration of the underwriters overallotment option without exercise. The placement units are not subject to forfeiture but will be subject to transfer restrictions as described in Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained therein)). |
(5) |
Includes 250,000 placement warrants included in the placement units, and assumes no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option. |
The
warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York time, five years after the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier upon our failure to
consummate a business combination within 18 months of completion of the offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment
option) or redemption of our common stock or our liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us
and not placed in the trust account. |
||||||
Redemption of
warrants |
Once
the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as set forth in this prospectus with respect to the placement
warrants): |
|||||
in whole and not in part; |
||||||
at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
||||||
upon a minimum of 30 days prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period; and |
||||||
if, and only if, the last sale price of our common stock (or the closing bid price of our common stock in the event the
shares of common stock are not traded on any specific trading day) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day
period ending on the third business day before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
||||||
We
will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable |
7
upon
exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. None of
the placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by Cantor Fitzgerald, our sponsor or their permitted
transferees. |
||||||
Founder
shares |
The
initial holders purchased an aggregate of 3,916,667 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0064 per
share. |
|||||
The
founder shares include an aggregate of 500,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the holders to the extent that the underwriters do not exercise their
overallotment option so that holders of founder shares will own in the aggregate a number of founder shares equal to 25% of the aggregate of our
founder shares, the placement shares and our issued and outstanding public shares after this offering. |
||||||
The
founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
||||||
the founder shares are subject to transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and |
||||||
the initial holders, including our sponsor, have agreed to waive their redemption rights (i) with respect to their founder
shares, placement shares and public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination and (ii) with respect to their founder shares
and placement shares if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of
the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. However, the initial holders will be
entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 18
month period. |
||||||
If we
submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor and the other initial holders have agreed to vote their
founder shares, placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Cantor Fitzgerald has not committed
to vote any shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. |
||||||
Transfer
restrictions on founder shares |
The
initial holders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares (except to permitted transferees, as described under
Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained therein) (i) with respect to
20% of such shares, until consummation of our initial |
8
business combination, (ii) with respect to 20% of such shares, until the closing price of our common stock exceeds $12.00 for any 20 trading
days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination, (iii) with respect to 20% of such shares, until the
closing price of our common stock exceeds $13.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial
business combination, (iv) with respect to 20% of such shares, until the closing price of our common stock exceeds $15.00 for any 20 trading days
within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination and (v) with respect to 20% of such shares, until the
closing price of our common stock exceeds $17.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial
business combination or earlier, in any case, if, following a business combination, we engage in a subsequent transaction (1) resulting in our
shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash or other securities or (2) involving a consolidation, merger or similar transaction
that results in change in the majority of our board of directors or management team in which the company is the surviving entity. |
||||||
Placement
Units |
Our
sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have committed to purchase 250,000 placement units (150,000 units by our sponsor and 100,000 units by Cantor Fitzgerald),
each consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock exercisable at $12.00, at a price of $10.00 per unit
in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. The aggregate purchase price for the placement units will
be $2.5 million. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, placement
shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within the allotted 18 month period. |
|||||
Our
sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection
with the consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this
offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. Our
sponsor also agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination.
However, our sponsor will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by it if we fail to consummate a business combination
or |
9
liquidate within the 18 month period, and Cantor Fitzgerald will have the same redemption rights as a public stockholder with respect to any
public shares it acquires. |
||||||
Transfer
restrictions on placement units |
The
placement units and their component securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the consummation of our initial
business combination. The placement warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted
transferees. If the placement units are held by someone other than our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees, the placement
warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this
offering. |
|||||
Proceeds to be
held in trust account |
$100.0 million of the proceeds of this offering and the private placement (or $115.0 million if the underwriters overallotment option is
exercised in full) will be placed in a segregated trust account held at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company,
acting as trustee. The proceeds held in the trust account include $5.0 million in deferred underwriting commissions (or $6.05 million in deferred
underwriting commissions if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full). |
|||||
Except for any interest income released to us for working capital purposes and to pay taxes or dissolution expenses, none of the funds held in
trust will be released from the trust account until the earlier of (i) the consummation of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of our
public shares if we are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of
the underwriters overallotment option) subject to applicable law; or (iii) otherwise upon our liquidation or in the event our board of directors
resolves to liquidate the trust account and ceases to pursue the consummation of a business combination prior to the expiration of the 18 month period
(our board of directors may determine to liquidate the trust account prior to such expiration if it determines, in its business judgment, that it is
improbable within the remaining time to identify an attractive business combination or satisfy regulatory and other business and legal requirements to
consummate a business combination). The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which
could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders. |
||||||
Anticipated
expenses and funding sources |
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account, other |
10
than
interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, will be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we
may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business. We expect
to pay such expenses only from interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and loans from our sponsor. Our sponsor has committed to loan us
funds from time to time of up to a maximum of $750,000. All these loans will be due and payable upon the completion of our initial business combination
and will be on terms that waive any and all rights to the funds in the trust account. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations Liquidity and Capital Resources. |
||||||
Conditions to
consummating our initial business combination |
There
is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Subject to the Nasdaq
requirement that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least
80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time we sign a
definitive agreement for our initial business combination, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one
or more prospective target businesses. We intend to consummate our initial business combination only if we (or any entity that is a successor to us in
a business combination) will acquire a majority of the outstanding voting securities or assets of the target. If we acquire a majority of the
targets outstanding voting securities, we do not believe we will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company
Act since the securities of a majority owned subsidiary that is not itself deemed an investment company are not deemed to be investment
securities as defined in the Investment Company Act, and since we expect that 60% or more of the value of our total assets (excluding government
securities and cash) will be represented by the securities of our target business which we expect will be an operating business. Even though we (or our
successor, if we are not the surviving corporation) will own a majority interest in the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may
collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business
combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange
for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of
the |
11
issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a
majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. |
||||||
Permitted
purchases of public shares by our affiliates |
If we
seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to
the tender offer rules, our initial holders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either
prior to or following the consummation of our initial business combination. We anticipate that our initial holders, directors, officers or their
affiliates would approach a limited number of large holders of our securities that have voted against the business combination or sought redemption of
their shares, or that have indicated an intention to do so, and engage in direct negotiations for the purchase of such holders positions. All
holders approached in this manner would be institutional or sophisticated holders. There is no limit on the number of shares they may acquire. Our
initial holders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material
nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act or in transactions that would
violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10(b)-5 under the Exchange Act. Although they do not currently anticipate paying any premium purchase price for such
public shares, there is no limit on the price they may pay. We will notify stockholders of such purchases, if any, by press release, filing a Form 8-K
or by means of a supplement to our proxy statement. |
|||||
Redemption
rights for public stockholders upon consummation of our initial business combination |
We
will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon the consummation 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, including any amounts representing interest
earned on the trust account not previously released to us, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations
described herein. The amount in the trust account initially will be $10.00 per public share. There will be no redemption rights upon the consummation
of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. The initial holders and Cantor Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption
rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail
to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters
overallotment option) or |
12
if we
liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The initial holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public
shares if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering. However, the initial holders will be
entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 18
month period, and Cantor Fitzgerald will have the same redemption rights as a public stockholder with respect to any public shares it
acquires. |
||||||
Manner of
conducting redemptions |
We
will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business
combination either in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or by means of a tender offer. The decision as
to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion,
and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek
stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the
tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or Nasdaq listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval
for business or other legal reasons. |
|||||
If a
stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation: |
||||||
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers
and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of the proposed business
combination, and |
||||||
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to consummating our initial business combination that 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. |
||||||
If we
conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem must 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 consummate our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer
period. |
13
If,
however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or Nasdaq, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other
reasons, we will: |
||||||
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which
regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
||||||
file proxy materials with the SEC. |
||||||
If we
seek stockholder approval, we will consummate our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are
voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, our sponsor and the other initial holders have agreed to vote their founder shares, placement
shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem his,
her or its public shares, irrespective of whether he, she or it votes for or against the proposed transaction, for cash equal to his, her or its pro
rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account and
not previously released to us, and subject to certain volume limitations described in this prospectus. |
||||||
Many
blank check companies would not be able to consummate a business combination if the holders of the companys public shares voted against a
proposed business combination and elected to redeem more than a specified percentage of the shares sold in such companys initial public offering,
which percentage threshold has typically been between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies have been unable to complete business
combinations because the number of shares voted against the initial business combination by their public stockholders electing to redeem shares
exceeded the maximum redemption threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with a business combination. Since we have no specified maximum
percentage threshold for redemption in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and since even those public stockholders who vote in favor
of our initial business combination have the right to redeem their public shares, our structure is different in this respect from the structure that
has been used by many blank check companies. This may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination. However, 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 and, in any event, the terms of
the |
14
proposed business combination may require our net tangible assets to be greater than $5,000,001. For example, the proposed business
combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or members of its management team, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target
for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the allocation of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the
proposed business combination. If the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly tendered
plus the amount of any cash payments required pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available
to us, taking into consideration the requirement that we maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 or such greater amount depending on the
terms of our potential business combination, we will not consummate the business combination and any shares of common stock tendered pursuant to the
tender offer will be returned to the holders thereof following the expiration of the tender offer. |
||||||
Limitation on
redemption rights of stockholders holding 10.0% or more of the shares sold in the offering if we hold stockholder vote |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct
redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert
or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to any shares
held in excess of an aggregate of 10.0% or more of the shares sold in this offering. However, there is no restriction on our stockholders ability
to vote all of their shares for or against a business combination. |
|||||
We
believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders
to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the
then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding an aggregate of 10.0% or more of the
shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holders shares are not purchased by us or our management at
a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders ability to redeem to only up to 10.0% of
the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small number of |
15
stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to consummate 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. |
||||||
Release of
funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination |
On
the closing of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us. We will use these funds to pay amounts
due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under Redemption rights for public stockholders upon
consummation of our initial business combination and to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting discounts on unredeemed shares only.
Funds released from the trust account to us may be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses we acquire in our
initial business combination. If we use our equity or debt securities as consideration for our initial business combination, or we do not use all of
the funds released from the trust account for payment of the purchase price, we may apply the excess funds for general corporate purposes, including
for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating
the initial business combination, including loans made to us by our sponsor as described under Anticipated expenses and funding
sources, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. |
|||||
Redemption of
public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we will have only 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the
underwriters overallotment option) to consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business
combination within the 18 month period, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, pro rata to our public
shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up our affairs. If we have not consummated a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering or earlier, at the discretion of our board, pursuant to the expiration of a tender
offer conducted in connection with a failed 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 all public shares then outstanding at a per-share price, payable
in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account
not previously released to us for working capital purposes or to pay taxes or dissolution expenses, divided by the |
16
number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders
(including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible
following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each
case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. |
||||||
The
initial holders and Cantor Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in
connection with the consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the
completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the
18 month period. The initial holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the
consummation of a business combination. However, the initial holders will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by
them if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 18 month period, and Cantor Fitzgerald will have the same redemption
rights as a public stockholder with respect to any public shares it acquires. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred
underwriting commissions held in the trust account if we do not consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering
and, accordingly, the deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account will be available to fund the redemption of our public
shares. |
||||||
We
will pay the costs of any liquidation from the balance of the interest income on the trust account (net of any taxes payable), which may be released to
us to fund our working capital requirements and the balance of loans from our sponsor for working capital purposes and to pay expenses to identify an
acquisition target and consummate initial business combination (a maximum of $750,000), although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient
funds for such purposes. If such funds are insufficient, Daniel G. Cohen, our President and Chief Executive Officer, one of our directors and the
managing member of our sponsor, has agreed to pay the balance of liquidation expenses (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $30,000)
and has agreed not to seek repayment for such amounts. |
17
Limited
payments to insiders |
There
will be no finders fees, reimbursements or cash payments made to any initial holder, our sponsor, our officers, our directors, or our or their
affiliates for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, other
than: |
|||||
repayment of loans, if any, from our sponsor to us to fund organization costs, costs of this offering and costs to identify
an acquisition target and consummate an initial business combination, which will be repaid upon the closing of a business combination from the proceeds
of this offering (See Anticipated expenses and funding sources); and |
||||||
reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and consummating an initial business
combination, provided that no proceeds of this offering held in the trust account may be applied to the payment of such expenses prior to the
consummation of a business combination. |
||||||
Prior
to the appointment of our audit committee, our independent directors must approve all payments in excess of $5,000 to any initial holder, our sponsor,
our directors and officers or our or their affiliates. Following the appointment of an audit committee, the audit committee will approve such
payments. |
||||||
Audit
Committee |
On or
before the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will have an audit committee which will, among other
things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. The audit committee will be responsible for
taking all actions necessary to rectify any noncompliance that is identified or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. See
Management Committees of the Board of Directors Audit Committee. |
|||||
Sponsor
Indemnification |
Daniel G. Cohen has agreed that, if the trust account is liquidated without the consummation of a business combination, he will indemnify us
to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or any claims by a prospective target business with which we
have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below $10.00 per public share, except for any
claims by any third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account, regardless of whether such waiver is
enforceable, and except for claims arising from our obligation to indemnify the underwriters of this offering pursuant to the underwriting agreement
for this offering. We have not |
18
independently verified whether Mr. Cohen has sufficient funds to satisfy his indemnity obligations, we have not asked Mr. Cohen to reserve for
such obligations and he may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of Mr. Cohen having to indemnify the trust account is
limited because we will endeavor to have all third parties that provide products or services to us and prospective target businesses execute agreements
with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. |
Risks
We have conducted no operations and
have generated no revenues since our formation in November 2013. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and, at
least until we consummate our initial business combination, we will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our
securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company.
This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act and has certain terms and conditions that deviate
from many blank check offerings. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings
or to investors in many other blank check companies. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this
offering, see Proposed Business Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419. You should
carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors within this prospectus and read this entire
prospectus before investing in the units.
19
Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the
relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any
significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
As of July 31, 2014 |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Balance
Sheet Data: |
||||||
Working
capital (deficit) |
$ | (136,551 | ) | |||
Proceeds held
in trust |
| |||||
Total assets
|
161,804 | |||||
Total
liabilities |
161,289 | |||||
Value of
common stock that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share) |
| |||||
Stockholders equity |
515 |
If we do not consummate a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), the proceeds
held in the trust account, including the deferred underwriting commissions, and interest earned on the trust account (less any interest released to us
for working capital purposes and the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. The initial
holders have agreed, with respect to their founder shares, and our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have agreed, with respect to their placement shares,
to waive their redemption rights if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within such 18 month period.
20
An investment in our securities
involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below and all of the other information set forth in this
prospectus before deciding to invest in our units. If any of the events or developments described below occur, our business, financial condition or
results of operations could be adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of
your investment.
We are a development stage company with no operating
history and no revenue and, accordingly, you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a development stage company with
no operating history and no revenue. We will not commence operations until we obtain funding through this offering and consummate our initial business
combination. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of acquiring
one or more operating businesses in the financial technology industry. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target
business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete a business combination. If we fail to complete a business combination, we will
never generate any operating revenues.
Our independent registered public accounting firms
report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going
concern.
The report of our independent
registered public accountants on our financial statements includes an explanatory paragraph stating that our ability to continue as a going concern is
dependent on the consummation of this offering. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to
consummate this offering or our ability to continue as a going concern. Moreover, there is no assurance that we will consummate our initial business
combination. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity
to vote on our proposed business combination, unless such vote is required by law or Nasdaq, which means we may consummate our initial business
combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to
approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable state law or the rules of
Nasdaq or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For example, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender
offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our
outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we structure a business combination that requires
us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by
law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and
will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to
seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of
our common stock do not approve of the business combination we consummate.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination, our sponsor and the other initial holders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public
stockholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies
in which the founders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection
with an initial business combination, our sponsor and the other initial holders have agreed to vote those shares and any placement shares and public
shares they hold, in favor of our initial business combination. Holders of founder
21
shares will own 26.1% of our common stock (including 100,000 placement shares held by our sponsor) immediately following completion of this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their overallotment option. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if holders of founder shares agreed to vote their founder shares, placement shares and public shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your ability to affect the investment decision regarding a
potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval
of the business combination.
At the time of your investment in us,
you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Since our board of directors may
consummate a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right to vote on the business combination
unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, your ability to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be
limited to exercising your redemption rights with respect to a proposed business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their
shares for cash may make us unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business
combination with a target.
We may enter into a transaction
agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. Our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide all of our stockholders with an opportunity to redeem all of their shares in connection
with the consummation of any initial business combination, although each initial holder and each holder of placement units has agreed to waive his, her
or its respective redemption rights with respect to founder shares and placement shares, and in the case of the initial holders, public shares, held by
him, her or it in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption
requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than the amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, or less than the
$5,000,001 minimum of tangible net assets which we are required to maintain, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business
combination. Prospective targets would be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with
us.
The ability of our stockholders to exercise redemption
rights may not allow us to consummate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In connection with the consummation of
our business combination, we may redeem up to that number of shares of common stock that would permit us to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001.
However, we may be required to maintain significantly larger amounts of cash depending upon the terms of the business combination. Accordingly, we may
need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination in case a larger percentage of stockholders exercise their redemption
rights than we expect. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than
desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.
The requirement that we maintain a minimum net worth or
retain a certain amount of cash could increase the probability that we will be unable to complete a proposed business combination and that you would
have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If, pursuant to the terms of our
proposed business combination, we are required to maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash in trust in order to consummate the
business combination, the ability of our public shareholders to cause us to redeem their shares in connection with such proposed transaction will
increase the risk that we will not meet that condition and, accordingly, that we will not be
22
able to complete the proposed transaction. If we do not complete a proposed business combination, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market. If you were to attempt to sell your stock in the open market at that time, the price you receive could represent a discount to the pro rata amount in our trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate.
The requirement that we complete a business combination
within 18 months from the completion of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and
may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could
undermine our ability to consummate a business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with
which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must consummate a business combination within 18 months from
the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option). Consequently, such target businesses may
obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with it, we may be unable to
identify another target business and complete a business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of
the 18 month period. Depending upon when we identify a potential target business, we may have only a limited time to conduct due diligence and may
enter into a business combination on terms that we might have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to consummate a business combination
within 18 months from the completion of this offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would
redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We must complete our initial business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option). We may not
be able to find a suitable target business and consummate a business combination within that time period. If we have not consummated a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering, or earlier, at the discretion of our board pursuant to the expiration of a tender
offer conducted in connection with a failed 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 all public shares then outstanding at a per-share price, payable
in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account,
less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses (although we expect all or substantially
all of such interest to be used for working capital purposes), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will
completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any),
subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining
stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of
creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
If we are unable to complete our initial business
combination within the prescribed time frame, our warrants will expire worthless.
Our outstanding warrants may not be
exercised until after the completion of our initial business combination and are not entitled to participate in the redemption of the shares of our
common stock conducted in connection with the consummation of our business combination. Accordingly, our warrants will expire worthless if we are
unable to consummate a business combination within the 18 month period, or earlier if our board resolves to liquidate and dissolve in connection with a
failed business combination.
23
If we seek stockholder approval of our business
combination, our initial stockholders, directors, officers and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares of common stock from public stockholders,
in which case they may influence a vote in favor of a proposed business combination that you do not support.
If we seek stockholder approval of our
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial
stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or following the
consummation of our initial business combination. Our directors, officers or their affiliates will not make any such purchases when they are in
possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act
or in a transaction which would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10(b)-5 under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase would include a contractual
acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees
not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates purchase shares in privately
negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be
required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares.
You will not have any rights to or interest in funds from
the trust account, except under limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your shares or warrants,
potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be
entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the consummation of our initial business combination; (ii) the
redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding
any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), subject to applicable law; or (iii) otherwise upon our liquidation or in the event our
board of directors resolves to liquidate the trust account and ceases to pursue the consummation of a business combination prior to the expiration of
the 18 month period (our board of directors may determine to liquidate the trust account prior to such expiration if it determines, in its business
judgment, that it is improbable within the remaining time that we will be able to identify an attractive business combination or satisfy regulatory and
other business and legal requirements to consummate a business combination). In addition, if our plan to redeem our public shares if we are unable to
consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the date of this offering is not consummated for any reason, Delaware law may require
that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust
account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 18 months before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other
circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may
be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded
to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since we intend to use the net proceeds
of this offering to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a blank
check company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5.0 million upon the
completion of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from
rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419 under the Securities Act. Accordingly, investors will not
be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer
period of time to complete a business combination than would companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, offerings subject to Rule 419 would prohibit the
release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us, except in connection with our consummation of an initial business combination.
For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see Proposed Business Comparison of This
Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.
24
If we seek stockholder approval of our business combination
and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, a stockholder, or a group of stockholders, who are deemed to hold an
aggregate or more than 10.0% of our common stock may not redeem any shares they hold that exceed such 10.0% amount.
If we seek stockholder approval of our
initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other
person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted
from seeking redemption rights with respect to any shares in excess of 10.0% or more of the shares sold in this offering. We refer to such shares
aggregating 10.0% or more of the shares sold in the offering as Excess Shares. Your inability to redeem any Excess Shares will reduce your
influence over our ability to consummate a business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares
in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we consummate our
business combination. As a result, you would continue to hold the Excess Shares and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell them
in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant
competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete
our initial business combination, you may receive only $10.00 per share from our redemption of your shares, and our warrants will expire
worthless.
We expect to encounter intense
competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment
partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire.
Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly,
acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and
other resources, or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many
of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our
ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources.
This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Any of these obligations may
place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share from our redemption of our shares, and our warrants will expire
worthless.
If the interest income earned on the trust account together
with funds made available to us by our sponsor through loans (a maximum of $750,000) are insufficient to allow us to operate for the next 18 months, we
may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Although we believe that the interest
income earned on the trust account, together with funds made available to us by our sponsor through loans, which are limited to $750,000, will be
sufficient to allow us to operate for the 18 months following completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters
overallotment option), we cannot assure you of this. In particular, if we use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to
assist us with our search for a target business, as a down payment on an acquisition or to fund a no-shop provision (a provision in letters
of intent designed to keep target businesses from shopping around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such
target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, we could expend funds available to us more rapidly than we currently
expect. It is possible that the amounts demanded for a no-shop provision or down payments will be in excess of funds then available to us, which would
impair our ability to close a contemplated transaction. Furthermore, if we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive
exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not
have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business.
25
The current low interest rate environment could limit the
amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination since we will depend, in part, on
interest earned on the trust account to fund our search, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business
combination.
In addition to depending upon loans
from our sponsor, we will depend on interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to provide us with working capital we may need to
identify one or more target businesses and to complete our initial business combination, as well as to pay any franchise and income taxes that we may
owe. Because of the current low interest rate environment, we may be unable to generate enough interest to fund our needs, thereby reducing funds
available to us to identify target businesses and to structure, negotiate or close our initial business combination. If our funds are insufficient, and
we are unable to generate funds from other sources, we may be forced to liquidate.
Subsequent to consummation of our initial business
combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative
effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your
investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due
diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this examination will uncover all material risks that may be presented
by a particular target business, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. Even if our due
diligence successfully identifies the principal risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent
with our preliminary risk analysis. As a result, from time to time following our initial business combination, we may be forced to write-down or
write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even though these charges
may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative
market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may
be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt
financing.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held
in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per
share.
Placing funds in the trust account may
not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses
or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim in or to any monies held in the
trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements or, even if they execute such agreements, they
may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, claims for fraudulent inducement, breach of
fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver. If any third party refuses to execute
an agreement waiving 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 without a waiver if management believes that such third partys engagement would be significantly more
beneficial to us than any available alternative. If we do not obtain a waiver from a third party, we will obtain the written consent of our sponsor
before entering into an agreement with such third party.
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
management believes to be significantly superior to those of other consultants who would execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to
find a service provider willing to execute a waiver and where our sponsor executes a written consent. In addition, there is no guarantee that such
entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with
us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete a business
combination within the required time frame, or upon the exercise of a
26
redemption right in connection with a business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to a written agreement, Daniel G. Cohen has agreed that he will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below $10.00 per share except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, if an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, Mr. Cohen will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether Mr. Cohen has sufficient funds to satisfy his indemnity obligations, we have not asked Mr. Cohen to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that he would be able to satisfy those obligations.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification
obligations of Daniel G. Cohen, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public
stockholders.
If proceeds in the trust account are
reduced below $10.00 per public share and Daniel G. Cohen asserts that he is unable to satisfy his obligations or that he has no indemnification
obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against Mr. Cohen to enforce his
indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against Mr. Cohen to
enforce his indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do
so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust
account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account
to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy
court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our
creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in
the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not
dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a
preferential transfer or a fraudulent conveyance. As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by
our stockholders. In addition, by making distributions to public stockholders before making provision for creditors, our board of directors may be
viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims for punitive
damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account
to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims
of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our
stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in
the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not
dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and
subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust
account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
27
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the
Investment Company Act, we may be subject to burdensome regulatory requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for
us to complete a business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment
company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
|
restrictions on the nature of our investments; |
|
restrictions on the issuance of securities; and |
|
restrictions on the incurrence of debt; |
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete a business
combination.
In addition, we may have
to:
|
register as an investment company; |
|
adopt a specific form of corporate structure; and |
|
file reports, maintain records, and adhere to voting, proxy, disclosure and other requirements. |
We do not believe that our anticipated
principal activities will subject us to Investment Company Act regulation. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only
in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States treasury and
meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these
instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were
deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we
have not allotted funds and may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with
any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations
enacted by national, regional and local governments, including in particular, reporting and other requirements under the Exchange Act. Compliance with,
and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and
application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of
operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could result in fines, injunctive relief
or similar remedies which could be costly to us or limit our ability to complete an initial business combination or operate the post-combination
company successfully.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third
parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the Delaware General Corporation
Law, or DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a
dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we
do not consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering may be considered a liquidation distribution
under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable
provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a
90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions
are made to stockholders, any liability
28
of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholders pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 18th month if we do not consummate an initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures.
Because we will not be complying with
Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all
existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are
a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire,
the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers or investment bankers) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of
distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the
lesser of such stockholders pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would
likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially
brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more)
and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account
distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares if we do not consummate our initial business combination within 18
months from the completion of this offering is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed
to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful
redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until
after we consummate a business combination.
We may not hold an annual meeting of
stockholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by Nasdaq), and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the
DGCL, which requires that an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a companys bylaws
unless directors are elected by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to
our consummation of a business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in
accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We are not registering the shares of common stock issuable
upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an
investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants and causing such warrants to expire
worthless.
We are not registering the shares of
common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the
warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a
current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and to use our best efforts to take such action as is necessary
to register or qualify for sale, in those states in which the warrants were initially offered by us, the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants,
to the extent an exemption is not available. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the
circumstances specified in the warrant agreement. However, except as specified in the warrant agreement, in no event will we be required to issue cash,
securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants if we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the
Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified, the
warrant holder will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who
acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the
29
shares of common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
The grant of registration rights to our initial
stockholders and purchasers of placement units may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such
rights may reduce the market price of our common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered
into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial holders, purchasers of placement units and their permitted
transferees can demand that we register the founder shares, placement units, placement shares and placement warrants, and the shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of the placement warrants. These registration rights will be exercisable at any time commencing upon the date that such shares
are released from transfer restrictions (as discussed under Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units
(including securities contained therein)). We will bear the cost of registering these securities. If such persons exercise their registration
rights in full, there will be an additional 3,666,667 shares of common stock (assuming no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), and
up to 250,000 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the placement warrants, eligible for trading in the public market. The registration and
availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may reduce the market price of our common stock. In addition,
the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude because the stockholders of the
target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the
market price of our common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders are registered.
Because we have not selected a particular business within
the financial technology industry or any other industry or any specific target businesses with which to pursue a business combination, you will be
unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business operations.
We will seek to consummate a business
combination with an operating company in the financial technology industry, but may also pursue acquisition opportunities in other business sectors or
geographic regions, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate a business
combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific
target business with respect to a business combination, you have no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target
businesss operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. If we consummate our initial business
combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of the entity with which we combine. Because we will seek to
acquire businesses that potentially need financial, operational, strategic or managerial redirection, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the
business and operations of a financially or operationally unstable entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks
inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we
will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to
control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will
ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in an acquisition
target.
We may seek investment opportunities in sectors outside of
our industry focus (which may or may not be outside of our managements area of expertise).
Although we currently intend to
consummate a business combination in the financial technology industry, we will consider a business combination outside this industry if a business
combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive investment opportunity for our company. If we elect
to pursue an investment outside of the financial technology industry, our managements expertise in that industry would not be directly applicable
to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained herein
30
regarding the financial technology industry might not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines
that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into a business combination with a target that does not meet
such criteria and guidelines and, as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes
entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified specific
criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into a business
combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we consummate a business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of
these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines.
In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number
of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that
requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or
Nasdaq, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to obtain stockholder approval of
our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial
business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire
worthless.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an
independent investment banking firm and, consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the target
in our initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we consummate our initial
business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the price we
are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If we do not obtain an opinion, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment
of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used
will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business
combination.
We may issue additional common or preferred shares to
complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after consummation of our initial business combination, which would
dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 25,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock,
par value $0.001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 1,083,333 shares of common stock (assuming that the underwriters have not
exercised their overallotment option) and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock that are authorized, available for issuance and not reserved for issuance
upon exercise of outstanding warrants. We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial
business combination or under an employee incentive plan after consummation of our initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of
common or preferred stock:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
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may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
|
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, common stock and/or warrants. |
31
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that
are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate another target business and consummate our initial business
combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share from our
redemption of our shares and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of
each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will
require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific
initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we
reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate our initial business combination for any number of reasons
including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could materially adversely affect
subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business due to a reduction in the funds available for expenses for relating to such
efforts. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share from our redemption
of their shares and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors; the loss
of any one or more of them could adversely affect our ability to complete a business combination.
Our operations depend upon the
background, experience and contacts of our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and
directors, at least until we have consummated a business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of,
any of our directors or officers. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our
affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and the search for a business combination and their
other business commitments. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our business combination. Each of our
executive officers and directors is engaged in other business endeavors and is not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our
affairs. If our executive officers and directors other business commitments require them to devote substantial amounts of time in excess of
their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which make it more difficult for us to identify an
acquisition target and consummate our business combination.
Our success following our initial business combination
likely will depend upon the efforts of management of the target business. The loss of any of the key personnel of the targets management team
could make it more difficult to operate the target profitably.
Although some of our key personnel may
remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, we can offer no assurance that any will do
so. Moreover, as a result of the existing commitments of our key personnel, it is likely that we will retain some or all of the management of the
target business to conduct its operations. The departure of any key members of the targets management team could thus make it more difficult to
operate the post-combination business profitably. Moreover, to the extent that we will rely upon the targets management team to operate the
post-combination business, we will be subject to risks regarding their managerial competence. While we intend to closely scrutinize the skills,
abilities and qualifications of any individuals we retain after a business combination, our ability to do so may be limited due to a lack of time
resources or information. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct and that they will have
the skills, abilities and qualifications we expect.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting
agreements with a target business in connection with our initial business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation
following our initial business combination and, as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business
combination would be advantageous to us.
Our key personnel may decide to remain
with the company after the consummation of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in
connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business
32
combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the consummation of our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business and cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination would be advantageous to us. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are now and may in the future
become affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of
interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this
offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more
businesses, with a focus on financial technology businesses. Our executive officers and directors are now and may in the future become affiliated with
entities that are in the financial services or financial technology industries or entities engaged in the business of acquiring other entities or
businesses. In each case, our executive officers and directors existing directorships or other responsibilities may give rise to contractual or
fiduciary obligations that take priority over any obligation owed to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the
doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, will not apply to us or any of our officers or directors or in circumstances that
would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations to other entities they may have as of the date of this prospectus. See
Management Conflicts of Interest. Accordingly, business opportunities that may be attractive to the entities described above will
not be presented to us unless such entities have declined to accept such opportunities. As a result, our officers and directors may have conflicts of
interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. We cannot assure you that these conflicts will be
resolved in our favor or that a potential target business would not be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more
target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our executive officers, directors or existing stockholders, which
may raise potential conflicts of interest.
We may decide to acquire one or more
businesses affiliated with holders of founder shares, or our officers and directors. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board
members of other entities. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. The holders of founder shares and our officers and
directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to consummate a business combination with any entities with which they are
affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be
specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that the
targeted affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in Proposed Business Effecting our initial business
combination Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination and the transaction was approved by a
majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is reasonably
acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more
businesses affiliated with our executive officers, directors or holders of founder shares, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a
result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of
interest.
33
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a
prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the
skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of
effecting a business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business management may be limited due to a
lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the targets management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and
such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we expected. Should the targets management not possess the skills,
qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively
impacted.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may
resign upon consummation of a business combination. The loss of an acquisition targets key personnel could negatively impact the operations and
profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition
candidates key personnel upon the consummation of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate
that certain members of an acquisition candidates management team will remain associated with us following our initial business combination, it
is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of an acquisition targets key
personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
We may partner, submit a joint bid or enter into a similar
transaction with holders of founder shares or an affiliate in connection with our pursuit of, or in connection with, a business
combination.
We are not prohibited from partnering,
submitting a joint bid or entering into any similar transaction with holders of founder shares or their affiliates in our pursuit of a business
combination. Although we currently have no plans to do so, we could pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our
criteria for a business combination as set forth in Proposed Business Effecting our initial business combination Selection of a
target business and structuring of our initial business combination and the transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested
directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is reasonably acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald
regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of a business combination with any holder of founder shares or its
affiliates, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of
interest. Additionally, were we successful in consummating such a transaction, conflicts could invariably arise from the interest of the holder of
founder shares or its affiliate in maximizing its returns, which may be at odds with the strategy of the post-business combination company or not in
the best interests of the public stockholders of the post-business combination company. Any or all of such conflicts could materially reduce the value
of your investment, whether before or after our initial business combination.
Since holders of founder shares and placement units will
lose some or all of their investment in us if we do not consummate a business combination, and since certain of our officers and directors have
significant financial interests in us, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular acquisition target is appropriate for our
initial business combination.
Holders of founder shares currently own
3,916,667 shares of our common stock, which will be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. Our sponsor and Cantor
Fitzgerald have committed to purchase 250,000 placement units for an aggregate purchase price of $2.5 million. There will be no redemption rights or
liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, placement shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we do
not consummate a business combination within the allotted 18 month period. If we do not consummate a business combination, our sponsor and Cantor
Fitzgerald will realize a loss on the placement shares they purchased. Our sponsor has also committed to lend us up to $750,000 to fund our operations
prior to our initial business combination. These loans are repayable only if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, the personal
and financial interests
34
of certain of our officers and directors, directly or as members of our sponsor, in consummating an initial business combination, along with their flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination that is not in the best interests of our stockholders. Consequently, the discretion of our officers and directors, in identifying and selecting a suitable target business combination may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular initial business combination are appropriate and in the best interest of our public stockholders.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise
incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our financial condition and the value of our stockholders
investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of
the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or (apart from our sponsors commitment to loan us up to $750,000)
otherwise to incur debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt in order to complete our initial business combination. The incurrence of debt could
have a variety of negative effects, including:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to meet our debt service obligations; |
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acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness, even if we make all principal and interest payments when due, if we breach covenants that require the maintenance of financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand and the lender demands payment; |
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if any debt we incur contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while the debt is outstanding; |
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prohibitions of, or limitations on, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock; |
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use of a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, as well as for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of growth strategies and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We do not have a policy with respect to
how much debt we may incur. To the extent that the amount of our debt increases, the impact of the effects listed above may also
increase.
We may be able to complete a business combination with only
one business, which would result in our success being dependent solely on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.
This lack of diversification may harm our operations and profitability.
We are not limited as to the number of
businesses we may acquire in our initial business combination. However, we may not be able to effectuate a business combination with more than one
target business because of various factors, including the limited amount of the net proceeds of this offering, the existence of complex accounting
issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial
condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By consummating an initial business combination with only a
single
35
entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks particular to the industry area in which the acquired business operates. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may:
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solely depend upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or |
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depend upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
We may attempt to consummate business combinations with
multiple prospective targets simultaneously, which may hinder our ability to consummate an initial business combination and give rise to increased
costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to acquire several
businesses simultaneously that are owned by different sellers, we will need each seller to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the
simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the initial
business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to
possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent
assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately
address these risks, we may be unable to operate the combined business successfully, and you could lose some or all of your investment in
us.
We may attempt to consummate our initial business
combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not
as profitable as we expected, or at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy,
we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information exists about
private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of the
information developed during our due diligence examination, which may be limited. As a result, we could acquire a company that is not as profitable as
we expected, or at all. Furthermore, the relative lack of information about a private company may hinder our ability to properly assess the value of
such a company which could result in our overpaying for that company.
If we effect our initial business combination with a
business located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that could result in us being unable to operate the
business successfully.
We may effect an initial business
combination with a business located outside of the United States. If we do, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with
businesses operating in the targets home jurisdiction, including any of the following:
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rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
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tariffs and trade barriers; |
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
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longer payment cycles; |
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tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
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challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
36
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cultural and language differences; |
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employment regulations; |
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crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and |
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deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
We may not be able to adequately
address these additional risks. If we are unable to do so, we may be unable to operate the acquired business successfully.
If we effect our initial business combination with a
business located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be
able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect our initial business
combination with a business located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such business operates will govern almost all of the
material agreements relating to its operations. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements or enforce remedies for
breaches of those agreements in that jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain
in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could
result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a business located outside of the United
States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might
reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect
service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal
penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.
We may not be able to maintain control of a target business
after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the
skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We anticipate structuring our initial
business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interest or assets of the target business or businesses. However, we may structure our initial
business combination to acquire less than 100% of the equity interest or assets of the target business, but only if we (or any entity that is a
successor to us in a business combination) acquire a majority of the outstanding voting securities or assets of the target. Even if we own a majority
interest in the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination
company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in
which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we
would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our
stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such
transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger
share of the companys stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that we will not be able to maintain our
control of the target business.
Unlike many blank check companies, we do not have a
specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold will make it easier for us to consummate a business combination with
which a substantial number of our stockholders do not agree.
Since we have no specified percentage
threshold for redemption in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our structure is different in this respect from the structure that
has been used by many blank check companies. Many blank check companies would not be able to consummate a business combination if the holders of the
companys public shares voted against a proposed business combination and elected to
37
redeem or convert more than a specified percentage of the shares sold in such companys initial public offering, which percentage threshold has typically been between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies have been unable to complete business combinations because the amount of public shares for which conversion was elected exceeded the maximum conversion threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with a business combination. However, we may be able to consummate a business combination even though a substantial number of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, if our initial holders, officers, directors or their affiliates have entered into privately negotiated agreements with public stockholders to acquire public shares. However, 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, and the amount that we redeem may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. In such case, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares and the related initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than
in many similar blank check company offerings in the past, and, accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the warrants is
higher than is typical in many similar blank check companies. Historically, the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of the purchase
price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $12.00 per share. As a result, the warrants are less
likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check
companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will
not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to
consummate a business combination that our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business
combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For
example, blank check companies have amended the definition of initial business combination, increased redemption thresholds and changed industry focus.
We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
However, if the effect of the proposed amendments would be either to (i) reduce the amount in the trust account available to redeeming stockholders to
less than $10.00 per share, or (ii) delay the date on which a stockholder could otherwise redeem shares for the per share amount in the trust account,
and if such amendments are approved by holders owning at least 65% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock, dissenting public
stockholders will have the right to redeem their public shares as set forth in Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations Effecting our Initial Business Combination.
Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from
our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders owning 65% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock, which is a
lower amendment threshold than that of many blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation to facilitate the consummation of an initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.
Many blank check companies have a
provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a companys pre-business
combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the companys stockholders. Amendment of these provisions requires approval by
between 90% and 100% of the companys public stockholders in many cases. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that
provisions related to pre-business combination activity may
38
be amended if approved by holders owning 65% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders owning 65% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (in each case including all shares held by the initial holders, holders of placement units, our officers and our directors); provided, however, that if the effect of any proposed amendment, if adopted, would be either to (i) reduce the amount in the trust account available to redeeming stockholders to less than $10.00 per share, or (ii) delay the date on which a public stockholder could otherwise redeem shares for such per share amount in the trust account, we will provide a right for dissenting public shareholders to redeem public shares if such an amendment is approved). As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination actions more easily that many blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to consummate a business combination with which you do not agree.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete
our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a
particular business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per
share on our redemption.
Because of the size of our initial
business combination, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with
our initial business combination, or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we
may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We may be unable to obtain any necessary financing on
acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment has made it especially difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the
extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either
restructure or abandon the transaction and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share on our redemption. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to
consummate our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to
secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers,
directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us after a business combination.
Holders of founder shares and purchasers of placement units
will control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner
that you do not support.
Upon completion of this offering,
holders of founder shares and purchasers of placement units will own shares equal to 26.8% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (26.6%
if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a
stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Holders of founder or placement shares are not restricted from purchasing common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions,
which would increase their control. Neither the holders of founder shares nor purchasers of placement units has any current intention to purchase
additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include
consideration of the current trading price of our common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial holders,
is divided into two classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to
our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a two-year term. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to
the consummation of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office at least until the
consummation of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our staggered board of directors, only a
minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of its ownership position, will have
considerable influence regarding the outcome.
39
Accordingly, you should anticipate that holders of founder shares and purchasers of placement units will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of our initial business combination.
The initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or
approximately $0.0064 per founder share and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our units
including shares of our common stock.
The difference between the public
offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma
net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. The
initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon completion of this offering, and
assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial
dilution of approximately 89.3%, or $8.93 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $1.07 and the initial
offering price of $10.00 per unit).
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may
be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding warrants.
Our warrants will be issued in
registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement
provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but
requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the
registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then
outstanding warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then
outstanding warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants,
shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their
exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem
outstanding warrants (excluding any placement warrants held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees) at any time after they become exercisable and
prior to their expiration, at $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price (or the closing bid price of our common stock in the event
the shares of our common stock are not traded on any specific trading day) of the common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading
days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third business day prior to the date we send proper notice of such redemption, provided that on the
date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time we redeem the warrants, we have an effective registration
statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them
is available. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the
underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you: (i) to exercise your
warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current
market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding
warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price
of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination.
In this offering, we will be issuing
warrants to purchase up to 10,000,000 shares of common stock (11,500,000 shares if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full) as
part of the public units. In addition, on the closing date of this offering, we will sell 250,000 placement units to our sponsor and
Cantor
40
Fitzgerald, with each unit consisting of one placement share and a placement warrant to purchase one share of common stock. In addition, our sponsor has committed to loan us a maximum of $750,000 to fund working capital requirements or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, any portion or all of which may be converted, at the option of our sponsor, into additional warrants of the post-business combination entity at $0.75 per warrant (a maximum of 1,000,000 warrants if the full $750,000 is loaned and that amount is converted into warrants).
To the extent we issue shares of common
stock to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of common stock upon exercise of
these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of
issued and outstanding shares of our common stock and reduce the value of the shares of common stock issued to complete the business combination.
Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target
business.
The placement warrants and any warrants
to be issued to our sponsor upon its conversion of up to $750,000 in working capital loans are or would be identical to the warrants sold as part of
the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees, (a) they will not be
redeemable by us, (b) they (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions (as
described in more detail below under Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units and (including securities
contained therein)), be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination and
(c) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.
The determination of the offering price of our units and
the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry.
You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical
offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been
no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the
underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters with
respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors
considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the common stock and warrants underlying the units,
include:
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the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
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prior offerings of those companies; |
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our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
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a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
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our capital structure; |
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an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
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other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered,
the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have
no historical operations or financial results.
A market for our securities may not develop, which would
adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
Although we have applied to have our
securities listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, as of the date of this prospectus there is no market for our securities. Prospective stockholders
therefore have no access to information about prior trading history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering,
the
41
price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations, general market and economic conditions and forecasts, our general business condition and the release of our financial reports. Once listed on Nasdaq, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market for such securities can be established or sustained.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading which could
limit investors ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We expect our units to be approved for
listing on Nasdaq prior to the date of this prospectus, subject to official notice of issuance, and our common stock and warrants to be listed on or
promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial
listing standards established by Nasdaq, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or
prior to a business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to a business combination, we must maintain certain
financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders equity (generally $2,500,000), a
minimum number of public stockholders (generally 300 public holders), and a minimum number of shares held by non-affiliates (500,000 shares).
Additionally, in connection with our business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq may require us to file a new initial listing application and meet
its initial listing requirements which are more rigorous than Nasdaqs continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able
to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from
trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on
the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or the pink sheets. If this were to occur, there could be material adverse
consequences, including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
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reduced liquidity for our securities; |
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a determination that our common stock is a penny stock which will require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
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a limited amount of, or no, news and analyst coverage; and |
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets
Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred
to as covered securities. Because we expect that our units and eventually our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, we expect
that our units, common stock and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the
federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then
the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state, other than the state of Idaho,
having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, certain state securities regulators view blank
check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in
their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in
each state in which we offer our securities.
Purchases of common stock in the open market or in
privately negotiated transactions by our initial holders, directors, officers or their affiliates may make it difficult for us to continue to list our
common stock on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange.
If our initial holders, directors,
officers or their affiliates purchase shares of our common stock in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, it would reduce the public
float of our common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our common stock, which may make it difficult to maintain the listing
or
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trading of our common stock on a national securities exchange if we determine to apply for such listing in connection with the business combination. If the number of our public holders falls below 300 or if the total number of shares held by non-affiliates is less than 500,000, we will be non-compliant with Nasdaqs continued listing rules and our common stock could be de-listed. If our common stock were de-listed, we could face the material consequences set forth in the immediately preceding risk factor.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target
business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target
businesses.
If we hold a stockholder vote to
approve our initial business combination, the federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination
meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. If we make a
tender offer for our public shares, we will include the same financial statement disclosure in our tender offer documents that is required under the
tender offer rules. These financial statements must be prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America, or GAAP, and the historical financial statements must be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States), or 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 consummate our
initial business combination within our 18 month time frame.
The requirements of being a public company may strain our
resources and divert managements attention.
As a public company, we will be subject
to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (which we refer to as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), the Dodd-Frank Act
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (which we refer to as the Dodd-Frank Act), the listing requirements of Nasdaq and other applicable
securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some
activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an
emerging growth company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures
and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal
control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, managements
attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and operating results. We may need to hire more
employees in the future or engage outside consultants to comply with these requirements, which will increase our costs and expenses.
In addition, changing laws, regulations
and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial
compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many
cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory
and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to
disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may
result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of managements time and attention from revenue-generating activities to
compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing
bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business
may be adversely affected.
However, for as long as we remain an
emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that
are applicable to emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation
requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in
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our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirement of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company.
We may remain an emerging growth
company for up to five years. If our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period or revenues exceeds $1 billion, or the market value
of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease
to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year.
As an emerging growth company, we cannot be
certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to
investors.
We are an emerging growth
company, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to
other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor
attestation requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy
statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden
parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised
accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such,
our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with all public company accounting standards. We cannot predict if investors
will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a
result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our share price may be more volatile. See Managements Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events for a further
discussion of this extended transition period.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may
make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and
costs of completing an acquisition.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we
maintain a system of internal controls and, beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2015, that we evaluate
and report on such system of internal controls. In addition, once we are no longer an emerging growth company, we must have our system of
internal controls audited. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly
burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete a business combination may not be in
compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal 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.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common
stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests.
These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of
preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a
premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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Risks applicable to financial technology
businesses
Business combinations with financial
technology businesses may involve special considerations and risks. If we complete our initial business combination with a financial technology
business, we will be subject to the following risks, any of which could be detrimental to us and the business we acquire:
We may be subject to claims from both the firms to whom we
provide our products and services and the clients they serve.
If the products or services we provide
relate to the facilitation of financial transactions, such as funds or securities settlement systems, and a failure or compromise of our product or
service results in loss to a customer or its clients, we may be liable for such loss. The amount of the loss could be significantly greater that the
revenues we derived from providing the product or service.
If we are unable to keep pace with evolving technology and
changes in the financial services industry, our revenues and future prospects may decline.
We expect that the markets for the
products and services of any target business we acquire will likely be characterized by rapid technological change, frequent new product introductions
and evolving industry standards. The introduction of products and services embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards can
render existing products and services obsolete and unmarketable in short periods of time. We expect new products and services, and enhancements to
existing products and services, will be developed and introduce by others, which will compete with the products and services that we offer. Our success
will depend upon our ability to enhance current products and services and to develop and introduce new products and services that keep pace with
technological developments and emerging industry standards. If we are unable to develop and introduce new products and services or enhancements in a
timely manner, or if a release of a new product or service does not achieve market acceptance, our revenues and future prospects may
decline.
Our ability to provide financial technology products and
services to customers may be reduced or eliminated by regulatory changes.
We expect that the customer base for
our products or services will be principally banks and other financial institutions such as insurance companies and securities firms, all of which are
subject to extensive regulation. Any product or service we supply to these firms likely will be affected by and designed to comply with the
customers regulatory environment. If the regulatory environment affecting a particular product or service changes, the product or service could
become obsolete or unmarketable, or require extensive and expensive modification. As a result, regulatory changes may impair our revenues and our
profitability. If we only provide a single product or service a change in the applicable regulatory environment could cause a significant business
interruption and loss of revenue until appropriate modifications are made. Moreover, if the regulatory change eliminates the need for the product or
service, or if the expense of making necessary modifications exceeds our resources or available financing, we may be unable to continue in
business.
Difficulties with any products or services we provide could
damage our reputation and business.
We expect that market acceptance of our
products and services will depend upon the reliable operation and security of our systems and their connection to the systems of our customers. Any
operational or connectivity failures, system outages or security breaches would likely result in revenue loss to us until corrected and could result in
client dissatisfaction, causing them to terminate or reduce their business dealings with us. It may also damage our business reputation, making it more
difficult for us to obtain new customers and maintain or expand our business.
A failure to comply with privacy regulations could
adversely affect relations with customers and have a negative impact on business.
Depending upon the type of financial
technology business we acquire, in the course of providing services to our customers we may collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential
information on our customers and their clients. A failure of our systems due to security breaches, acts of vandalism, computer
viruses,
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misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, or other causes could result in the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential customer information. Any such failure could result in damage to our reputation with our customers, expose us to the risk of litigation and liability, disrupt our operations, and impair our ability to operate profitably.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property and
we may be subject to infringement claims.
We expect to rely on a combination of
contractual rights and copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret laws to establish and protect any proprietary technology of a target business.
Although we intend to protect vigorously any intellectual property we acquire, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property
or may develop competitive technology. Our competitors may independently develop similar technology, duplicate our products or services or design
around our intellectual property rights. We may have to litigate to enforce and protect our intellectual property rights, trade secrets and know-how or
to determine their scope, validity or enforceability, which is expensive, could cause a diversion of resources and may not prove successful. The loss
of intellectual property protection or the inability to secure or enforce intellectual property protection could harm our business and ability to
compete.
We also may be subject to claims by
third parties for infringement of another partys proprietary rights, or for breach of copyright, trademark or license usage rights. Any such
claims and any resulting litigation could subject us to significant liability for damages. An adverse determination in any litigation of this type
could require us to design around a third partys intellectual property, obtain a license for that technology or license alternative technology
from another party. None of these alternatives may be available to us at a price which would allow us to operate profitably. In addition, litigation is
time consuming and expensive to defend and could result in the diversion of the time and attention of management and employees. Any claims from third
parties may also result in limitations on our ability to use the intellectual property subject to these claims.
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Statements contained in this prospectus
that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance, and any other statements of a future or forward-looking nature,
constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements regarding our or our managements expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition,
any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions,
are forward-looking statements. The words anticipate, believe, continue, could, estimate,
expect, intend, may, might, plan, possible, potential,
predict, project, should, would, will, approximately, shall and
similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
|
the ability of our officers and directors to generate potential investment opportunities; |
|
our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
|
our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
|
the allocation by our officers and directors of their time to other businesses and their potential conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
|
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
|
the pool of prospective target businesses; |
|
the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, Nasdaq or our ability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination; |
|
potential changes in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock; |
|
the potential liquidity and trading of the securities we will issue in this offering;; |
|
the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or |
|
our financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements
contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. We
cannot assure you that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of
risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially
different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those
factors described under the heading Risk Factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be
required under applicable securities laws.
47
We are offering 10,000,000 units at an
offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the
placement units (all of which will be deposited into the trust account) will be used as set forth in the following table.
Without Overallotment Option |
Overallotment Option Exercised in Full |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gross
proceeds |
||||||||||
Proceeds from
units offered to the public |
$ | 100,000,000 | $ | 115,000,000 | ||||||
Proceeds from
private placement |
2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | ||||||||
Total gross
proceeds |
$ | 102,500,000 | $ | 117,500,000 | ||||||
Estimated
offering expenses(1) |
||||||||||
Underwriting
commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(2) |
$ | 2,000,000 | $ | 2,000,000 | ||||||
Legal fees
and expenses |
200,000 | 200,000 | ||||||||
Printing and
engraving expenses |
45,000 | 45,000 | ||||||||
Accounting
fees and expenses |
45,000 | 45,000 | ||||||||
SEC fees
|
14,812 | 14,812 | ||||||||
FINRA fees
|
17,750 | 17,750 | ||||||||
Nasdaq
Capital Market Listing Fees |
50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||||
Travel and
roadshow |
20,000 | 20,000 | ||||||||
Miscellaneous
expenses |
107,438 | 107,438 | ||||||||
Total
offering expenses |
$ | 2,500,000 | $ | 2,500,000 | ||||||
Proceeds
after offering expenses |
100,000,000 | 115,000,000 | ||||||||
Held in trust
account |
$ | 100,000,000 | $ | 115,000,000 | ||||||
% of
public offering proceeds held in trust(3) |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||
Held outside
trust account |
$ | | $ | |
The following table shows the use of
the $750,000 in loans from our sponsor, but does not account for interest which may be earned on amounts in the trust account that may be released to
us to cover operating expenses(4).
Amount |
Percentage |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Use of
working capital loans from our sponsor(4)(5) |
||||||||||
Due diligence
(excluding accounting and legal due diligence) of prospective target(s) |
$ | 250,000 | 33.3 | % | ||||||
Legal and
accounting expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiations of an initial business combination |
250,000 | 33.3 | % | |||||||
Legal and
accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations |
125,000 | 16.7 | % | |||||||
Reserve for
liquidation expenses |
30,000 | 4.0 | % | |||||||
Nasdaq
continued listing fees |
75,000 | 10.0 | % | |||||||
Other
miscellaneous expenses |
20,000 | 2.7 | % | |||||||
Total
|
$ | 750,000 | 100.0 | % |
(1) |
As of the date of this prospectus, $ of these expenses have been paid from the proceeds loans made to us by our sponsor. These loans by our sponsor will be repaid upon the earlier of the completion of this offering or March 31, 2015. If offering expenses actually paid are less than the estimates set forth in this table, the balance will be used for post-closing working capital. |
48
(2) |
Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed to defer until consummation of our initial business combination $5.0 million of their underwriting commissions (or $6.05 million if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full), which equals 5.0% of the gross proceeds from the units sold to the public, excluding any units purchased pursuant to the underwriters overallotment option, and 7.0% of the gross proceeds from the units sold to the public pursuant to the underwriters overallotment option. Upon consummation of our initial business combination, the underwriters deferred commissions will be paid to Cantor Fitzgerald from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. |
(3) |
$100.0 million from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement ($115.0 million if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full), including deferred underwriting commissions of $5.0 million ($6.05 million if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full), will be placed in a trust account held at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., located in the United States, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. |
(4) |
These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. If we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to industry specific regulation, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary, and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. |
(5) |
To the extent that we need working capital in excess of amounts of interest available to us from the trust account, our sponsor has committed to lend us the necessary funds, up to a maximum of $750,000. The loans will be interest free, due and payable upon completion of our initial business combination and convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $0.75 per warrant at the option of the lender. See Risk Factors- If the interest income earned on the trust account together with funds made available to us through loans (a maximum of $750,000) are insufficient to allow us to operate for the next 18 months, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. |
A total of $100.0 million (or $115.0
million if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the aggregate net proceeds from this offering and the private
placement, including $5.0 million (or $6.05 million if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full) of the deferred underwriting
discount, will be placed in a trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and will be invested only in United
States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting
certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Except for any interest income released to us for working capital purposes or the
payment of taxes or dissolution expenses, none of the funds held in the trust account will be released, subject to the requirements of law, until the
earlier of (i) the consummation of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), subject to
applicable law; or (iii) otherwise upon our liquidation or if our board of directors resolves to liquidate the trust account and ceases to pursue the
consummation of a business combination prior to the expiration of the 18 month period (our board of directors may determine to liquidate the trust
account prior to such expiration if it determines, in its business judgment, that it is improbable within the remaining time to identify an attractive
business combination or satisfy regulatory and other business and legal requirements to consummate a business combination).
The net proceeds held in the trust
account (excluding any deferred underwriting commissions) may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately
complete a business
49
combination. If we pay for our initial business combination using stock or debt securities, or if we do not use all of the funds released from the trust account for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination, we may use the remaining cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of the operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating the initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We believe that interest income on the
amount in the trust account that may be released to fund working capital requirements and amounts which our sponsor has committed to lend to us for
working capital prior to our initial business combination will be sufficient to pay our costs and expenses prior to our initial business combination.
This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest,
we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated
and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs
of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to
raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. In this event, we could seek such additional capital
through loans or additional investments from members of our management team, but such members of our management team are not under any obligation to
advance funds to, or invest in, us. In addition, if we increase or decrease the size of this offering, it would result in a proportionate increase or
decrease in the amount of interest earned in the trust account and available to us. While we currently do not know what our future working capital
expenses will be and while they will not necessarily be proportionate to the size of the offering, we believe that any additional interest income
earned would facilitate our ability to finance the exploration and consideration of a greater number of potential acquisition targets.
Our sponsor, FinTech Investor Holdings,
LLC, has committed to loan us up to an aggregate of $500,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering
($ of which has been loaned as of the date of this prospectus). These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and
due at the earlier of March 31, 2015 or the completion of this offering. In addition, in order to fund transaction costs in connection with an intended
initial business combination, our sponsor has committed to loan us funds as may be required up to a maximum of $750,000, which will be repaid only upon
the consummation of an initial business combination. If we do not consummate an initial business combination, we may use a portion of any working
capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts; however, no proceeds from the trust account may be used for such repayment, other
than interest income earned thereon. If such funds are insufficient to repay the loan amounts, the unpaid amounts would be forgiven. Any part or all of
such loans may be converted into additional warrants at $0.75 per warrant (a maximum of 1,000,000 warrants if the full $750,000 is loaned and that
amount is converted into warrants) of the post-business combination entity at the option of our sponsor. The warrants would be identical to the
placement warrants issued to our sponsor.
If we seek stockholder approval of our
initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our
initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or following the
consummation of our initial business combination. We anticipate that our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would
approach a limited number of large holders of our securities that have voted against the business combination or sought redemption of their shares, or
that have indicated an intention to do so, and engage in direct negotiations for the purchase of such holders positions. All holders approached
in this manner would be institutional or sophisticated holders. There is no limit on the number of shares they may acquire. Our initial holders,
directors, officers or their affiliates will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not
disclosed to the seller or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act or in transaction which would violate Section 9(a)(2)
or Rule 10(b)-5 under the Exchange Act. Although they do not currently anticipate paying any premium purchase price for such public shares, there is no
limit on the price they may pay. We will notify stockholders of such purchases, if any, by press release, filing a Form 8-K or by means of a supplement
to our proxy statement.
50
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. Moreover, the redemption threshold may be further limited by
the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. If the amount of redemptions plus any cash required by our initial business combination
would cause our net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,000, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business
combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
A public stockholder will be entitled
to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the consummation of our initial business combination; (ii) the
redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding
any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), subject to applicable law; or (iii) otherwise upon our liquidation or in the event our
board of directors resolves to liquidate the trust account and ceases to pursue the consummation of a business combination prior to the expiration of
the 18 month period (our board of directors may determine to liquidate the trust account prior to such expiration if it determines, in its business
judgment, that it is improbable within the remaining time that we will be able to identify an attractive acquisition target or satisfy regulatory and
other business and legal requirements to consummate a business combination). In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or
interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
The initial holders and Cantor
Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the
consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering
(excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The initial
holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination.
However, if the initial holders, or any of our officers, directors or affiliates, acquires public shares, they will be entitled to redemption rights
with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination or liquidate within the required time period, and Cantor
Fitzgerald will have the same redemption rights as a public stockholder with respect to any public shares it acquires.
51
We have not paid any cash dividends on
our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends before we complete our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in
the future will depend upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of an
initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our
board of directors. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the
foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a
stock dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in an amount such that founder shares will remain equal to 25.0% of the aggregate
of our public shares, placement shares and the founder shares. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with a business combination, our
ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants imposed by the debt instruments.
52
The difference between the public
offering price per share of common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this
prospectus or the warrants contained in the placement units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this
offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise
of warrants, including the placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a
cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible
assets less total liabilities (including the value of common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our common
stock.
At July 31, 2014, our net tangible book
value was $(136,551), or approximately $(0.04) per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 10,000,000 shares of common stock included
in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the placement units and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses
of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at July 31, 2014, would have been $5,000,005 or $1.07 per share, representing an immediate
increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 9,000,051 shares of common stock that may be redeemed for cash and
assuming no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) of $1.11 per share to initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and
an immediate dilution of $8.93 per share or 89.3% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights.
The following table illustrates the
dilution to the public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the placement
warrants:
For purposes of presentation, we have
reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) by $90,000,510
because holders of up to 9,000,051 of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the
trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially
anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or stockholders meeting, including any
amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or
dissolution expenses), divided by the number of shares of common stock sold in this offering.
Public
offering price |
$ | 10.00 | ||||||||
Net tangible
book value before this offering |
$ | (0.04 | ) | |||||||
Increase
attributable to new investors |
1.11 | |||||||||
Pro forma net
tangible book value after this offering and sale of private placement units |
1.07 | |||||||||
Dilution to
new investors |
$ | 8.93 |
The following table sets forth
information with respect to holders of founder shares and the public stockholders:
Total shares(1) |
Total consideration |
|||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number |
% |
Amount |
% |
Average price per share(2) |
||||||||||||||||||
Holders of
founder shares |
3,416,667 | 25.0 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.0 | % | $ | 0.0073 | |||||||||||||
Placement
shares |
250,000 | 1.8 | % | 2,500,000 | 2.4 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||||
Public
stockholders |
10,000,000 | 73.2 | % | 100,000,000 | 97.6 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||||
Total |
13,666,667 | 100 | % | $ | 102,525,000 | 100 | % |
(1) |
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option and corresponding forfeiture of 500,000 founder shares by the initial holders as a result thereof. |
(2) |
Assumes no value is attributed to the placement warrants contained in the placement units. |
53
The pro forma net tangible book value
per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
Numerator: |
||||||
Net tangible
book value before this offering |
$ | (136,551 | ) | |||
Net proceeds
from this offering and sale of placement units |
100,000,000 | |||||
Plus:
Offering costs incurred in advance |
137,066 | |||||
Less:
Deferred underwriting commission |
(5,000,000 | ) | ||||
Less:
Proceeds held in the trust account which may be used to redeem shares |
90,000,510 | |||||
$ | 5,000,005 | (2) | ||||
Denominator: |
||||||
Shares of
common stock outstanding before this offering |
3,916,667 | |||||
Less: Shares
subject to forfeiture assuming no overallotment option exercised(1) |
(500,000 | ) | ||||
Shares of
common stock included in the units offered |
10,000,000 | |||||
Shares of
common stock included in the placement units issued |
250,000 | |||||
Less: Shares
subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001(2) |
(9,000,051 | ) | ||||
4,666,616 |
(1) |
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option and that 500,000 founder shares have been forfeited by the initial holders as a result thereof. |
(2) |
Assumes no value is attributed to the placement warrants contained in the placement units. |
54
The following table sets forth our
capitalization at July 31, 2014 and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the sale of our
units and the placement units and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
July 31, 2014 |
|||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Actual |
As Adjusted(1) |
||||||||||
Deferred
underwriting commissions |
$ | | $ | 5,000,000 | |||||||
Common stock,
subject to redemption(2) |
| 90,000,510 | (4) | ||||||||
Stockholders equity: |
|||||||||||
Preferred
stock, $0.001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
| | |||||||||
Common stock,
$0.001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized and 3,916,667 shares issued and outstanding (actual); 25,000,000 shares authorized and 4,666,616 shares
issued and outstanding (excluding 9,000,051 shares subject to redemption) (as adjusted)(3) |
3,917 | 4,667 | |||||||||
Additional
paid-in capital |
21,083 | 5,019,823 | |||||||||
Accumulated
deficit |
(24,485 | ) | (24,485 | ) | |||||||
Total
stockholders equity |
515 | 5,000,005 | (5) | ||||||||
Total
capitalization |
$ | 515 | $ | 100,000,515 |
(1) |
Includes the $2.5 million we will receive from the sale of the placement units. |
(2) |
Upon the consummation of our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Effecting our Initial Business Combination . |
(3) |
Assumes the overallotment option has not been exercised and a corresponding forfeiture of an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares held by the initial holders. |
(4) |
The as adjusted calculation equals the as adjusted total assets, less the as adjusted total liabilities, less the as adjusted stockholders equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001. |
(5) |
Excludes 9,000,051 shares of common stock purchased in the public market which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The as adjusted calculation equals the as adjusted total assets, less the as adjusted total liabilities, less the value of public shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination for an estimated $10.00 per share. |
55
Overview
We are a blank check company formed for
the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one
or more businesses. We have not identified any acquisition target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or
indirectly, with respect to identifying any acquisition target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds
of this offering and the private placement of the placement units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in
our initial business combination.
The issuance of additional shares of
our stock in a business combination:
|
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
|
may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
|
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
|
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
|
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock and/or warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities,
it could result in:
|
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
|
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
|
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand and the lender demands payment; |
|
limitations on our ability to obtain additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to incur debt; |
|
our inability to pay dividends on our common stock due to covenants limiting or prohibiting dividends; |
|
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce, or possibly eliminate, the funds available for use as dividends on our common stock, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
|
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; and |
As indicated in the accompanying
financial statements, at July 31, 2014, we had $4,738 in cash, deferred offering costs of $137,066 and our net tangible book value was
$(136,551).
Further, we expect to continue to incur
significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business
combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future
Events
We have neither engaged in any
operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare
for this offering. Following this
56
offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until, at the earliest, the consummation of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating revenues in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial position since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur significantly increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for expenses incurred in identifying and examining target businesses and completing our initial business combination.
We are an emerging growth company as
defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we have elected, pursuant to Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, to take advantage of the extended
transition period provided in Securities Act Section 7(a)(2)(B) for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We will therefore delay the
adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to
private companies. We may take advantage of this extended transition period until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an emerging growth
company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in Securities Act Section 7(a)(2)(B). As such,
our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.
Upon the issuance of a new or revised
accounting standard that applies to our financial statements and has a different effective date for public and private companies, we will disclose the
date on which adoption is required for non-emerging growth companies and the date on which we will adopt the recently-issued accounting
standard.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At July 31, 2014, we had $4,738 in cash
and cash equivalents and a working capital deficiency of $136,551. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in
pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Managements plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed below. Our
plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These conditions, among others, raise substantial doubt
about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied
to date through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares to the initial holders and $ in loans from
our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately
$500,000 and the non-deferred underwriters discount of $2.0 million, but including deferred underwriting commissions of $5.0 million (or $6.05
million if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full), and (ii) the sale of 250,000 placement units to our sponsor and Cantor
Fitzgerald for an aggregate purchase price of $2.5 million, will be $100.0 million (or $115.0 million if the underwriters overallotment option is
exercised in full), all of which will be held in the trust account. If our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $500,000, we may fund such excess
with the working capital loans that our sponsor has committed to make to us to a maximum of $750,000. If our offering expenses are less than our
estimate of $500,000, the balance will be used for post-closing working capital.
We intend to use substantially all of
the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less amounts released to us for working
capital purposes or to pay taxes and deferred underwriting commissions), to consummate our initial business combination. We may use interest earned on
the trust account for purposes of working capital, to pay taxes and dissolution expenses. We estimate our annual franchise tax obligations, based on
the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding after the completion of this offering to be approximately $77,000. Our annual
income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. To the extent that our
capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to consummate our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the
trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our
growth strategies.
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Prior to the consummation of our
initial business combination, we will have available to us the interest income on the balance of the trust account and a maximum of $750,000 in loans
from our sponsor to fund our working capital requirements and pay taxes or dissolution expenses. Should these amounts be insufficient, our sponsor may
fund our additional working capital requirements or finance transaction costs, as necessary. However, our sponsor is under no obligation to do so. We
will use these funds, including any loans from our sponsor, to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective
target businesses, travel to and from the offices, production facilities or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives
or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and consummate a business
combination. We will depend on these funds to provide working capital we may need to identify one or more target businesses and to complete our initial
business combination, as well as to pay franchise and income taxes that we may owe.
As stated above, in order to fund
working capital requirements and finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed to
loan us funds as may be required to a maximum of $750,000, and may, but is not obligated to, loan us additional funds to fund our additional working
capital requirements and transaction costs. If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. If we do not
consummate an initial business combination, we may use a portion of any working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts;
however, no proceeds from the trust account may be used for such repayment, other than interest income earned thereon. If such funds are insufficient
to repay the loan amounts, the unpaid amounts would be forgiven. Any part or all of such loans may be converted into additional warrants at $0.75 per
warrant (a maximum of 1,000,000 warrants if the full $750,000 is loaned and that amount is converted into warrants) of the post-business combination
entity at the option of our sponsor. The warrants would be identical to the placement warrants issued to our sponsor. Except as described in this
prospectus, the terms of such loans by our sponsor have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such
loans.
We expect our primary liquidity
requirements during the period between the completion of this offering and the consummation of our initial business combination to include
approximately $750,000 in expenses, as described in more detailed under Use of Proceeds. These amounts are estimates and may differ
materially from our actual expenses. We may incur additional expenses in connection with this offering over and above the amounts set forth in
Use of Proceeds. In addition, we may use interest income on the trust account and loans from our sponsor to pay commitment fees for
financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a no-shop provision (a
provision designed to keep target businesses from shopping around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such
target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered
into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund
a no-shop provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at
the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue
searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise
additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required to identify and acquire a target business. However, if our estimate
of the costs of undertaking due diligence investigations and negotiating an initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do
so, we may have insufficient funds available to pursue and consummate our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional
financing if we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which
case we may issue additional securities or incur debt. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only obtain such financing
simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination.
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Controls and Procedures
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we
maintain a system of internal controls, and beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2015, that we evaluate
and report on our system of internal controls. In addition, once we are no longer an emerging growth company, we will be subject to the
requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to have our system of internal controls audited. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an
assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or
businesses prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may
determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with
the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for a
business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
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staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
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reconciliation of accounts; |
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proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
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evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
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documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
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documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management
involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and
market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities,
particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we
expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our managements report on
internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target businesss internal controls while performing
their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market
Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and
the private placement, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days
or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment
Company Act. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate
risk.
Related Party Transactions
The initial holders have purchased an
aggregate of 3,916,667 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0064 per share. This number includes an aggregate
of 500,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture by the initial holders to the extent that the overallotment option is not exercised by the
underwriters. The initial holders have the right to require us to register their founder shares for resale as described in Principal Stockholders
Registration Rights.
As of the date of this prospectus, our
sponsor has loaned us a total of $ for use in funding a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are
non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of March 31, 2015 or the completion of this offering.
Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have
committed to purchase 250,000 placement units for a purchase price of $2.5 million in the aggregate in a private placement that will occur
simultaneously with the
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completion of this offering. Each placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at $12.00 per share. The placement units, and their underlying common stock and warrants, are subject to transfer restrictions. See Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained therein). Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have the right to require us to register the placement units for resale as described in Principal Stockholders Registration Rights. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. The placement warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees. The placement warrants may also be exercised by our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees, for cash or on a cashless basis. Other than as stated above, the placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
In order to finance transaction costs
in connection with an intended initial business combination and working capital expenses, our sponsor has committed to lend us up to $750,000 (in
addition to the $500,000 our sponsor has committed to loan us to fund offering expenses before completion of our offering which will be repaid upon
such completion), and may, but is not obligated to, loan us additional funds to fund our additional working capital requirements and transaction costs.
If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. If we do not consummate an initial business combination, we may
use a portion of any working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts; however, no proceeds from the trust account may be
used for such repayment other than interest income earned thereon. If such funds are insufficient to repay the loan amounts, the unpaid amounts would
be forgiven. Any part or all of such loans may be converted into additional warrants at $0.75 per warrant (a maximum of 1,000,000 warrants if the full
$750,000 is loaned and that amount is converted into warrants) of the post-business combination entity at the option of our sponsor. The warrants would
be identical to the placement warrants issued to our sponsor.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual
Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of July 31, 2014, we did not have
any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No
unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.
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Introduction
We are a blank check company formed in
November 2013 that will seek to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business
combination, one or more businesses or assets. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to
this offering. We have not identified any acquisition target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, directly or
indirectly, with respect to identifying any acquisition target. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will
generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
We currently intend to concentrate our
efforts in identifying businesses which provide disruptive technological innovation to the financial services industry, with particular emphasis on
businesses that provide data processing; transactional and data security; rewards, loyalty, and consumer engagement platforms by which financial
services engage their clients and market and provide services to them; digital marketing; and payment processing services. We are not, however,
required to complete our initial business combination with a financial technology business and, as a result, we may pursue a business combination
outside of that industry. We will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial,
operational, strategic or managerial redirection to maximize value. We do not intend to acquire start-up companies, companies with speculative business
plans or companies that are excessively leveraged
Investment in financial services
technology, which is sometimes referred to as fintech, has gone through a metamorphosis in recent years. Global investment in fintech has
tripled between 2008 and 2013 from $928 million to $3.0 billion. Banking and securities institutions are expected to spend $486 billion on information
technology in 2014 and investment in U.S. fintech companies is projected to reach $4.7 billion annually by 2018. The industry, which was once focused
solely on back office and middle office functions, process improvement, and providing cost efficiencies, has expanded to include front office
functions, where the focus is on providing a convenient internet-enabled interface between a financial institution and its customers through which the
customers can access financial services and products offered by the institution and manage their financial affairs, for example, in integrated
bill-paying services in reloadable pre-paid cards. The industry also offers financial institutions ways to expand their customer acquisition and
permits the creation of new financial services platforms, such as person to person lending.
We believe our management team has the
skills and experience to identify, evaluate and consummate a business combination and is positioned to assist businesses we acquire. However, our
management teams network and investing and operating experience do not guarantee a successful initial business combination. The members of our
management team are not required to devote any significant amount of time to our business and are concurrently involved with other businesses. There is
no guarantee that our current officers and directors will continue in their respective roles, or in any other role, after our initial business
combination, and their expertise may only be of benefit to us until our initial business combination is completed. Past performance by our management
team is not a guarantee of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate.
We anticipate structuring our initial
business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interest or assets of the target business or businesses. However, we may structure our initial
business combination to acquire less than 100% of the equity interest or assets of the target business, but only if we (or any entity that is a
successor to us in a business combination) acquire a majority of the outstanding voting securities or assets of the target. We believe that, if we own
a majority of the targets outstanding voting securities, we will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment
Company Act since the securities of a majority owned subsidiary that is not itself deemed an investment company are not deemed to be investment
securities as defined in the Investment Company Act, and since we expect that 60% or more of the value of our total assets (excluding government
securities and cash) will be represented by the securities of our target business which we expect will be an operating business. Even if we own a
majority interest in the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business
combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction.
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Nasdaq rules require that our initial
business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the
trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in
connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based
upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If
our board is not independently able to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion with respect to
the satisfaction of such criteria from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA and reasonably acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald.
However, if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq or another securities exchange, we will no longer be required to consummate a business combination
with a target whose fair market value equals at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes
payable on the income earned on the trust account).
Business Strategy
We will seek to capitalize on the
significant financial services, financial technology and banking experience and contacts of Daniel G. Cohen, our President and Chief Executive Officer
and a director, Betsy Z. Cohen, our Chairman of the Board, and James J. McEntee, III, our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and our
board of directors to identify, evaluate, acquire and operating a financial technology businesses, although we may pursue a business combination
outside that industry. If we elect to pursue an investment outside of that industry, our managements expertise related to that industry may not
be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding that industry might not be relevant
to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire.
Mr. Cohen, our President and Chief
Executive Officer and a director, Mrs. Cohen, our Chairman of the Board, and Mr. McEntee, our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, have
extensive experience in the financial services industry, generally, and the financial technology industry in particular as well as extensive experience
in operating financial services companies in a public company environment. Mr. Cohen, with over 20 years of experience, is a founder and the Chairman
of Bancorp. Mr. Cohen is the Vice Chairman and Head of Europe of IFMI (NYSE: IFMI), an investment firm specializing in credit-related fixed income
investments, and is an officer and director of subsidiaries of Institutional Financial Markets, including JVB Financial, a registered broker-dealer. He
is also a past Chief Executive Officer and trustee of RAIT Financial Trust and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Taberna Realty Finance
Trust, a real estate investment trust, until its merger into RAIT Financial Trust. Mr. Cohen was also a past director of Jefferson Bank of
Pennsylvania, a commercial bank acquired by Hudson United Bancorp in 1999.
Mrs. Cohen, with over 40 years of
experience, is a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of The Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBBK), a financial holding company with approximately $4.3
billion of total assets as of September 30, 2014, whose principal subsidiary is The Bancorp Bank, a bank that provides a wide range of commercial and
retail banking products and services to both regional and national markets. Bancorps customers access its banking services through its website
and obtain cash withdrawals from automated teller machines. Bancorp provides affinity banking services to members and employees of organizations or
businesses under the name of and through the website of such organization or business, and has developed extensive systems for processing debit and
credit card transactions and providing prepaid, or stored value, card services. Bancorp has announced that Mrs. Cohen has resigned as Chief Executive
Officer effective as of December 31, 2014. Mrs. Cohen is also a founder of RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE:RAS), a real estate investment trust with
approximately $3.8 billion of total assets as of September 30, 2014 focused on commercial mortgage leading, and was its Chairman until December 2010
and its Chief Executive Officer until December 2006. She was also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of JeffBanks, Inc., a publicly traded bank
holding company, and its subsidiary banks from 1974 until the sale of JeffBanks to Hudson United Bancorp in December 1999.
Mr. McEntee, with over 20 years of
experience, is a director of The Bancorp, Inc. and The Bancorp Bank, was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Alesco Financial, an investment firm
specializing in credit related fixed income investment, until it merged with Cohen & Company and was the Chief Operating
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Officer of Cohen & Company. In addition, he was a managing director of IFMI and the Vice-Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer of JVB Financial.
We have identified the following
criteria that we intend to use in evaluating business transaction opportunities. We expect that no individual criterion will entirely determine a
decision to pursue a particular opportunity. Further, any particular business transaction opportunity which we ultimately determine to pursue may not
meet one or more of these criteria:
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History of free cash flow generation. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses or assets that have a history of, or potential for, strong, stable free cash flow generation, with predictable and recurring revenue streams. |
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Revenues and Enterprise Value. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses with annual revenues of approximately $50 million to $250 million and an enterprise value of approximately $200 million to $800 million. |
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Strong management team. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses or assets that have strong, experienced management teams or those that provide a platform for us to assemble an effective and experienced management team. We will focus on management teams with a proven track record of driving revenue growth, enhancing profitability and creating value for their stockholders. |
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Opportunities for add-on acquisitions. We will seek to acquire one or more businesses or assets that we can grow both organically and through acquisitions. In addition, we believe that our ability to source proprietary opportunities and execute transactions will help the business we acquire grow through acquisition, and thus serve as a platform for further add-on acquisitions. |
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Spin-offs/divestitures of non-core businesses or assets from larger companies. We will focus on one or more businesses or assets that are part of larger companies where the owners seek to divest or spin-off such businesses in order to free up capital to focus on core activities. |
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Defensible business niche. We will seek to acquire on one or more businesses or assets that have a leading or niche market position and that demonstrate advantages when compared to their competitors, which may help to create barriers to entry against new competitors. We anticipate that these barriers to entry will enhance the ability of these businesses or assets to generate strong profitability and free cash flow. |
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Diversified customer and supplier base. We seek to acquire one or more businesses or assets that have a diversified customer and supplier base, which are generally better able to endure economic downturns, industry consolidation, changing business preferences and other factors that may negatively impact their customers, suppliers and competitors. |
Competitive Strengths
We believe we have the following
competitive strengths:
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Management Operating and Investing Experience. Our directors and executive officers have significant experience in the financial services and financial technology industries. Daniel G. Cohen, with over 20 years experience in the financial services industry, is a founder of Bancorp, the Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of an investment bank and is an officer and director of a broker-dealer subsidiary of the investment bank. Betsy Z. Cohen has over 40 years experience in the financial services industry and is a founder and chief executive officer of The Bancorp, Inc., a financial holding company whose banking subsidiary, The Bancorp Bank, provides banking services principally through the internet. James J. McEntee, III, with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, is a director of The Bancorp, Inc. and The Bancorp Bank, was previously the Chief Executive Officer of an investment firm specializing in credit related fixed income investment, a managing director of IFMI and the Vice-Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer of JVB Financial. We believe that this breadth of experience provides us with a competitive advantage in evaluating businesses and acquisition opportunities in our target industry. |
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Established Deal Sourcing Network. As a result of their extensive experience in the financial services industry, our management team members have developed a broad array of contacts in the industry. We believe that these contacts will be important in generating acquisition opportunities for us. |
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Strong Financial Position and Flexibility. With a trust account initially in the amount of $100,000,000 and a public market for our common stock, we offer a target business a variety of options to facilitate a future business transaction and fund the growth and expansion of business operations. Because we are able to consummate an initial business transaction using our capital stock, debt, cash or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to design an acquisition structure to address the needs of the parties. We have not, however, taken any steps to secure third party financing and would only do so simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business transaction. Accordingly, our flexibility in structuring an initial business transaction may be constrained by our ability to arrange third-party financing, if required. |
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Status as a Public Company. We believe our structure will make us an attractive business transaction partner to prospective target businesses. As an existing public company, we will offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business transaction with us. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock. Once public, we believe the target business would have greater access to capital and additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with stockholders interests than it would as a private company. We believe that being a public company can also augment a companys profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid it in attracting and retaining talented employees. |
Effecting our Initial Business
Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we
will not engage in, any operations following this offering until our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business
combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the
consideration to be paid in our initial business combination.
If we pay for our initial business
combination using stock or debt securities, or we do not use all of the funds released from the trust account for payment of the purchase price in
connection with our business combination or for redemptions or purchases of our common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from
the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal
or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working
capital.
We have not identified any acquisition
target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any discussions, with respect to identifying any acquisition target. From the period
prior to our formation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no communications or discussions between any of our officers, directors or
our initial stockholders and any of their potential contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination. Additionally, we have
not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate, to conduct any research or take any
measures, directly or indirectly, to locate or contact a target business.
Nasdaq rules require that our initial
business combination be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust
account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in
connection with our initial business combination. However, if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq or another securities exchange, we will no longer
be subject to that requirement. There is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target
business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular
target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this
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assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We may seek to raise additional funds
through a private offering of debt or equity securities to finance our initial business combination, and we may effectuate an initial business
combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable
securities laws, we would consummate such financing only simultaneously with the consummation of our business combination. In the case of an initial
business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business
combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law or Nasdaq, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing.
There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time,
we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities
or otherwise.
Sources of Acquisition Candidates
We anticipate that target business
candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, venture capital
funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds, brokers and other members of the financial community and corporate
executives. These target candidates may present solicited or unsolicited proposals. We expect such sources to become aware that we are seeking a
business combination candidate by a variety of means, including publicly available information relating to this offering, public relations and
marketing efforts or direct contact by management following the completion of this offering.
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 contacts. While we do not
presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we
may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finders fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be
determined in an arms length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only if our management determines that
the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a
potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finders 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 initial
stockholders or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finders fee, consulting fee
or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination
(regardless of the type of transaction that it is), other than (i) repayment of loans made to us prior to the date of this prospectus by our sponsor to
cover offering-relating and organization expenses and (ii) repayment of the up to $750,000 in incremental loans that our sponsor has committed to make
to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination (provided that if we do not consummate an initial business
combination, we may use working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be
used for such repayment other than interest earned thereon). None of the initial holders, our officers, our directors or any of their respective
affiliates will be allowed to receive any compensation, finders fees or consulting fees from a prospective acquisition target in connection with
a contemplated acquisition of such target by us. Although some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with
the acquired business following our initial business combination, the presence or absence of any such arrangements will not be used as a criterion in
our selection process of an acquisition candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an
initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, initial holders, officers, directors or their affiliates.
Additionally, we are not prohibited from partnering, submitting joint bids, or entering into any similar transaction with such persons in the pursuit
of an initial business combination. If we seek to complete an initial business combination with such a company or we partner with such persons in our
pursuit of an initial business combination, we, or a committee of
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independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA and reasonably acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald, that such an initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. Generally, such opinion is rendered to a companys board of directors and investment banking firms may take the view that stockholders may not rely on the opinion. Such view will not impact our decision on which investment banking firm to hire.
Unless we consummate our initial
business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain a financial fairness opinion from an independent investment banking firm.
If we do not obtain such an opinion, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value
and fairness based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. The application of such standards would involve a comparison, from a
valuation standpoint, of our business combination target to comparable public companies, as applicable, and a comparison of our contemplated
transaction with such business combination target to other then-recently announced comparable private and public company transactions, as applicable.
The application of such standards and the basis of our board of directors determination will be discussed and disclosed in our tender offer or
proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Selection of a target business and structuring of our
initial business combination
Subject to the Nasdaq requirement that
our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance
in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive
agreement in connection with our initial business combination, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting
one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check
company or a similar company with nominal operations. However, if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq or another securities exchange, we will no
longer be subject to the Nasdaq requirement. In any case, we intend to consummate our initial business combination only if we (or any entity that is a
successor to us in a business combination) will acquire a majority of the outstanding voting securities or assets of the target with the objective of
making sure that we are not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We believe that, if we own a majority of
the targets outstanding voting securities, we will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act since
the securities of a majority owned subsidiary that is not itself deemed an investment company are not deemed to be investment securities as
defined in the Investment Company Act, and since we expect that 60% or more of the value of our total assets (excluding government securities and cash)
will be represented by the securities of our target business which we expect will be an operating business. We will seek to acquire established
companies that have demonstrated sound historical financial performance. Although we are not restricted from doing so, we do not intend to acquire
start-up companies. To the extent we effect a 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 an extensive 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 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 a 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. We will not pay any finders or consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective
affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with a business combination.
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Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after
consummation 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 consummating a
business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
|
subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
|
cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited ability to evaluate the targets management
team
Although we intend to closely
scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating a target business, our assessment of the target business management
may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public
company. The future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is
possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that any of
them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management
team will have 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 a business
combination
We may not seek stockholder approval
before we effect our initial business combination as not all business combinations require stockholder approval under applicable state law. However, we
will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or Nasdaq, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
Presented in the table below is a table of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently
required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
Type of Transaction |
Whether Stockholder Approval is Required |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Purchase of
assets |
No |
|||||
Purchase of
stock of target not involving a merger with the company |
No |
|||||
Merger of
target into a subsidiary of the company |
No |
|||||
Merger of the
company with a target |
Yes |
Permitted purchases of our
securities
If we seek stockholder approval of our
business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial
stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or
following
67
the consummation of our initial business combination. We anticipate that our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates would approach a limited number of large holders of our securities that have voted against the business combination or sought redemption of their shares, or that have indicated an intention to do so, and engage in direct negotiations for the purchase of such holders positions. All holders approached in this manner would be institutional or sophisticated holders. There is no limit on the number of shares they may acquire. Our initial holders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act, or in transactions which would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10(b)-5 under the Exchange Act. Although they do not currently anticipate paying any premium purchase price for such public shares, there is no limit on the price they may pay. We will notify stockholders of such purchases, if any, by press release, filing a Form 8-K or by means of a supplement to our proxy statement.
The purpose of such purchases would be
to (i) 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 the business combination, where it appears
that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the consummation of a business combination that may not otherwise have been
possible.
As a consequence of any such purchases
by our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates, the public float of our common stock may be reduced and the number of
beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to obtain the continued listing of our securities on Nasdaq or another
national securities exchange in connection with our initial business combination
Our initial stockholders, officers,
directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they will identify the public stockholders with whom they may pursue privately negotiated purchases
through either direct contact by the public stockholders or by our receipt of redemption requests or votes against the business combination submitted
by such public stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. The sellers of any shares so
purchased by our initial stockholders, officers, advisors, directors and/or their affiliates would, as part of the sale arrangement, revoke their
election to redeem such shares and withdraw their vote against the business combination. The terms of such purchases would operate to facilitate our
ability to consummate a proposed business combination by potentially reducing the number of shares redeemed for cash.
Redemption rights for public stockholders upon consummation
of our initial business combination
We will provide our stockholders with
the opportunity to redeem their shares upon the consummation 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, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest
released to us for working capital purposes or the payment of taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the
limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The initial holders and Cantor
Fitzgerald have each agreed with respect to their founder shares and placement shares, and in the case of the initial holders, any public shares held
by them, to waive their respective redemption rights in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our stockholders with
the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either in connection with a
stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder
approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of
factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law or
stock exchange listing requirement. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer
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rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or by a Nasdaq listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required
and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation:
|
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of the proposed business combination, and |
|
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to consummating our initial business combination that will 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. |
If we conduct redemptions pursuant to
the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem must 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 consummate our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period.
In connection with the consummation of
our business combination, we may redeem pursuant to a tender offer up to that number of shares of common stock that would permit us to maintain net
tangible assets of $5,000,001. However, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our proposed initial business
combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or members of its management
team, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the allocation of cash to satisfy
other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. If the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for
all shares of common stock that are validly tendered plus the amount of any cash payments required pursuant to the terms of the proposed business
combination exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available to us, taking into consideration the requirement that we maintain net tangible assets of at
least $5,000,001 or such greater amount depending on the terms of our potential business combination, we will not consummate the business combination,
we will not purchase any shares of common stock pursuant to the tender offer and any shares of common stock tendered pursuant to the tender offer will
be returned to the holders thereof following the expiration of the tender offer.
When we conduct a tender offer to
redeem our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the tender offer rules, the offer will be made
to all of our stockholders, not just our public stockholders. In connection with any such tender offer, holders of founder shares have agreed to waive
their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares and Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed to waive its
redemption rights with respect to its placement shares.
If, however, stockholder approval of
the transaction is required by law or Nasdaq, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will:
|
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
|
file proxy materials with the SEC. |
If we seek 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 consummation of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we
will consummate our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business
combination. Our sponsor and the other initial holders have agreed to vote their founder shares and placement shares and any public shares held by them
in favor of our initial business combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares, irrespective of whether it
votes for or against the proposed transaction, for cash equal to its pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account,
including interest
69
but less interest released to us for working capital purposes, to pay taxes or dissolution costs and subject to certain volume limitations, as described below. In addition, holders of founder shares have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and public shares, and Cantor Fitzgerald has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to its placement shares, in connection with the consummation of a business combination.
Many blank check companies would not be
able to consummate a business combination if the holders of the companys public shares voted against a proposed business combination and elected
to redeem or convert more than a specified maximum percentage of the shares sold in such companys initial public offering, which percentage
threshold has typically been between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies have been unable to complete business combinations
because the number of shares voted, against their initial business combination by their public stockholders electing conversion exceeded the maximum
conversion threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with a business combination. Since we have no such specified maximum redemption
threshold and since even those public stockholders who vote in favor of our initial business combination will have the right to redeem their public
shares, our structure is different in this respect from the structure that has been used by many blank check companies. This may make it easier for us
to consummate our initial business combination. However, 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. Moreover, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business
combination. If the amount of redemptions plus any cash required by our initial business combination would cause our net tangible assets to fall below
$5,000,001, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate
business combination.
Limitation on redemption upon consummation of a business
combination if we seek stockholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we
seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to
the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such
stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange
Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to an aggregate of 10.0% or more of the shares sold in this offering. 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 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 an aggregate of 10.0% or more of the shares sold in this
offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holders shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the
then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders ability to redeem only up to 10.0% of the shares sold in
this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small number of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to consummate 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.
Tendering stock certificates in connection with redemption
rights
If we hold a stockholder meeting to
approve a potential business combination, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record
holders or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent up to two business days prior to the
vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust
Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders option. The proxy materials that we will furnish to holders of our
public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery
requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have until two days prior to the vote on the business combination to tender its shares if it
wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic
delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with
the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will
typically charge the
70
tendering broker $45.00 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 redemption rights. After the
business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him to deliver his certificate to verify ownership. As a
result, the stockholder then had an option window after the consummation of the business combination during which he could monitor the
price of the companys stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he could sell his shares in the open market before
actually delivering his shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to
commit before the stockholder meeting, would become option rights surviving past the consummation 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
holders election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once
made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy
materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivers 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 a business combination.
If the 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 consummated, we may continue to try to consummate a business combination with a different target until 18 months from the completion
of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option).
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial
business combination
Holders of founder shares, and our
officers and directors, have agreed that we will have only 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the
underwriters overallotment option) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination
within the 18 month period, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, pro rata to our public shareholders by way of
redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. If we have not consummated a
business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering, or earlier, at the discretion of our board pursuant to the expiration of a
tender offer conducted in connection with a failed 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 all public shares then outstanding at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust
account, less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses (although, we expect all or
substantially all of the interest released to be used for working capital purposes), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which
redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation
distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible
71
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.
The initial holders and Cantor
Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the
consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering
(excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The initial
holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination.
However, if the initial holders of, or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquires public shares, they will be entitled to redemption rights
with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination or liquidate within the required time period. In addition,
Cantor Fitzgerald will have the same redemption rights as a public stockholder with respect to any public shares it acquires. There will be no
redemption rights or liquidating distributions from us with respect to our founder shares, placement units or warrants if we do not consummate a
business combination within the allotted 18 month period.
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 interest income on the balance of the
trust account (net of any taxes payable), which will be released to us to fund our working capital requirements and loans from our sponsor for working
capital purposes and to pay expenses to identify an initial business combination to a maximum of $750,000, although we cannot assure you that there
will be sufficient funds for such purposes. If such funds are insufficient, Daniel G. Cohen, our President, Chief Executive Officer and a director and
the managing member of our sponsor, has agreed to pay the balance of the amount necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no
more than approximately $30,000) and has agreed not to seek repayment for such amounts.
The proceeds deposited in the trust
account could 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 less than the $10.00 per public share initially on deposit
in the trust account. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make
provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any
distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds
sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors claims.
Although we will seek to have all
vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right,
title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee
that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust
account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging
the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in
the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will
perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if
management believes that such third partys engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. If we do not obtain a
waiver from a third party, we will obtain the written consent of our sponsor before our entering into an agreement with such third party. 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 and where our sponsor executes a written consent.
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
72
reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, pursuant to a written agreement, Daniel G. Cohen has agreed that he will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a definitive transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below $10.00 per share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, Mr. Cohen will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We cannot assure you, however, that Mr. Cohen will be able to satisfy those obligations.
If the proceeds in the trust account
are reduced below $10.00 per public share and Mr. Cohen asserts that he is unable to satisfy any applicable obligations or that he has no
indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against Mr. Cohen to
enforce his indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against Mr.
Cohen to enforce his indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose
not to do so in a 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 $10.00 per public share.
We will have access to any amounts
representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution
expenses, and the commitment of our sponsor to loan us up to $750,000 with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses
incurred in connection with our liquidation). If 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. If our offering expenses exceed our
estimate of 500,000, we may fund such excess with the working capital loans that our sponsor has committed to make to us to a maximum of $750,000.
Conversely, if the offering expenses are less than our estimate, the balance will be used for post-closing working capital.
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 if we do not consummate our initial business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering may be considered a liquidation 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 stockholders 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 consummate our initial
business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) is
not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of
the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three
years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we have not consummated a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this
offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), or earlier at the discretion of our board, 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 all
public shares then outstanding at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any
amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or
dissolution expenses (although, we expect all or
73
substantially all of such interest released to be used for working capital purposes), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 18th month and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with
Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all
existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check
company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only
likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above,
pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses
or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held
in the trust account. As a result of this obligation and Mr. Cohens indemnification of the trust account against certain claims as previously
described in this section, we believe that the claims that could be made against us will be significantly limited and that the likelihood that any
claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote.
If we file a bankruptcy petition or an
involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable
bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our
stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our
public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed,
any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a preferential
transfer or a fraudulent conveyance. As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders.
Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing
itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of
creditors.
We cannot assure you that claims will
not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be
entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not consummate a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if they
redeem their respective shares for cash upon the consummation of the initial business combination. Also, our management may cease to pursue a business
combination prior to the expiration of the 18 month period (our board of directors may determine to liquidate the trust account prior to such
expiration if it determines, in its business judgment, that it is improbable within the remaining time to identify an attractive business combination
or satisfy regulatory and other business and legal requirements to consummate a business combination). In no other circumstances will a stockholder
have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business
combination, a stockholders voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a stockholders redeeming its shares
for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described
above.
74
Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with
our initial business combination and if we fail to consummate a business combination.
The following table compares the
redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination
and if we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the
underwriters overallotment option).
Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Consummate an Initial Business Combination |
||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calculation
of redemption price |
Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote.
The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either
case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is
initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest
released to us for working capital purposes or the payment of taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; subject to the limitation
that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations
(including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business
combination. |
If we
seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to
the tender offer rules, our affiliates may enter into privately negotiated transactions to purchase public shares from stockholders. There is no limit
to the prices that our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. |
If we are unable
to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters
overallotment option), we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the
trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account,
less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses divided by the number of then outstanding
public shares. |
75
Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Consummate an Initial Business Combination |
||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Impact to
remaining stockholders |
The
redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the
burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and franchise and income taxes payable. |
None. |
The redemption of
our public shares if we fail to consummate a business combination will reduce the book value per share for the founder shares and the placement shares
held by our initial stockholders, our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald, respectively, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such
redemptions. |
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies
Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms
of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross
proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject
to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their overallotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our
offering.
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Escrow of
offering proceeds |
$100.0 million of the net proceeds ($115.0 million if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full) of this offering and
the private placement, which includes $5.0 million in deferred underwriting commissions ($6.05 million if the underwriters overallotment option
is exercised in full), will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as
trustee. |
Approximately $88.2 million of the offering proceeds, (approximately $101.7 million if the underwriters overallotment option is
exercised in full) representing the gross proceeds of this offering, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured
depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the
beneficial interests in the account. |
||||||||
Investment
of net proceeds |
$100.0 million of the net proceeds ($115.0 million if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full) of this offering and
the private placement, which includes $5.0 million in deferred underwriting commissions ($6.05 million if the underwriters overallotment option
is exercised in full) held in trust will be invested only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money
market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company
Act. |
Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in
securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. |
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Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Receipt of
interest on funds in trust account |
We
will be entitled to withdraw interest income earned on the funds in the trust account for working capital purposes, the payment of franchise taxes,
income taxes or dissolution expenses. Our stockholders will have no right to receive any pro-rata portion of interest income earned on the proceeds
held in the trust account released to us. |
Interest on funds in the escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were
released to us in connection with our consummation of a business combination. |
||||||||
Trading of
securities issued |
The
units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate
trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald, acting as representative of the underwriters,
informs us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described under
Description of Securities Units and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the
Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place four business days from the date of this
prospectus. If the overallotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current
Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the overallotment option. |
No
trading of the units or the underlying common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period,
the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
||||||||
Exercise of
the warrants |
The
warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination or 12 months from the completion of
this offering. |
The
warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise
would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
||||||||
Election to
remain an investor |
We
will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount
then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for
working capital purposes, the payment of taxes and upon the consummation of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described
herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection |
A
prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be
given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of not less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the
effective date of a post-effective amendment to the companys registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of
the company or requires the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not |
77
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
with
the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. We may not be required by law or Nasdaq to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required
by law or Nasdaq and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC, which will contain substantially
the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SECs proxy
rules. If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy
solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will consummate our initial
business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Additionally,
each public stockholder may elect to redeem his, her or its public shares irrespective of whether he, she or it votes for or against the proposed
transaction for cash equal to his, her or its pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest but less
interest released to us for working capital purposes, to pay taxes or dissolution costs. The initial holders and Cantor Fitzgerald have agreed to waive
their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation of a business combination and
(ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the
underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The initial holders have also agreed to
waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination. |
received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account
would be automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the
escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
78
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Business
combination deadline |
If we
are unable to complete a business combination within 18 months from completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters
overallotment option), 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 any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working capital
purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely
extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to
applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our
board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the
requirements of other applicable law. |
If an
acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the companys registration statement, funds held in the trust or
escrow account are returned to investors. |
||||||||
Release of
funds |
Except for interest income earned on the trust account balance, which will be released to us, none of the funds held in trust will be released
from the trust account until the earlier of (i) the consummation of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we
are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering, subject to applicable law; or (iii) otherwise
upon our liquidation or in the event our board of directors resolves to liquidate the trust account and ceases to pursue the consummation of a business
combination prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. |
The
proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business
combination within the allotted time. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and
selecting a target business for a business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to
ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions.
Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and
79
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 to our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for an initial business combination. In addition, the number of 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 at 712 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10019. The cost for this space is being borne by an affiliate of our sponsor,
without cost to us.
We consider our current office space
adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have three executive
officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our affairs but they intend to devote as much of their time as
they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period
will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process
we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial
Information
We will register our units, common
stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports
with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by
our independent registered public accountants.
Prior to the date of this prospectus,
we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be
subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or
other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our business combination.
We will provide stockholders with
audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to
stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with
GAAP. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements
prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with GAAP. To the
extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential
acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate and
report on our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2015 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not
be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls
of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such
acquisition.
We are an emerging growth
company, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to
other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor
attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding
80
executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, although if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period or revenues exceeds $1 billion, or if the market value of our common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of our second fiscal quarter, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation,
arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the
members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
81
Directors and Executive Officers
Our directors, executive officers and
director nominees are as follows:
Name |
Age |
Title |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Betsy Z. Cohen
|
73 | Chairman of the Board |
||||||||
Daniel G.
Cohen |
45 | President, Chief Executive Officer and Director |
||||||||
James J.
McEntee, III |
57 | Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer |
||||||||
Walter Beach
|
48 | Director |
||||||||
Shami Patel
|
45 | Director |
Betsy Z. Cohen, age 73, has
served as a director since November 2013, as Chairman of the Board since July 2014, and previously served as our Chief Executive Officer from July 2014
through August 2014. She has served as Chief Executive Officer of Bancorp and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bancorp Bank, since September 2000 and
Chairman of Bancorp Bank since November 2003, and Bancorp has announced that she has resigned from these positions effective December 31, 2014. She
served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and as a trustee of RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE: RAS), a real estate investment trust, since its
founding in August 1997, through her resignation as of December 31, 2010 and served as RAITs Chief Executive Officer from 1997 to 2006. Mrs.
Cohen served as a director of Hudson United Bancorp (a bank holding company), the successor to JeffBanks, Inc., from December 1999 until July 2000 and
as the Chairman of the Jefferson Bank Division of Hudson United Bank (Hudson United Bancorps banking subsidiary) from December 1999 through March
2000. Before the merger of JeffBanks, Inc. with Hudson United Bancorp in December 1999, Mrs. Cohen was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
JeffBanks, Inc. from its inception in 1981 and also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of each of its subsidiaries, Jefferson Bank, which
she founded in 1974, and Jefferson Bank New Jersey, which she founded in 1987. From 1985 until 1993, Mrs. Cohen was a director of First Union Corp. of
Virginia (a bank holding company) and its predecessor, Dominion Bancshares, Inc. In 1969, Mrs. Cohen co-founded a commercial law firm and served as a
senior partner until 1984. Mrs. Cohen is also a director of Aetna, Inc. (NYSE: AET), an insurance company. Our board has determined that Mrs.
Cohens extensive experience in the financial services industry generally, and the financial technology industry in particular, as well as
extensive experience in operating financial services companies in a public company environment, qualifies her to serve as a member of our board of
directors.
Daniel G. Cohen, age 45, has
served as a director since November 2013, as our President and Chief Executive Officer since August 2014, and previously served as our Executive Vice
President from July 2014 through August 2014. He has been the Chairman of Bancorp and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Bancorps Board of
Directors since its inception in 1999. Mr. Cohen is Vice-Chairman of the Banks Board of Directors and Chairman of its Executive Committee. He had
previously been Chairman of the Banks Board of Directors from September 2000 to November 2003 and, from July 2000 to September 2000, had been the
Banks Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cohen has served as the President of Cohen & Company Financial Limited (formerly Euro DeKania Management
Ltd.), a wholly owned subsidiary of IFMI (NYSE: IFMI), formerly Cohen & Company Inc., and Alesco Financial, Inc. (which merged into IFMI),
investment firms specializing in credit-related fixed income investments, since September 2013. Mr. Cohen has also served since September 2013, as
President and Chief Executive Officer of all businesses of IFMI, LLC arising out of or related to Europe. Mr. Cohen served as Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Investment Officer of IFMI from December 2009 through September 2013, as their respective Chairman of the Board of Directors since October
2006 and as Executive Chairman from October 2006 through December 2009. He is also Chairman of JVB Financial, a broker dealer subsidiary of IFMI. In
addition, before its merger with Alesco Financial, Mr. Cohen served as the Chairman of the Board of Managers of Cohen Brothers LLC, an investment firm
specializing in credit related fixed income investment, from 2001, as Chief Investment Officer from October 2008 and as Chief Executive Officer from
December 2009. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of RAIT from December 2006, when it merged with Taberna Realty Finance Trust, to
February 2009, and served as a trustee from the date RAIT acquired Taberna until his resignation from that position in February
82
2010. Mr. Cohen was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Taberna Realty Finance Trust from its inception in March 2005 until its December 2006 acquisition by RAIT, and its Chief Executive Officer from March 2005 to December 2006. Mr. Cohen served as a director of Star Asia, a joint venture investing in Asian commercial real estate, from February 2007 to February 2014 and as a director of Muni Funding Company of America, LLC, a company investing in middle-market non-profit organizations, from April 2007 to June 2011. Our board has determined that Mr. Cohens service as a director and as an executive officer of various entities in the banking industry have provided him with industry specific expertise that qualifies him to serve as a member of our board of directors.
James J. McEntee, III, age 57,
has served as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer since August 2014. He has served as the Managing Principal of StBWell, LLC, an
owner and operator of real estate, since June 2010. Mr. McEntee has been a director of both Bancorp and its wholly-owned subsidiary Bancorp Bank since
September 2000 and a director of T-Rex Group, Inc., a provider of risk analytics software for investors in renewable energy, since November 2014. Mr.
McEntee was the Chief Executive Officer of Alesco Financial, Inc. from the date of its incorporation in 2006 until its merger with Cohen & Company
in December 2009 and was the Chief Operating Officer of Cohen & Company from March 2003 until December 2009, and was a managing director of IFMI (a
successor company to Cohen & Company) and was the Vice-Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer of JVB Financial through October 2013. Mr. McEntee
was a principal in Harron Capital, L.P., a media and communications venture capital fund, from 1999 to September 2002. From 1990 through 1999, Mr.
McEntee was a stockholder at Lamb McErlane, PC, and from 2000 until 2004 was of counsel to Lamb McErlane. Mr. McEntee was previously a director of
Pegasus Communications Corporation, a publicly held provider of communications and other services, and of several other private companies. Mr. McEntee
has served since 2008 as a director of The Chester Fund, a nonprofit organization, and has served as its Chairman since July 2012.
Walter T. Beach, age 48, has
been a director of both Bancorp and Bancorp Bank since 1999. Mr. Beach has been a Managing Director of Beach Investment Counsel, Inc., an investment
management firm, since 1997. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Beach was a Senior Analyst and Director of Research at Widmann, Siff and Co., Inc., an investment
management firm, where he was, beginning in 1994, responsible for the firms investment decisions for its principal equity product. As research
director, he was one of two major contributors to overall investment management. From 1992 to 1993, he was an associate and financial analyst at Essex
Financial Group, a consulting and merchant banking firm. From 1991 to 1992 he was an analyst at Industry Analysis Group, an industry and economic
consulting firm. Mr. Beach has served as a director of Resource Capital Corp. (NYSE:RSO), a real estate investment trust, since 2005. Mr. Beach served
as a director of Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. from December 2009 to September 2013. Our board has determined that Mr. Beachs extensive
experience in the financial services industry and as a member of the boards of various public companies qualifies him to serve as a member of our board
of directors.
Shami Patel, age 45, has served
as a director since November 2014. He has served as the Co-Head of the Venture Capital Team and General Partner of Pacific View Ventures, a division of
Pacific View Asset Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm, since July 2014 and as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Golden Pacific Bancorp, Inc.,
a financial holding company that provides banking and other financial products and services, since October 2010. He has served at Clean Pacific
Ventures Management, LLC, a venture capital firm specializing in early stage investments, as a venture partner since February 2013. From September 2009
to November 2011, Mr. Patel was a partner at, and served on the Executive Committee of, Hexagon Securities, LLC, a credit focused investment bank and
securities firm. From 2001 to August 2009, he served as Managing Director and Senior Partner at Cohen & Company, where he helped launch Alesco
Financial, Inc., where he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer from 2006 to 2009. From 1999 to 2000, he served as Chief
Financial Officer for TRM Corporation (NASDAQ: TRMM), a consumer and financial services company. In 2000, he founded iATMglobal.net, a middleware
software business where he served as Chief Executive Officer and which was sold to NCR Corporation in 2001. He served as Vice President of the West
Coast Region for Sirrom Capital Corporation, a mezzanine finance fund, from 1998 to 1999. Prior to this he was in the business services group at
Robertson Stephens, an investment banking firm from 1997 to 1998 and served as a strategy consultant in the energy group at Andersen Consulting from
1991 to 1993. Mr. Patel has served on the Board of the Duke University School of Law since 2011 and has been a
83
Senior Lecturing Fellow since 2012 and a member of the Advisory Board of the Law and Entrepreneurship Program at Duke since 2013. Mr. Patel has also served on the Executive Committee of the Seven Hills School since 2010 and has been the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees since 2012. Our board has determined that Mr. Patels extensive experience in the financial services industry and both as an investor and operator of various private and public high growth companies qualifies him to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and
Directors
Our board of directors is divided into
two classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual
meeting of stockholders) serving a two-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Walter T. Beach and Shami Patel,
will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Betsy Z. Cohen and Daniel
G. Cohen, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders.
Collectively, through their positions
described above, our officers and directors have extensive experience in public companies and in the financial services industry. These individuals
will play a key role in identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, selecting the target businesses, and structuring, negotiating
and consummating their acquisition.
Director Independence
Nasdaq rules require that a majority of
the board of directors of a company listed on Nasdaq must be composed of independent directors. An independent director is
defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship,
which, in the opinion of the companys board of directors, would interfere with the directors exercise of independent judgment in carrying
out the responsibilities of a director. We have determined that Messrs. Beach and Patel are independent directors under the Nasdaq rules and Rule 10A-3
of the Exchange Act. Because we expect to list our securities on Nasdaq in connection with our initial public offering, we have one year from the date
our securities are first listed on Nasdaq to have a majority of our board of directors consist of independent members.
Executive Officer and Director
Compensation
None of our executive officers or
directors has received any compensation (cash or non-cash) for services rendered. No compensation of any kind, including finders and consulting
fees, will be paid to holders of founder shares, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior
to or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination other than (i) repayment of loans made to us prior to the date of this
prospectus by our sponsor to cover offering-relating and organization expenses and (ii) repayment of the up to $750,000 in incremental loans which our
sponsor has committed to make to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination (provided that if we do not
consummate an initial business combination, we may use working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds
from our trust account would be used for such repayment other than interest earned thereon). Individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable
business combinations. Prior to the appointment of our audit committee, our independent directors must approve all payments in excess of $5,000 to any
initial holder, our sponsor, our directors and officers or our or their affiliates. Following the appointment of an audit committee, the audit
committee will approve such payments.
After the consummation of our initial
business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain in one of those capacities may be paid director, consulting, management or
other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer
materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount
of such compensation will be known at the time, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director
compensation.
84
Any compensation to be paid to our
officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee consisting solely of
independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to
ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is
possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after the
initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our managements motivation
in identifying or selecting a target business although we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of
an initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to
any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Board Committees
Audit Committee
Subject to phase-in rules and a limited
exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Section 10A of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of
independent directors. Upon or prior to the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an
audit committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs. Patel and Cohen, and Mrs. Cohen. Mr. Patel meets the independent director
standard under Nasdaqs listing standards and under Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. Because we expect to list our securities on Nasdaq in
connection with our initial public offering, our audit committee must have one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent
members within 90 days of listing, and consist of all independent members within one year of listing. Mr. Patel will serve as Chairman of our audit
committee.
The audit committees duties,
which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:
|
reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor our annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K; |
|
discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements; |
|
discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies; |
|
monitoring the independence of the independent auditor; |
|
verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law; |
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reviewing and approving all related-party transactions; |
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inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
|
pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed; |
|
appointing or replacing the independent auditor; |
|
determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work; |
85
|
establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and |
|
approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses. |
Financial Expert on Audit
Committee
The audit committee will at all times
be composed exclusively of independent directors who are financially literate as defined under Nasdaqs listing standards. The Nasdaq
listing standards define financially literate as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a
companys balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.
In addition, we must certify to the
NASDAQ Capital Market that the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or
accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individuals
financial sophistication. We have determined that Mr. Patel satisfies Nasdaqs definition of financial sophistication and also qualifies as an
audit committee financial expert, as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our
Compensation Committee will be Messrs. Beach and Patel. Mr. Beach will serve as chairman of the compensation committee. We will adopt a compensation
committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
|
reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officers compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officers performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officers based on such evaluation; |
|
reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers; |
|
reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
|
implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
|
assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
|
approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees; |
|
producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
|
reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter will also provide that the
compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will
be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice
from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such
adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Code of Conduct and Ethics
Effective upon completion of this
offering, we will adopt a code of conduct and ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees in accordance with applicable federal
securities laws.
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Other Board Committees
Our board of directors intends to
establish a nominating committee upon consummation of our initial business combination. At that time, our board of directors intends to adopt a charter
for this committee. Prior to such time, our independent directors will address any nominations process, as required by Nasdaq.
Conflicts of Interest
In general, officers and directors of a
Delaware corporation are required to present business opportunities to the corporation if:
|
the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
|
the opportunity is within the corporations line of business; and |
|
it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation provides, however, that the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, will not apply to us or any of our
officers or directors or in circumstances that would conflict with any current or future fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.
Accordingly, if any of our officers or
directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing
fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present the opportunity to such entity prior to presenting the opportunity to us or,
if he or she is subject to a non-compete obligation that includes business opportunities, he or she may be prohibited from referring such opportunity
to us. Below is a table summarizing the companies to which our officers and directors owe fiduciary obligations that could conflict with their
fiduciary obligations to us, all of which may have to (i) be presented appropriate potential target businesses by our officers or directors, and (ii)
reject the opportunity to acquire such potential target business, before the opportunity may be presented to us:
Individual |
Entity |
Affiliation |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Betsy Z.
Cohen |
The Bancorp, Inc. |
Chief
Executive Officer and Director(1) |
||||||||
Aetna, Inc. |
Director |
|||||||||
Daniel G.
Cohen |
The Bancorp, Inc. |
Director |
||||||||
Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC |
Chief
Executive Officer Chairman |
|||||||||
James J.
McEntee, III |
The Bancorp, Inc. Institutional Financial Markets, Inc. J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC |
Director Chief Operating Officer Co-Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer |
||||||||
Walter T.
Beach |
The Bancorp, Inc. |
Director |
||||||||
Shami
Patel |
Pacific View Ventures |
General Partner |
||||||||
Golden Pacific Bancorp, Inc. |
Vice
Chairman |
(1) |
Through December 31, 2014 |
Mrs. Cohen and Messrs. Cohen, McEntee
and Beach are executive officers and/or directors of Bancorp, a financial holding company, and its subsidiary bank, Bancorp Bank, which provide banking
and other financial services, including prepaid and debit cards, private label banking, healthcare accounts and merchant card processing. As such, they
are required to present corporate opportunities relating to the current business of
87
Bancorp and Bancorp Bank, as well as businesses that may be undertaken by a financial holding company under federal banking law, prior to presenting them to us.
Mrs. Cohen is also a director of Aetna,
Inc., an insurance company, and Mr. Cohen is an executive and/or director of IFMI, a financial services company specializing in credit-related fixed
income investments, including fixed income sales, trading and financing, and management of fixed income assets, and one of its subsidiaries, JVB
Financial. Mr. McEntee is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Vice Chairman of IFMI and JVB Financial. As such, each of Mrs. Cohen, Mr. Cohen and Mr.
McEntee are obligated to present corporate opportunities relating to such businesses to the respective companies prior to proceeding those
opportunities to us.
Mr. Patel is a general partner of
Pacific View Ventures, an investment advisory firm, and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Golden Pacific Bancorp., Inc., a financial holding company
that provides banking and other financial products and services. As such, he is required to present corporate opportunities relating to such
businesses, including any businesses that may be undertaken by a financial holding company under federal bank law, to such entities prior to presenting
them to us.
We do not believe that any of the
foregoing pre-existing fiduciary duties will materially affect our ability to consummate our initial business combination because, although the
foregoing entities are involved in the financial services industry broadly defined, their specific industry focuses differ from our focus on financial
technology businesses.
Mrs. Cohen and Messrs. Cohen, McEntee
and Beach are affiliated with Bancorp, and Mr. Cohen is the son of Mrs. Cohen. These relationships may influence the roles taken by our officers and
directors with respect to us. In particular, one of our directors or officers may be less likely to object to a course of action with respect to our
activities because it may jeopardize his or her relationships with the others.
Each of our officers and directors may
become involved with subsequent blank check companies similar to our company although, pursuant to a letter agreement, they have agreed not to
participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any blank check company until we have entered into a definitive agreement
regarding our initial business combination, failed to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering
(excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or liquidated prior to the end of such 18 month period.
Potential investors should also be
aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
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None of our officers and directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
|
Each of the holders of the founder shares and placement units has agreed that his, her or its founder shares and placement shares will be subject to lockup and that he, she or it will not sell or transfer such shares until the applicable forfeiture provisions no longer apply. Holders of founder shares and placement shares have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. Holders of founder shares have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination. To the extent our holders of founder shares or placement shares transfer any of these securities to certain permitted transferees, such permitted transferees will agree, as a condition to such transfer, to waive these same redemption rights. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such 18 month period, the portion of the proceeds of the sale of the placement units placed into the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares, placement shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination within 18 months of the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option). Except as described under Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained therein), the founder shares, placement units and their underlying securities will not be transferable, assignable or salable. |
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|
Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
We are not prohibited from pursuing an
initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with holders of founder shares, our officers or directors or their affiliates.
Additionally, we are not prohibited from partnering, submitting joint bids, or entering into any similar transaction with holders of founder shares,
our officers or directors and their affiliates, in the pursuit of an initial business combination. The interests of our partners in any such
transaction may differ materially from ours. If we seek to complete an initial business combination with such a company or we partner with such related
persons in our pursuit of an initial business combination, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent
investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA and reasonably acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald, that such an initial business combination is fair to
our stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, in no event will these related persons be paid any finders fee, consulting fee or
other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination other than
(i) repayment of loans made to us prior to the date of this prospectus by our sponsor to cover offering-relating and organization expenses and (ii)
repayment of the up to $750,000 in incremental loans that our sponsor has committed to make to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended
initial business combination (provided that if we do not consummate an initial business combination, we may use working capital held outside the trust
account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment other than interest earned
thereon).
We cannot assure you that any of the
above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial
business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, each of our initial stockholders has agreed to vote its founder shares, placement shares
and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and
Directors
Our amended and restated bylaws provide
that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by applicable Delaware law. In addition, our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their
fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL.
We will enter into agreements with our
officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated bylaws. Our
amended and restated bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his
or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors and officers
liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and
insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
These provisions may discourage
stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing
the likelihood of derivative litigation against officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our
stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholders investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards
against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the
insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
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The following table sets forth
information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common
stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, by:
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each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
|
each of our officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; and |
|
all our officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe
that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The
following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the
date of this prospectus.
Prior to the Offering |
After the Offering(2)(3) |
||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name and Address of Beneficial Owners(4) |
Amount and nature of beneficial ownership(1) |
Percentage of outstanding common stock |
Amount and nature of beneficial ownership |
Percentage of outstanding common stock |
|||||||||||||||
Directors and Executive Officers |
|||||||||||||||||||
Walter T.
Beach |
| | | | |||||||||||||||
Betsy Z.
Cohen |
410,000 | 10.5 | % | 357,660 | 2.6 | % | |||||||||||||
Daniel G.
Cohen |
3,206,667 | (5) | 81.9 | % | 2,947,305 | (6) | 21.6 | % | |||||||||||
Frank
Mastrangelo(7) |
200,000 | 5.1 | % | 174,468 | 1.3 | % | |||||||||||||
James J.
McEntee, III |
100,000 | 2.6 | % | 87,234 | * | ||||||||||||||
Shami Patel
|
| | | | |||||||||||||||
All
directors and officers as a group (6 persons) |
3,916,667 | (5) | 100 | % | 3,666,667 | (6) | 26.8 | % | |||||||||||
Greater
than 5% Beneficial Owners |
|||||||||||||||||||
FinTech
Investor Holdings, LLC |
2,386,667 | 60.9 | % | 2,231,986 | 16.3 | % | |||||||||||||
DGC Family
FinTech Trust |
410,000 | 10.5 | % | 357,660 | 2.6 | % |
* |
Less than 1 percent. |
1 |
Includes an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the overallotment option is not exercised by the underwriters. |
2 |
Total shares outstanding after the offering includes 3,416,667 founder shares and includes the sale of 250,000 placement units subject to subscription agreements in a private placement to be completed simultaneously with this offering. |
3 |
Assumes the underwriters overallotment option has not been exercised and, as a result, an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares have been forfeited by the initial holders. |
4 |
Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the persons and entities listed above is 712 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10019. |
5 |
Includes 2,386,667 shares held by our sponsor for which Mr. Cohen may be deemed to be a beneficial owner. Mr. Cohen is the managing member of our sponsor and disclaims beneficial ownership over any securities owned by our sponsor in which he does not have any pecuniary interest. Includes 410,000 shares held by DGC Family FinTech Trust for which Mr. Cohen may be deemed to be a beneficial owner. Mr. Cohens children are the beneficiaries of DGC Family FinTech Trust. |
6 |
Includes 2,231,986 shares held by our sponsor for which Mr. Cohen may be deemed to be a beneficial owner. Mr. Cohen is the managing member of our sponsor and disclaims beneficial ownership over any securities owned by our sponsor in which he does not have any pecuniary interest. Includes 357,660 |
90
shares held by DGC Family FinTech Trust for which Mr. Cohen may be deemed to be a beneficial owner. Mr. Cohens children are the beneficiaries of DGC Family FinTech Trust. |
7 |
Mr. Mastrangelo resigned from all offices with our company effective as of August 27, 2014. |
After giving effect to the issuance of
founder shares and private placement of the placement units, our initial stockholders and purchasers of the placement units will own 26.8% of the
outstanding common stock following the offering and 26.6% if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full (assuming that holders of
founder shares and purchasers of the placement units do not purchase any public shares in the offering or the public market). Because of this ownership
block, our initial stockholders and the holders of placement shares will have significant influence over the outcome of all matters requiring approval
by our stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of
significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.
To the extent the underwriters do not
exercise the overallotment option, up to an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares will be forfeited by the initial holders. Our initial holders will be
required to forfeit only a number of founder shares necessary to maintain the collective number of founder shares at 25.0% of the aggregate of our
founder shares, placements shares and our public shares, in each case after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the
underwriters overallotment option.
Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have
committed to purchase 250,000 placement units at the price of $10.00 per unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $2.5 million, in a private placement
that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. Each placement warrant contained in a placement unit entitles the holder to
purchase one share of our common stock at $12.00 per share. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder
shares, placement units or warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination with 18 months from the
completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option). The placement units and their underlying
securities are subject to the transfer restrictions described below under Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement
Units (including securities contained therein)). The placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor,
Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees. If the placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their
permitted transferees, the placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the
units being sold in this offering. The placement warrants may also be exercised by our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted transferees on a
cashless basis. Otherwise, the placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units
in this offering.
Our sponsor and executive officers are
deemed to be our promoters as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Transfers of Founder Shares and
Placement Units (including securities contained therein)
The founder shares and placement units,
and securities contained therein, are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lockup provisions in letter agreements among us, the holders of
founder shares and purchasers of placement units. These lockup provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case
of the founder shares, (a) with respect to 20% of such shares, until consummation of our initial business combination, (b) with respect to 20% of such
shares, when the closing price of our common stock exceeds $12.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of
our initial business combination, (c) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of our common stock exceeds $13.50 for any 20 trading
days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination, (d) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the
closing price of our common stock exceeds $15.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial
business combination and (e) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of our common stock exceeds $17.00 for any 20 trading days
within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier, in any case, if, following a business
combination, we engage in a subsequent transaction (1) resulting in our shareholders having the right
91
to exchange their shares for cash or other securities or (2) involving a consolidation, merger or similar transaction that results in a change in the majority of our board of directors or management team in which the company is the surviving entity, and (ii) in the case of the placement units, including the component securities therein, until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers, our directors, the initial stockholders or Cantor Fitzgerald, (b) to an officer, director, equityholder (direct or indirect) or other affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald, (c) to an affiliate or immediate family member of any of our officers, directors and initial stockholders, or Cantor Fitzgeralds officers, directors and direct and indirect equityholders, (d) to any member, officer or director of our sponsor, or any immediate family member, partner, affiliate or employee of a member of our sponsor, (e) by gift to any permitted transferee under any of the immediately preceding subsections (a) through (d), a trust, the beneficiaries of which are one or more permitted transferees under any of the immediately preceding subsections (a) through (d), or a charitable organization, (f) by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of any of our officers, our directors, the initial stockholders, members of our sponsor, or any officers, directors or direct or indirect equityholders of Cantor Fitzgerald, (g) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to consummation of our initial business combination, (i) by virtue of the laws of Delaware, our sponsors limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor or the organizational documents of Cantor Fitzgerald upon dissolution of Cantor Fitzgerald, (j) subsequent to our initial business combination, upon and in connection with a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (k) subsequent to our initial business combination, in the event of a consolidation merger, stock exchange or similar transaction in which the company is the surviving entity that results in a change in the majority of our board of directors or management team; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares,
placement units (including securities contained therein) and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of loans made by our sponsor will have the
right to require us to register under the Securities Act a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be
signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form
registration demands. In addition, these holders will have piggy-back registration rights allowing them to include their securities in
other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements.
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Holders of founder shares currently own
3,916,667 founder shares. If the underwriters determine the size of the offering should be increased, a stock dividend would be effectuated in order to
maintain the ownership represented by the founder shares at 25% of the aggregate of the founder shares, placement shares and public
shares.
If the underwriters do not exercise all
or a portion of their overallotment option, holders of founder shares have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will forfeit up
to an aggregate of 500,000 founder shares in proportion to the portion of the underwriters overallotment option that was not
exercised.
Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have
committed to purchase 250,000 placement units, at the price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $2.5 million, in a private placement
that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. The placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering,
except that if held by our sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald or their permitted assigns, they (a) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis; and (b)
are not subject to being called for redemption. The placement units and the component securities contained therein will be subject to lockup agreements
(that is, they will not be transferable, assignable or saleable) until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination. There will
be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares, placement shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if
we do not complete an initial business combination. Including founder shares and placement units, holders of founder shares and purchasers of placement
units will own 26.8% of the outstanding common stock following this offering and 26.6% if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in
full (assuming that our initial stockholders and purchasers of placement units do not purchase any shares in the offering or the public
market).
The placement units will be sold in a
private placement pursuant to Section 4(2) or Regulation D of the Securities Act and will be exempt from registration requirements under the federal
securities laws. As such, the holders of the placement warrants included in the placement units will be able to exercise such placement warrants even
if, at the time of exercise, an effective registration statement and a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of such
warrants is not available. Our placement units and the underlying securities will become freely tradable only after they are
registered.
We have agreed with Cantor Fitzgerald,
as representative for the underwriters, that we will not increase the size of this offering unless (i) our sponsor agrees to purchase additional
placement units in the private placement, or (ii) the underwriters defer a larger portion of the underwriting discount, such that at least $10.00 per
share sold to the public in this offering is held in the trust account.
Other than (i) repayment of loans made
to us prior to the date of this prospectus by our sponsor to cover offering-relating and organization expenses, (ii) repayment of the up to $750,000 in
incremental loans that our sponsor has committed to make to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination
(provided that if we do not consummate an initial business combination, we may use working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned
amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment other than interest earned thereon) and (iii) reimbursement of any
out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due
diligence on suitable business combinations, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finders fees, consulting fees or other similar
compensation, will be paid to our initial stockholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to or with respect to our
initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). Prior to the appointment of our audit committee, our independent
directors must approve all payments in excess of $5,000 to any initial holder, our sponsor, our directors and officers or our or their affiliates.
Following the appointment of an audit committee, the audit committee will approve such payments.
As of the date of this prospectus, our
sponsor has loaned us an aggregate of $ to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are
non-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of March 31, 2015 or the completion of this offering. Except as described in this prospectus,
the terms of such loan by our sponsor have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loan.
93
Daniel G. Cohen has agreed that, if the
trust account is liquidated without the consummation of a business combination, he will indemnify us to the extent any claims by a third party for
services rendered or products sold to us, or any claims by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction
agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below $10.00 per public share, except for any claims by any third party who executed a
waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account, regardless of whether such waiver is enforceable, and except for claims arising from
our obligation to indemnify the underwriters of this offering pursuant to the underwriting agreement for this offering. We have not independently
verified whether Mr. Cohen has sufficient funds to satisfy his indemnity obligations, we have not asked Mr. Cohen to reserve for such obligations and
he may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of Mr. Cohen having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we
will endeavor to have all third parties that provide products or services to us and prospective target businesses execute agreements with us waiving
any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.
In order to fund working capital
requirements and finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed to loan us funds as
may be required to a maximum of $750,000, and may, but is not obligated to, loan us additional funds to fund our additional working capital
requirements and transaction costs. The loans will be interest free. If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned
amounts. If we do not consummate an initial business combination, we may use a portion of any working capital held outside the trust account to repay
such loaned amounts; however, no proceeds from the trust account may be used for such repayment, other than interest income earned thereon. If such
funds are insufficient to repay the loan amounts, the unpaid amounts would be forgiven. Any part or all of such loans may be converted into additional
warrants at $0.75 per warrant (a maximum of 1,000,000 warrants if the full $750,000 is loaned and that amount is converted into warrants) of the
post-business combination entity at the option of our sponsor. The warrants would be identical to the placement warrants issued to our
sponsor.
After our initial business combination,
members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts
being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to
our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the
time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the
post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
All ongoing and future transactions
between us and any member of our management team or his or her respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us at that time, based upon other
similar arrangements known to us, to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. It is our intention to obtain
estimates from unaffiliated third parties for similar goods or services to ascertain whether such transactions with affiliates are on terms that are no
less favorable to us than are otherwise available from such unaffiliated third parties. If a transaction with an affiliated third party were found to
be on terms less favorable to us than with an unaffiliated third party, we would not engage in such transaction.
Upon or prior to completion of this
offering, we will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, placement shares, placement warrants and warrants
which may be issued upon any conversion of the up to $750,000 of loans from our sponsor described to above., which is described under the heading
Principal Stockholders Registration Rights.
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Pursuant to our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock will consist of 25,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, and 5,000,000 shares of
undesignated preferred stock, $0.001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a
summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit consists of one share of
common stock and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock. We anticipate that the common stock and warrants
comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald, acting as
representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on
Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin.
In no event will the common stock and
warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our
receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion
of this offering, which is anticipated to take place four business days after the date of this prospectus. The audited balance sheet will include
proceeds we received from the exercise of the overallotment option if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Current Report on Form 8-K.
If the underwriters overallotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended
Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters overallotment
option.
Common Stock
As of the date of this prospectus,
there were 3,916,667 founder shares outstanding. This includes an aggregate of 500,000 shares of common stock which will be forfeited by holders of
founder shares to the extent that the underwriters overallotment option is not exercised in full. Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have
committed to purchase 250,000 placement shares contained in the placement units in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the
completion of this offering. Holders of founder and placement shares will hold an aggregate of 26.8% of the issued and outstanding common stock (26.6%
if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full) following the offering and the expiration of the underwriters overallotment
option. Upon completion of this offering, 13,666,667 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters
overallotment option).
Common stockholders of record are
entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Our board of directors is divided into two classes with only
one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of
stockholders) serving a two-year term. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of
more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable
dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 25,000,000 shares of common stock, if we were to enter into an initial business
combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of common stock which we are
authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the initial business combination.
We may not hold an annual meeting of
stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination, and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL. Therefore,
if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to
hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
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We will provide all stockholders with
the opportunity to redeem their shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, either in connection with a stockholder meeting
called to approve the business combination or by means of a tender offer, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on
deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working
capital purposes or the payment of taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein and any
limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination.
The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share.
Our initial holders and Cantor
Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the
consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering
(excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. Our initial
holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination.
To the extent our initial stockholders or purchasers of placement units transfer any of these securities to certain permitted transferees, such
permitted transferees will agree, as a condition to such transfer, to waive these same redemption rights. Also, our sponsor has committed to purchase
150,000 placement units, at the price of $10.00 per unit, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering.
If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor, the other initial holders, our officers and our
directors, have agreed to vote their respective founder shares, placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business
combination. Cantor Fitzgerald has not committed to vote any shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
The decision as to whether we will seek
stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a
variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under
the law or stock exchange listing requirement. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the
SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or
other legal reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required
and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to
consummating our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires these tender offer documents to contain
substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the
SECs proxy rules. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or Nasdaq, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval
for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to
the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will consummate our initial business combination only
if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. However, the participation of our initial
stockholders, officers, directors, or their respective affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could
result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote,
against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no
effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10
days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such stockholder meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial
business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our
initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our
amended and restated
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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 redeeming its shares with respect to an aggregate of 10.0% or more of the shares sold in this offering.
If we seek stockholder approval in
connection with our initial business combination, our sponsor, the other initial stockholders, our officers and our directors have agreed to vote any
founder shares and any placement shares held by them and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Assuming our
initial business combination is approved, to the extent provided in this prospectus, each public stockholder may elect to redeem his, her or its public
shares irrespective of whether he, she or it votes for or against the proposed transaction, for cash equal to a pro rata share of the aggregate amount
then on deposit in the trust account, including interest but less interest released to us for working capital purposes, to pay taxes or dissolution
costs and excluding the deferred underwriting discount.
Pursuant to our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding
any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly
as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, 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 any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest
released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses (although, we expect all or substantially all of such
interest released to be used for working capital purposes), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely
extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to
applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our
board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the
requirements of other applicable law. The initial holders and Cantor Fitzgerald have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their
founder shares and placement shares (i) in connection with the consummation of a business combination and (ii) if we fail to consummate a business
combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or if we
liquidate prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The initial holders have also agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to public
shares in connection with the consummation of a business combination. However, the initial holders will be entitled to redemption rights with respect
to any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the 18 month period, and Cantor Fitzgerald will
have the same redemption rights as a public stockholder with respect to any public shares it acquires.
If we liquidate, dissolve or wind up
after our initial business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after
payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no
preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock, except that upon the consummation of our
initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein, we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares
of our common stock for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts
representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution
expenses (although, we expect all or substantially all of such interest released to be used for working capital purposes).
Founder Shares and Placement
Shares
The founder shares and placement shares
are each identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares or placement shares
have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares and placement shares are subject to certain transfer
restrictions, as described in Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained
therein), and (ii) each holder of founder shares has agreed, and each purchaser of placement units will agree, to waive his, her or its
redemption rights with respect to
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his, her or its founder shares and placement shares, (A) in connection with the consummation of a business combination, (B) if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) and (C) upon our liquidation prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. To the extent holders of founder shares or purchasers of placement units transfer any of these securities, such transferees will agree, as a condition to such transfer, to waive these same redemption rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor and the other initial holders have agreed, and our officers and directors will each agree, to vote their respective founder shares, placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
With certain limited exceptions as
described in more detail under Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Units (including securities contained
therein), the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities
affiliated with our initial stockholders, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the date (i) with respect to 20% of
such shares, upon consummation of our initial business combination, (ii) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of our common stock
exceeds $12.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination, (iii) with
respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of our common stock exceeds $13.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period
following the consummation of our initial business combination, (iv) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of our common stock
exceeds $15.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination and (v) with
respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of our common stock exceeds $17.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period
following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier, in any case, if, following a business combination, we engage in a subsequent
transaction (1) resulting in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash or other securities or (2) involving a consolidation,
merger or similar transaction that results in a change in the majority of our board of directors or management team in which the company is the
surviving entity.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized
to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any
qualifications, limitations and restrictions, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able, without stockholder
approval, to issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the
common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could
have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock
outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so
in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. However, if issued prior to our initial business
combination, none of the shares of our preferred stock will have any right to amounts held in the trust account.
Warrants
Public Warrants
Each warrant entitles the registered
holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $12.00 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on
the later of one year from the completion of this offering or 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination. The warrants will
expire five years after the consummation of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York time, or earlier upon our failure to consummate a
business combination within 18 months of completion of the offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) or
redemption of our common stock or our liquidation.
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We will not be obligated to deliver any
shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration
statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating
thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will
not be obligated to issue shares of common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been
registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from the registration or qualifications requirements of the securities laws of the state of residence of
the registered holder of the warrants. If the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the
warrant holder will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required
to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit
containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of common stock underlying such unit.
We have agreed that, as soon as
practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file
with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or a new registration statement, for the
registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our best efforts to take
such action as is necessary to register or qualify for sale, in those states in which the warrants were initially offered by us, the shares of common
stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to the extent an exemption therefrom is not available. We will use our best efforts to cause the
post-effective amendment or new registration statement the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement,
and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. In
addition, we agree to use our best efforts to register the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of a warrant under the blue sky laws of the
states of residence of the exercising warrant holder to the extent an exemption is not available.
No warrants will be exercisable for
cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a
current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common
stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants has not been declared effective by the 60th business day following the closing of our initial
business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have
failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of
the Securities Act. If cashless exercise is permitted, each holder of our warrants exercising on a cashless basis would pay the exercise price by
surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing: (x) the product of the number of shares
of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the warrant exercise price and the fair market value by (y)
the fair market value. For these purposes, fair market value will mean the volume weighted average price of common stock as reported during the ten
(10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent from the holder of such
warrants or our securities broker or intermediary.
Once the warrants become exercisable,
we may call the warrants for redemption:
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in whole and not in part; |
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at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
|
upon not less than 30 days prior written notice of redemption (the 30-day redemption period) to each warrant holder; and |
|
if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the common stock (or the closing bid price of our common stock in the event shares of our common stock are not traded on any specific day) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
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We will not redeem the warrants unless
an effective registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current and available throughout the
30-day redemption period.
We have established the last of the
redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise
price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise
his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger
price as well as the $12.00 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in
writing if it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving
effect to such exercise, such person (together with such persons affiliates), to the warrant agents actual knowledge, would beneficially
own in excess of 9.8% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
If the number of outstanding shares of
common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of common stock, or by a split-up of shares of common stock or other similar event,
then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of each
warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of common stock. A rights offering to holders of common stock
entitling holders to purchase shares of common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares
of common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other
equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock) multiplied (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of
(x) the price per share of common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights
offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, in determining the price payable for common stock, there will be taken
into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market
value means the volume weighted average price of common stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the
first date on which the shares of common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive
such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while
the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of common stock on
account of such shares of common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described
above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of common stock in connection with a proposed initial
business combination, or (d) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to consummate our initial business combination,
then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair
market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of
our common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of common stock or other similar
event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of
common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of common
stock.
Whenever the number of shares of common
stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the
warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of common stock
purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of
common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
If, at any time while the warrants are
outstanding, we effect (a) a merger with another company, in which our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction own less than a majority of
the outstanding stock of
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the surviving entity, (b) any sale of all or substantially all of our assets in one or a series of related transactions, (c) a tender offer or exchange offer approved or authorized by our board is completed pursuant to which holders of at least a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property, or (d) a reclassification of our shares or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which shares of our common stock are effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property (other than as a result of a subdivision or combination of our common stock), the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property receivable upon such event, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his or its warrants immediately before the event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant.
The warrants will be issued in
registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of
the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description
of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The warrants may be exercised upon
surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side
of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if
applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights
or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the
issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters
to be voted on by stockholders.
No fractional shares will be issued
upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon
exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.
Placement Warrants and Loan
Warrants
Our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have
committed to purchase 250,000 placement warrants which are included in the placement units to be purchased at a price of $10.00 per unit for an
aggregate purchase price of $2.5 million, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering. In addition,
working capital loans by our sponsor may be converted into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $0.75 per warrant (a maximum
of 1,000,000 warrants if the full $750,000 is loaned and that amount is converted into warrants). The placement and loan warrants will be identical to
the warrants sold in this offering, except that, if held by our sponsor or their permitted assigns, they (a) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless
basis; and (b) are not subject to being called for redemption.
The placement and loan warrants will
become worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of holders of the placement and loan
warrants may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business and completing our initial business combination in a timely
manner. See Management Conflicts of Interest.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock
and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer &
Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and
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employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
Amendments to our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation contains requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business
combination. These provisions, which cannot be amended without the approval of holders owning 65% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common
stock, are as follows:
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if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the completion of this offering (excluding any exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), 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 any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for working capital purposes, the payment of taxes or dissolution expenses (although, we expect all or substantially all of such interest released to be used for working capital purposes), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
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after the completion of this offering and prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination; |
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although we do not currently intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with holders of founder shares, our directors or officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. If we propose to do so, we, or a committee of independent directors, must obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA and reasonably acceptable to Cantor Fitzgerald that such a business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view; |
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if a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law or Nasdaq and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we must offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to consummating our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; and |
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we may not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
If, however, the effect of any proposed
amendment, if adopted, would be either to (i) reduce the amount in the trust account available to redeeming stockholders to less than $10.00 per share,
or (ii) delay the date on which a public stockholder could otherwise redeem shares for such per share amount in the trust account, we will provide a
right for dissenting public shareholders to redeem public shares if such an amendment is approved.
In addition, our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation provides that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible
assets to be less than $5,000,001. This notwithstanding, if the effect of any proposed amendment, if adopted, would be either to (i) reduce the amount
in the in the trust account available to redeeming stockholders to less than $10.00 per public share, or (ii) delay the date on which a public
stockholder could otherwise redeem shares for such per
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share amount in the trust account, we will provide a right for dissenting public shareholders to redeem public shares if such an amendment is approved.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware
Law
We will be subject to the provisions of
Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of this offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under
certain circumstances, from engaging in a business combination with:
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a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an interested stockholder); |
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an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or |
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an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. |
A business combination
includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:
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our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an interested stockholder, prior to the date of the transaction; |
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after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or |
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on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder. |
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SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Immediately after this offering
(assuming no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option) we will have 13,666,667 shares of common stock outstanding (including 250,000
placement shares), or 15,666,667 shares of common stock outstanding if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full. Of these shares,
the 10,000,000 shares sold in this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option), or 11,500,000 shares sold in this
offering if the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the
Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The remaining
3,416,667 founder shares and 250,000 placement units (including component securities contained therein) are restricted securities under Rule 144, in
that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has
beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell his, her or its securities
provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale
and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required
reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the
sale. However, Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related
shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. Rule 144 does include an important exception to this prohibition if
the following conditions are met:
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the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
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the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
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the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and |
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at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, the initial holders and
purchasers of placement units will be able to sell their founder shares, placement shares, placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued on
conversion of loans by our sponsor (and shares issued upon their exercise), as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we
have completed our initial business combination. However, if they remain one of our affiliates, they will only be permitted to sell a number of
securities that does not exceed the greater of:
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1% of the total number of shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 136,666 shares immediately after this offering (or 156,666 shares if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full); or |
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the average weekly reported trading volume of the common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144
would also be limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about
us.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares,
placement shares and placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of loans by our sponsor (and any shares issued upon the
exercise of such warrants) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on
the
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effective date of this offering. The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We have applied to list our units on
the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol FNTCU, and we anticipate that our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the
symbols FNTC and FNTCW, respectively. We anticipate our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date
of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the
shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq.
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In accordance with the terms and
subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below, for which Cantor Fitzgerald
is acting as representative and sole book-running manager, and the underwriters have severally, and not jointly, agreed to purchase, on a firm
commitment basis, the number of units offered in this offering set forth opposite their respective names below.
Underwriter |
Number of Units |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cantor
Fitzgerald & Co. |
||||||
Total
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10,000,000 |
A copy of the underwriting agreement
has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The underwriting agreement provides that the
obligation of the underwriters to purchase all of the 10,000,000 units being offered to the public is subject to specific conditions, including the
absence of any material adverse change in our business or in the financial markets, the purchase by our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald of an aggregate
of 250,000 units at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement occurring simultaneously with the completion of this offering, and the
receipt of certain legal opinions, certificates and letters from us, our counsel and the independent auditors. Subject to the terms of the underwriting
agreement, the underwriters will purchase all of the 10,000,000 units being offered to the public, other than those covered by the over-allotment
option described below, if any of these units are purchased.
We have granted the underwriters a
45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional units at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The
option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of units.
The underwriters may deliver
prospectuses via e-mail both as a PDF document and by a link to the SECs website and websites hosted by the underwriters and other parties, and
the prospectus may also be made available on websites maintained by selected dealers and selling group members participating in this offering. The
underwriters may agree to allocate a number of units to selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet
distributions may be allocated by the underwriters to selling group members that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other
allocations.
Pricing of Securities
We have been advised by the
underwriters that they propose to offer the units to the public at the initial offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The
underwriters may allow dealers concessions not in excess of $ per unit and the dealers may re-allow a concession not in
excess of $ per unit to other dealers. After the initial public offering, the public offering price, concession and
discount may be changed.
Before this offering, there has been no
market for our securities. The initial public offering price of the units and terms of the warrants were determined by negotiation between us and the
underwriters and will not necessarily reflect the market price of our securities following the offering. The principal factors that were considered in
determining the terms and prices of such securities were:
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the information presented in this prospectus and otherwise available to the underwriter; |
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the history of and prospects of other companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
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prior offerings of those other companies; |
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the ability of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
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our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
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the present state of our development and our current financial condition and capital structure; |
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the recent market prices of, and the demand for, publicly traded securities of generally comparable companies; |
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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering; and |
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other factors as were deemed relevant. |
The factors described above were not
assigned any particular weight. Rather, these factors were considered as a totality in our negotiation with the underwriters over our initial public
offering price. We offer no assurances that the initial public offering price will correspond to the price at which our units will trade in the public
market subsequent to the offering or that an active trading market for the units, common stock or warrants will develop and continue after the
offering.
Over-allotment and Stabilizing
Transactions
Rules of the SEC may limit the ability
of the underwriters to bid for or purchase our securities before the distribution of the securities is completed. However, the underwriters may engage
in the following activities in accordance with the rules:
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Stabilizing Transactions. The underwriters may make bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of our securities. |
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Over-Allotments and Syndicate Coverage Transactions. The underwriters may create a short position in our securities by selling more of our securities than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. If the underwriters create a short position during the offering, the underwriters may engage in syndicate covering transactions by purchasing our securities in the open market. The underwriters may also elect to reduce any short position by exercising all or part of the over-allotment option. |
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Penalty Bids. The underwriters may reclaim a selling concession from a selected dealer when the units originally sold by the selected dealer is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
Stabilization and syndicate covering
transactions may cause the price of the securities to be higher than they would be in the absence of these transactions. The imposition of a penalty
bid may also have an effect on the prices of the securities if it discourages resales.
Neither we nor the underwriters make
any representation or prediction as to the effect the transactions described above may have on the prices of our securities or if any such transactions
will take place. These transactions may occur on the NASDAQ Capital Market or on any other trading market. If any of these transactions are commenced,
they may be discontinued without notice at any time.
The distribution of our securities will
end upon the underwriters cessation of selling efforts and stabilization activities, provided, however, in the event the underwriters were to
exercise their over-allotment option to purchase securities in excess of their actual syndicate short position, the distribution will not be deemed to
have been completed until all of the securities have been sold.
Commissions and Discounts
The following table summarizes the
compensation we will pay:
Fees |
Fee per Unit |
Without Exercise of the Over-allotment Option |
With Exercise of Over-allotment Option |
|||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public
offering price |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 100,000,000 | $ | 115,000,000 | ||||||||
Underwriting
discount(1) |
$ | 0.20 | $ | 2,000,000 | $ | 2,000,000 | ||||||||
Deferred
underwriting discount(2) |
$ | 0.50 | $ | 5,000,000 | $ | 6,050,000 | ||||||||
Proceeds
before expenses |
$ | 9.70 | $ | 93,000,000 | $ | 106,950,000 |
(1) |
Based on the underwriters discount equal to 2.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of units sold to the public, excluding any units sold pursuant to the underwriters over-allotment option. |
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(2) |
Based on the deferred underwriting discount payable to Cantor Fitzgerald equal to 5.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the initial $100.0 in units sold to the public and 7.0% of the gross proceeds from units sold pursuant to the over-allotment option. The deferred underwriting discount will be deposited in the trust account as deferred underwriting commissions and will become payable from the amounts held in the trust account solely in the event we consummate our initial business combination. Fee per unit shown assumes no exercise of the underwriters overallotment option. If the underwriters exercise their overallotment option in full, the fee per unit will be $0.53 |
Private Placement Units
Cantor Fitzgerald has committed to
purchase 100,000 placement units for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000,000, or $10.00 per unit, in the private placement that will occur
simultaneously with the completion of this offering. The placement units are identical to the units being sold in this offering except as described
elsewhere in this prospectus. The placement units and underlying shares of common stock and warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are
therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Additionally, the private units purchased by Cantor Fitzgerald
may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a one-year period (including the foregoing 180-day period) following the effective
date of this prospectus except to any selected dealer participating in the offering and the bona fide officers or partners of the underwriter and any
such participating selected dealer. The placement units and underlying securities will become freely tradable only after they are registered. See
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
Reimbursement of Expenses
We have agreed to reimburse Cantor
Fitzgerald for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Cantor Fitzgerald during the registration process, including legal fees and expenses
incurred to clear the offering with FINRA, background searches of our officers and directors (not to exceed $2,500 per person), net roadshow expenses,
and lucite cube mementos, in an amount not to exceed $50,000. We have agreed to provide Cantor Fitzgerald with an advance of $25,000 for its
anticipated out-of-pocket accountable expenses. Cantor Fitzgerald will return to us any portion of the advance that was not used for such expenses if
this offering is not completed. If this offering is completed, Cantor Fitzgerald will reimburse us for such advance on the closing date of this
offering.
Other Services
Except as set forth above, we are not
under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so.
However, the underwriters may, among other things, introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital, as needs may
arise in the future. If the underwriters provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriters fair and reasonable fees that would
be determined at that time in an arms length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriters and no fees for
such services will be paid to the underwriters prior to the date which is 90 days after the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such
payment would not be deemed underwriters compensation in connection with this offering.
Indemnification
Pursuant to the terms of the
underwriting agreement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act
relating to losses or claims resulting from material misstatements in or omissions from the registration statement and liabilities arising from breach
of the underwriting agreement or the breach of our representations, warranties and covenants contained in the underwriting agreement. We are also
obligated to pay for the defense of any claims against the underwriter. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we will contribute to
payments the underwriters may be required to make with respect to these liabilities. Our obligations under this section of the underwriting agreement
continue after the closing of our initial public offering.
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SELLING RESTRICTIONS
Sales of Our Securities in Canada
The units sold in this offering have
not been and will not be qualified for distribution under applicable Canadian securities laws. Units may be offered to residents of Canada pursuant to
exemptions from the prospectus requirements of such laws.
Foreign Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of the Common
Stock
No action may be taken in any
jurisdiction other than the United States that would permit a public offering of the common stock or the possession, circulation or distribution of
this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the common stock may not be offered or sold, directly or
indirectly, and neither the prospectus nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the common stock may be distributed or
published in or from any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of
any such country or jurisdiction.
In addition to the public offering of
the shares in the United States, the underwriters may, subject to the applicable foreign laws, also offer the common stock to certain institutions or
accredited persons in the countries listed under the heading Notices to Non-United Stated Investors.
Notices to Non-United States Investors
British Virgin Islands. This
prospectus does not constitute, and there will not be, an offering of securities to the public in the British Virgin Islands.
Australia. If this document is
issued or distributed in Australia it is issued or distributed to wholesale clients only, not to retail clients. For the
purposes of this paragraph, the terms wholesale client and retail client have the meanings given in section 761 of the
Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). This document is not a disclosure document under the Australian Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the
Australian Securities & Investments Commission and does not purport to include the information required of a disclosure document under the
Australian Corporations Act. Accordingly, (i) the offer of securities under this document is only made to persons to whom it is lawful to offer such
securities under one or more exemptions set out in the Australian Corporations Act, (ii) this document is only made available in Australia to those
persons referred to in clause (i) above, and (iii) the offeree must be sent a notice stating in substance that, by accepting this offer, the offeree
represents that the offeree is such a person as referred to in clause (i) above, and, unless permitted under the Australian Corporations Act, agrees
not to sell or offer for sale within Australia any of the securities sold to the offeree within 12 months after its transfer to the offeree under this
document.
China. THIS PROSPECTUS HAS NOT
BEEN AND WILL NOT BE CIRCULATED OR DISTRIBUTED IN THE PRC, AND THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREIN MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD, AND WILL NOT BE OFFERED OR
SOLD TO ANY PERSON FOR RE-OFFERING OR RESALE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO ANY RESIDENT OF THE PRC EXCEPT PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF
THE PRC.
United Arab Emirates. The
offering has not been approved or licensed by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (the UAE), Securities and Commodities Authority
of the UAE and/or any other relevant licensing authority in the UAE including any licensing authority incorporated under the laws and regulations of
any of the free zones established and operating in the territory of the UAE, in particular the Dubai Financial Services Authority (the
DFSA), a regulatory authority of the Dubai International Financial Centre (the DIFC).
The offering does not constitute a
public offer of securities in the UAE, DIFC and/or any other free zone in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law, Federal Law No. 8 of 1984 (as
amended), DFSA Offered Securities Rules and NASDAQ Dubai Listing Rules, accordingly, or otherwise. The securities offered hereby may not be offered to
the public in the UAE and/or any of the free zones, including, in particular, the DIFC.
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The securities offered hereby may be
offered and issued only to a limited number of investors in the UAE or any of its free zones (including, in particular, the DIFC) who qualify as
sophisticated investors under the relevant laws and regulations of the UAE or the free zone concerned, including, in particular, the
DIFC.
The company represents and warrants
that the securities offered hereby will not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered to the public in the UAE or any of its free zones, including, in
particular, the DIFC.
Dubai. The issuer is not
licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to provide financial services in the Dubai International Financial Centre
(DIFC). The offering has not been approved or licensed by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (the UAE), Securities
and Commodities Authority of the UAE and/or any other relevant licensing authority in the UAE including any licensing authority incorporated under the
laws and regulations of any of the free zones established and operating in the territory of the UAE, in particular the DFSA, a regulatory of the
DIFC.
The offering does not constitute a
public offer of securities in the UAE, DIFC and/or any other free zone in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law, Federal Law No. 8 of 1984 (as
amended), DFSA Offered Securities Rules and NASDAQ Dubai Listing Rules, accordingly, or otherwise. The securities offered hereby may not be offered to
the public in the UAE and/or any of the free zones, including, in particular, the DIFC.
The securities offered hereby may be
offered and issued only to a limited number of investors in the UAE or any of its free zones (including, in particular, the DIFC) who qualify as
sophisticated investors under the relevant laws and regulations of the UAE or the free zone concerned, including, in particular, the
DIFC.
The company represents and warrants
that the securities offered hereby will not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered to the public in the UAE or any of its free zones, including, in
particular, the DIFC.
Israel. The securities offered
by this prospectus have not been approved or disapproved by the Israeli Securities Authority (the ISA), nor have such securities been registered for
sale in Israel. The securities may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in Israel, absent the publication of a prospectus. The
ISA has not issued permits, approvals or licenses in connection with the offering or publishing of the prospectus; nor has it authenticated the details
included herein, confirmed their reliability or completeness, or rendered an opinion as to the quality of the securities being offered. Any resale,
directly or indirectly, to the public of the securities offered by this prospectus is subject to restrictions on transferability and must be effected
only in compliance with the Israeli securities laws and regulations.
Italy. The offering of the
securities has not been registered with the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB), in accordance with Italian securities
legislation. Accordingly, the securities may not be offered or sold, and copies of this offering document or any other document relating to the
securities may not be distributed in Italy except to Qualified Investors, as defined in Article 34- ter, subsection 1, paragraph b) of CONSOB
Regulation no. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as amended (the Issuers Regulation), or in any other circumstance where an express exemption to comply with
public offering restrictions provided by Legislative Decree no. 58 of February 24, 1998 (the Consolidated Financial Act) or Issuers Regulation
applies, including those provided for under Article 100 of the Finance Law and Article 34- ter of the Issuers Regulation, and provided, however,
that any such offer or sale of the securities or distribution of copies of this offering document or any other document relating to the securities in
Italy must (i) be made in accordance with all applicable Italian laws and regulations, (ii) be conducted in accordance with any relevant limitations or
procedural requirements that CONSOB may impose upon the offer or sale of the securities, and (iii) be made only by (a) banks, investment firms or
financial companies enrolled in the special register provided for in Article 107 of Legislative Decree no. 385 of September 1, 1993, to the extent duly
authorized to engage in the placement and/or underwriting of financial instruments in Italy in accordance with the Consolidated Financial Act and the
relevant implementing regulations; or (b) foreign banks or financial institutions (the controlling shareholding of which is owned by one or more banks
located in the same EU Member State) authorised to place and distribute securities in the Republic of Italy pursuant to Articles 15, 16 and 18 of the
Banking Act, in each case acting in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Pakistan. The investors /
subscribers in Pakistan will be responsible for ensuring their eligibility to invest under the applicable laws of Pakistan and to obtain any regulatory
consents if required for such purpose.
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Saudi Arabia. NO OFFERING OF
SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA, AND NO AGREEMENT RELATING TO THE SALE OF THE SECURITIES WILL BE CONCLUDED IN SAUDI ARABIA.
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED AT THE REQUEST OF THE RECIPIENT AND IS BEING FORWARDED TO THE ADDRESS SPECIFIED BY THE RECIPIENT. NEITHER THE AGENT NOR THE
OFFERING HAVE BEEN LICENSED BY THE SAUDIS SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ARE OTHERWISE REGULATED BY THE LAWS OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI
ARABIA.
THEREFORE, NO SERVICES RELATING TO THE
OFFERING, INCLUDING THE RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS AND/OR THE ALLOTMENT OF THE SECURITIES, MAY BE RENDERED WITHIN THE KINGDOM BY THE AGENT OR PERSONS
REPRESENTING THE OFFERING.
Switzerland. This document does
not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Article 652a of the Swiss Code of Obligations. The securities of FinTech Acquisition Corp. may not be
sold directly or indirectly in or into Switzerland except in a manner which will not result in a public offering within the meaning of the Swiss Code
of Obligations. Neither this document nor any other offering materials relating to the securities may be distributed, published or otherwise made
available in Switzerland except in a manner which will not constitute a public offer of the securities of FinTech Acquisition Corp. in
Switzerland.
United Kingdom. The content of
this prospectus has not been issued or approved by an authorized person within the meaning of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act
2000 (FSMA). Reliance on this prospectus for the purpose of engaging in any investment activity may expose an Investor to a significant
risk of losing all of the property or other assets invested. This prospectus does not constitute a Prospectus within the meaning of the FSMA and is
issued in reliance upon one or more of the exemptions from the need to issue such a prospectus contained in section 86 of the FSMA.
Japan. The securities have not
been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law) and no
securities will be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein
means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or
resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and
otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of
Japan.
European Economic Area. In
relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a relevant member state), with effect
from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that relevant member state (the relevant implementation
date), an offer of units described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state prior to the publication of a
prospectus in relation to the units that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in
another relevant member state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive,
except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of our units may be made to the public in that relevant member
state at any time:
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to any legal entity that is authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities; |
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to any legal entity that has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; |
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to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or |
|
in any other circumstances that do not require the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive. |
111
Each purchaser of units described in
this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a qualified
investor within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive. For the purpose of this provision, the expression an offer to
the public in any relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer
and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the units, as the expression may be varied in that
member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression Prospectus Directive means
Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state.
We have not authorized and do not
authorize the making of any offer of units through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view
to the final placement of the units as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the units, other than the underwriter, is
authorized to make any further offer of the units on behalf of us or the underwriters.
Certain legal matters in connection
with this offering will be passed upon for us by Ledgewood, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be
passed upon for the underwriters by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York.
The financial statements of FinTech
Acquisition Corp. (a development stage company) as of July 31, 2014, and for the period from November 1, 2013 (inception) through July 31, 2014,
appearing in this prospectus, have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon
(which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of FinTech Acquisition Corp. to continue as a going concern as
described in Note 1 to the financial statements) appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given on the
authority of Marcum LLP as experts in accounting and auditing.
We have filed with the SEC a
registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not
contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the
registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of
our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such
contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual
contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we
will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and
other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SECs website at
www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington,
D.C.
112
FinTech Financial Corp.
Page |
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F-2 |
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F-3 |
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F-4 |
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F-5 |
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F-6 |
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F-7
F-12 |
F-1
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders
of FinTech Acquisition Corp.
of FinTech Acquisition Corp.
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of FinTech
Acquisition Corp. (the Company) as of July 31, 2014, and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders equity and
cash flows for the period from November 1, 2013 (inception) through July 31, 2014. These financial statements are the responsibility of the
Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance
about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit
of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for
designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the
Companys internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis,
evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our
opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of FinTech Acquisition Corp., as of July 31, 2014 and the results of its operations
and its cash flows for the period from November 1, 2013 (inception) through July 31, 2014 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming
the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has no present revenue, its business plan
is dependent on the completion of a financing and the Companys cash and working capital as of July 31, 2014 are not sufficient to complete its
planned activities for the upcoming year. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern.
Managements plans regarding these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might
result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
New York, NY
September 15, 2014
New York, NY
September 15, 2014
F-2
ASSETS |
||||||
Current
assets |
||||||
Cash and cash
equivalents |
$ | 4,738 | ||||
Prepaid
expenses |
20,000 | |||||
Total current
assets |
24,738 | |||||
Other
assets |
||||||
Deferred
offering costs |
137,066 | |||||
Total
assets |
$ | 161,804 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
||||||
Current
liabilities |
||||||
Accrued
expenses |
$ | 24,223 | ||||
Accrued
offering costs |
137,066 | |||||
Total
current liabilities |
161,289 | |||||
Stockholders equity |
||||||
Preferred
stock, $0.001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized none issued and outstanding |
| |||||
Common stock,
$0.001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 3,916,667 shares issued and outstanding (1) |
3,917 | |||||
Additional
paid-in capital |
21,083 | |||||
Accumulated
deficit |
(24,485 | ) | ||||
Total
stockholders equity |
515 | |||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders equity |
$ | 161,804 |
(1) |
Includes an aggregate of 500,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the initial stockholders to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full. (Note 4) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements
F-3
FINTECH ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
For the Period from November 1, 2013 (inception) to July 31, 2014
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
For the Period from November 1, 2013 (inception) to July 31, 2014
Formation,
general & administrative costs |
$ | 24,485 | ||||
Net loss
|
(24,485 | ) | ||||
Weighted
average number of common shares outstandingbasic and diluted (1) |
3,416,667 | |||||
Net loss per
common sharebasic and diluted |
$ | (0.01 | ) |
(1) |
Excludes an aggregate of 500,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the initial stockholders to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full. (Note 4) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements
F-4
FINTECH ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
For the Period from November 1, 2013 (inception) to July 31, 2014
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
For the Period from November 1, 2013 (inception) to July 31, 2014
Common Stock |
||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shares (1) |
Amount |
Additional Paid-in Capital |
Accumulated deficit |
Total Stockholders Equity |
||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of
common stock to initial stockholders |
3,916,667 | $ | 3,917 | $ | 21,083 | $ | | $ | 25,000 | |||||||||||||
Net loss
|
(24,485 | ) | (24,485 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Balances at
July 31, 2014 |
3,916,667 | $ | 3,917 | $ | 21,083 | $ | (24,485 | ) | $ | 515 |
(1) |
Includes an aggregate of 500,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the initial stockholders to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full. (Note 4) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements
F-5
FINTECH ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the Period from November 1, 2013 (inception) to July 31, 2014
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the Period from November 1, 2013 (inception) to July 31, 2014
Cash flows
from operating activities: |
||||||
Net loss
|
$ | (24,485 | ) | |||
Changes in
operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||
Prepaid
expenses |
(20,000 | ) | ||||
Accrued
expenses |
24,223 | |||||
Net cash
used in operating activities |
(20,262 | ) | ||||
Cash flows
provided by financing activities: |
||||||
Proceeds from
stock issuance |
25,000 | |||||
Net
increase in cash and cash equivalents |
4,738 | |||||
Cash and
cash equivalents at beginning of the period |
| |||||
Cash and
cash equivalents at end of the period |
$ | 4,738 | ||||
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities: |
||||||
Deferred
offering costs included in accrued offering costs |
$ | 137,066 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements
F-6
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
OPERATIONS
FinTech Acquisition Corp. (the
Company), is a newly organized blank check company incorporated in Delaware on November 1, 2013. The Company was formed for the purpose of
acquiring, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, exchangeable share transaction or other similar
business transaction, one or more operating businesses or assets that the Company has not yet identified (a Business Combination). The
Company has neither engaged in any operations nor generated significant revenue to date. The Company has selected October 31 as its fiscal year
end.
The Companys management has broad
discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of its proposed initial public offering of Units (as defined in Note 3 below)
(the Proposed Offering), although substantially all of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering are intended to be generally applied
toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully affect a Business Combination. Proceeds
of the Proposed Offering will be held in a trust account (Trust Account) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the
meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open ended
investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraphs (c)(2), (c)(3) and (c)(4)
of Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the
distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account as described below.
The Company may not submit the proposed
initial Business Combination for shareholder approval, unless required by law or stock exchange listing requirements. The Company expects to proceed
with a Business Combination if it is approved by the board of directors. If the Company is required to seek shareholder approval in connection with its
initial Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares voted, are voted in
favor of the Business Combination. In connection with such a vote, the Company will provide its stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their
shares of its common stock upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate
amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account not previously released to the
Company, divided by the number of then outstanding shares of common stock that were sold as part of the Units in the Proposed Offering. These shares of
common stock will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering, in accordance with
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 480 Distinguishing Liabilities from
Equity. However, in no event will the Company redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than
$5,000,001, and in any event, the terms of any proposed Business Combination may require the Companys net tangible assets to be greater than
$5,000,001. The initial shareholders, FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC (the Sponsor), Daniel Cohen, Betsy Cohen, Frank Mastrangelo, James J.
McEntee and DGC Family FinTech Trust (together the Initial Shareholders), have agreed, if the Company is required to seek shareholder
approval of its Business Combination, to vote shares held by them in favor of approving a Business Combination.
The Company will have 18 months from
the consummation of the Proposed Offering to consummate its initial Business Combination. If the Company is unable to consummate an initial Business
Combination within the above period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of its affairs; (ii) distribute
the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including any portion of the interest earned thereon which was not previously used for
working capital or to pay dissolution expenses or taxes, pro rata to the public shareholders by way of redemption of the public shares (which
redemption would completely extinguish such holders rights as shareholders, including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if
any); and (iii) as promptly as possible following such redemption, dissolve and liquidate the balance of the Companys net assets to its remaining
shareholders, as part of its plan of dissolution and liquidation.
F-7
The Initial Shareholders and Cantor
Fitzgerald & Co., the lead underwriter for the Proposed Offering (Cantor Fitzgerald), have agreed to waive their redemption rights with
respect to the Founder Shares (as defined in Note 4 below) and placement shares (as defined in Note 3 below) (i) in connection with the consummation of
a Business Combination, and (ii) if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 18 months from the consummation of the proposed
offering and upon the Companys liquidation prior to the expiration of the 18 month period. The Initial Shareholders have also agreed to waive
their redemption rights with respect to any public shares acquired in or after the Proposed Offering in connection with a Business Combination.
However, the Initial Shareholders will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to public shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business
Combination or liquidates within 18 months from the consummation of the Proposed Offering, and Cantor Fitzgerald will have the same redemption rights
as a public stockholder with respect to any public shares it acquires in or after the Proposed Offering. The underwriters with respect to the Proposed
Offering have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commissions held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not
consummate a Business Combination within 18 months from the consummation of the Proposed Offering and, in such event, such amounts will be included
with the funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the public shares. In the event of such distribution, it is
possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the
initial public offering price per Unit in the Proposed Offering. Placing funds in the Trust Account may not protect those funds from third party claims
against the Company. Although the Company will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities it engages,
execute agreements with the Company waiving any claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, there is no guarantee that such
persons will execute such agreements. The Companys Chief Executive Officer will agree that he will be liable under certain circumstances to
ensure that the proceeds in the Trust Account are not reduced by the claims of target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by
the Company for service rendered, contracted for or products sold to the Company. However, he may not be able to satisfy those obligations should they
arise.
Notwithstanding the foregoing
redemption rights, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of its initial Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions in connection with
its Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, the 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 redeeming its shares with respect to any shares held in excess of an aggregate
of 10.0% or more of the shares sold in this offering. However, there is no restriction on the Companys stockholders ability to vote all of
their shares for or against a Business Combination.
At July 31, 2014, the Company had
$4,738 in cash and cash equivalents and a working capital deficit of $136,551. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant
costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a
going concern. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a Proposed Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the
Companys plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the target business acquisition
period. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination and meet working capital needs, the Sponsor has committed to
loan the Company the necessary funds, up to a maximum of $750,000 (see Note 4). In addition, the Sponsor may, but is not obligated to, loan the Company
additional funds to meet the Companys working capital needs and fund additional transaction costs. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory
note. The notes would be paid upon consummation of a Business Combination. At the Sponsors discretion, the notes may be converted into warrants
of the post-combination business entity at a price of $0.75 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the placement warrants issued to the
Sponsor. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the loans will be forgiven. The financial statements do not include any adjustments
that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
F-8
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
Basis of presentation
The accompanying financial statements
are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and
pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Net loss per common share
The Company complies with accounting
and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. Net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss applicable to
common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture
by certain of our Initial Shareholders. At July 31, 2014, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially,
be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per common share is the same as
basic loss per common share for the period.
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially
subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal
depository insurance coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed
to significant risks on such accounts.
Fair value of financial instruments
The fair value of the Companys
assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, approximates
the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Cash and cash equivalents
The Company considers all short-term
investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
Use of estimates
The preparation of financial statements
in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure
of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting
period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Deferred offering costs
Deferred offering costs consist of
legal fees and offering expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to
stockholders equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. Should the Proposed Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as
well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Income taxes
The Company complies with the
accounting and reporting requirements of FASB ASC 740 Income Taxes, which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting
and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases
of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in
which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the
amount expected to be realized.
F-9
FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition
threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax
return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There
were no unrecognized tax benefits as of July 31, 2014. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at July 31, 2014. The Company
is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The
Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
The Company may be subject to potential
examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, U.S. city or foreign jurisdiction authorities in the areas of income taxes. These potential examinations may
include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S.
state, U.S. city and foreign tax laws. The Companys management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially
change over the next twelve months.
The Companys policy for recording
interest and penalties associated with audit is to record such expense as a component of income tax expense. There were no amounts accrued for
penalties or interest as of or during the period from November 1, 2013 (inception) through July 1, 2014. Management is currently unaware of any issues
under review that could result in significant payments, accruals, or material deviations from its position.
Recently issued accounting standards
Management does not believe that any
recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Companys financial
statements.
Subsequent events
The Company evaluates subsequent events
and transactions that occur after the balance sheet date up to the date of the financial statements are filed for potential recognition or disclosure.
Any material events that occur between the balance sheet date and filing date are disclosed as subsequent events, while the financial statements are
adjusted to reflect any conditions that exist at the balance sheet date. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any recognized or
non-recognized subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
3. PROPOSED OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Offering, the
Company will offer for sale 10,000,000 units, and an additional 1,500,000 units issuable if the underwriters for the Proposed Offering exercise their
overallotment option in full, at $10.00 per unit (Units). The underwriters will have 45 days following the closing of the Proposed Offering
to exercise their overallotment option. Each Unit will consist of one share of the Companys common stock, $0.001 par value, and one redeemable
common stock purchase warrant. The Company is not at this time registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities
Act), the warrants and the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. However, the Company has agreed to use its best efforts
to file and have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the
warrants, to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock until the earlier of the date the warrants expire or are redeemed
and the date on which all of the warrants have been exercised, and to qualify the resale of such shares under state blue sky laws, to the extent an
exemption is not available. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $12.00 and will become
exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the consummation of the initial Business Combination, or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed
Offering. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York time, five years after the consummation of the initial Business Combination or earlier upon
redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to the Company and not placed in the Trust
Account. The warrants will be redeemable by the Company at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon 30 days prior written notice after the warrants become
exercisable, only in the event that the last sale price of the common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a
30-trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given. The Company will not redeem the
warrants unless an
F-10
effective registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current and available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, then the warrants will expire worthless. The Company intends to classify the warrants within permanent equity as additional paid-in capital in accordance with ASC 815-40 Derivatives and Hedging.
In connection with the Proposed
Offering, the Sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald have committed to purchase 250,000 placement units (150,000 placement units by the Sponsor and 100,000
placement units by Cantor Fitzgerald) (the placement units), each consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant (each, a
placement warrant) to purchase one share of our common stock exercisable at $12.00, at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement
that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Proposed Offering. The total purchase price for the placement units will be $2.5 million.
There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the placement shares or
warrants.
The placement units and their component
securities are the same as the public units and their component securities except that they may not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30
days after the consummation of the initial Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions, and the placement warrants will be
non-redeemable so long as they are held by the Sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald, or their permitted transferees. If the placement warrants are held by
someone other than the Sponsor, Cantor Fitzgerald, or their permitted transferees, the placement warrants will be redeemable by the Company and
exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the Units.
4. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
In order to finance organizational
costs and other costs relating to the Proposed Offering, the Sponsor has committed to loan the Company funds as may be required, to a maximum of
$500,000. These loans will be non-interest bearing, unsecured and payable on the earlier of March 31, 2015 or the consummation of the Proposed
Offering.
In order to finance transaction costs
in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsor has committed to loan the Company funds as may be required, to a maximum of
$750,000. If the Company consummates an initial Business Combination, the Company will repay such loaned amounts. If the Company does not consummate an
initial Business Combination, the Company may use a portion of any working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts;
however, no proceeds from the Trust Account may be used for such repayment, other than interest income earned thereon. If such funds are insufficient
to repay the full amount loaned, the unpaid amounts would be forgiven. Any part or all of such loans may be convertible into additional warrants at
$0.75 per warrant (a maximum of 1,000,000 warrants if the full $750,000 is loaned and that amount is converted into warrants) of the post-business
combination entity at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the placement warrants.
On November 1, 2013, the Company issued
an aggregate of 112 shares of common stock to certain of the Initial Shareholders for an aggregate purchase price of $112, and on July 2, 2014, the
Company issued an aggregate of 3,916,555 shares of common stock to certain of the Initial Shareholders for an aggregate purchase price of $24,888
(collectively, the Founder Shares). If the Company increases the size of the Proposed Offering, the number of Founder Shares may be
increased through a stock dividend in order to maintain the ownership represented by the Founder Shares at the same percentage as was the case before
the stock dividend. If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their overallotment option, the Initial Shareholders have agreed, pursuant
to a written agreement with the Company, that they will forfeit up to an aggregate of 500,000 Founder Shares in proportion to the portion of the
underwriters overallotment option that was not exercised.
The Founder Shares are identical to the
shares of common stock included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering, except that (1) the Founder Shares are subject to certain transfer
restrictions, as described in more detail below, and (2) the Initial Shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their
Founder Shares (i) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within
18 months from the consummation of the Proposed Offering and (iii) upon the Companys liquidation prior to the expiration of the 18 month period.
If the Company submits the initial Business Combination to the Companys public shareholders for a vote, the
F-11
Initial Shareholders have agreed to vote their Founder Shares, any public shares they hold, and in the case of the Sponsor, its placement shares, in favor of the initial Business Combination.
The Initial Shareholders have agreed
not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares (except to permitted transferees) until (i) with respect to 20% of such shares, upon
consummation of the Companys initial Business Combination, (ii) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of the Companys
common stock exceeds $12.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the initial Business Combination,
(iii) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of the Companys common stock exceeds $13.50 for any 20 trading days within a
30-trading day period following the consummation of the initial Business Combination, (iv) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price
of the Companys common stock exceeds $15.00 for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the initial
Business Combination and (v) with respect to 20% of such shares, when the closing price of the Companys common stock exceeds $17.00 for any 20
trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of the initial Business Combination or earlier, in any case, if, following a
Business Combination, the Company engages in a subsequent transaction (1) resulting in the Companys shareholders having the right to exchange
their shares for cash or other securities or (2) involving a consolidation, merger or other change in the majority of the Companys board of
directors or management team in which the company is the surviving entity.
The Initial Shareholders and holders of
placement units will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed on or before the date of the
prospectus for the Proposed Offering. The Initial Shareholders, including the Sponsor, will be entitled to demand registration rights and certain
piggy-back registration rights with respect to their shares of common stock, and the Sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald, as the holders of
placement units, will be entitled to such rights with respect to their placement warrants and the common shares underlying the warrants, commencing on
the date such common stock or warrants are released from the transfer restrictions set forth in the previous paragraph. The Company will bear the
expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
5. COMMITMENTS & CONTINGENCIES
The Company expects to grant the
underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover the overallotments at the initial public offering price less the
underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters will be entitled to an
underwriting discount of two percent (2.0%) of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Offering, excluding any amounts raised pursuant to the overallotment
option. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of (i) five percent (5.0%) of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Offering,
excluding any amounts raised pursuant to the overallotment option, and (ii) seven percent (7.0%) of the gross proceeds of any Units sold in the
Proposed Offering pursuant to the overallotment option, payable in cash upon the closing of a Business Combination.
6. STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
Common Stock The
Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share. Holders of the Companys common stock are
entitled to one vote for each common share. At July 31, 2014, there were 3,916,667 common shares outstanding.
Preferred Stock
The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.001 per shares. At July 31, 2014, there were no preferred
shares outstanding.
F-12
$100,000,000
FinTech Acquisition Corp.
10,000,000 Units
PROSPECTUS
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
__________, 2014
Until __________,
2014, all dealers that buy, sell or trade these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus.
This is in addition to the dealers obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or
subscriptions.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN
PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and
Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in
connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as
follows:
SEC filing fee |
$ | 13,363 | ||||
FINRA filing fee |
17,750 | |||||
Accounting fees and expenses |
45,000 | |||||
Printing and engraving expenses |
45,000 | |||||
Legal fees and expenses |
200,000 | |||||
NASDAQ Capital Market fees |
50,000 | |||||
Travel and roadshow |
20,000 | |||||
Directors and officers insurance |
100,000 | |||||
Miscellaneous expenses(1) |
108,887 | |||||
Total |
$ | 600,000 |
(1) |
This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by us in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including distribution and mailing costs, transfer agent fees, warrant agent fees and trustee fees. |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and
Officers.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide
that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents will be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of
the Delaware General Corporation Law.
Section 145 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
Section 145. Indemnification of
officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
(a) A corporation shall have
power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact
that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a
director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust account or other enterprise, against expenses (including
attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action,
suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of
the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the persons conduct was unlawful. The
termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall
not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the
persons conduct was unlawful.
(b) A corporation shall have
power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in
the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee
or
II-1
agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust account or other enterprise against expenses including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
(c) To the extent that a
present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding
referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against
expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification
under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon
a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person
has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a
person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit
or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less
than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the
stockholders.
(e) Expenses (including
attorneys fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding
may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of
such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the
corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees
and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
(f) The indemnification and
advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to
which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested
directors or otherwise, both as to action in such persons official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such
office
(g) A corporation shall have
power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was
serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust account
or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such
persons status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this
section.
(h) For purposes of this
section, references to the corporation shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any
constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority
to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such
constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving
corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
II-2
(i) For purposes of this
section, references to other enterprises shall include employee benefit plans; references to fines shall include any excise
taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to serving at the request of the corporation shall
include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director,
officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a
manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have
acted in a manner not opposed to the best interests of the corporation as referred to in this section.
(j) The indemnification and
advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to
a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such
a person.
(k) The Court of Chancery is
hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section
or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a
corporations obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys fees).
Insofar as indemnification for
liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions,
or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or
controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by
controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as
expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Article VIII of our amended and
restated bylaws provides:
The Corporation, to the full extent
permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses
(including attorneys fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or
proceeding for which such officer or director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final
disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it
shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized hereby.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide
for the indemnification of our directors, officers or other persons, and permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee
for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will purchase a policy of
directors and officers liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a
judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
We will enter into agreements with our
officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement,
a form of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters, and the underwriters have agreed
to indemnify us, against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the
Securities Act.
II-3
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered
Securities.
During the past three years, we sold
the following shares of common stock without registration under the Securities Act:
Stockholders |
Number of Shares |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Betsy Z. Cohen |
410,000 | |||||
Daniel G. Cohen |
410,000 | |||||
DGC Family FinTech Trust |
410,000 | |||||
Frank Mastrangelo |
200,000 | |||||
James J. McEntee, III |
100,000 | |||||
FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC |
2,386,667 | |||||
Total |
3,916,667 |
Such shares of common stock were issued
to the initial holders (112 shares issued in November 2013 and 3,916,555 shares issued in June 2014) in connection with our organization pursuant to
the exemption from registration contained in Regulation D) of the Securities Act. The shares of common stock issued to the initial holders were sold
for an aggregate offering price of $25,000 at a purchase price of approximately $0.0064 per share. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid
with respect to such sales. Of these securities, up to 500,000 shares of common stock will be forfeited in the event that the underwriters
overallotment option is not exercised, in full.
On or before the date of the prospectus
accompanying this registration statement, our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald will separately purchase an aggregate of 250,000 placement units. These
placement units will be issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act as they will be sold to
accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) of the Securities Act. No underwriting discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to
such sales. Private placement subscription agreements have been entered into between with our sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald in connection with these
placement units and are attached as exhibits to this Registration Statement.
In addition, if we increase the size of
the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we may effect a stock dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in
such amount as to maintain our initial stockholders collective ownership of founder shares at 25% of the aggregate of our founder shares,
placement shares and our public shares upon consummation of the offering. If we decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a reverse split of
our common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain our initial stockholders collective
ownership of founder shares at 25% of the aggregate of our founder shares, placement shares and our public shares of upon the date of this prospectus.
Any such increased number of shares will be subject to forfeiture in the event that the underwriters overallotment option is not exercised in
full. Any such decreased number of shares will be forfeited, with the remainder subject to forfeiture in the event that the underwriters
overallotment option is not exercised in full.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement
Schedules.
See the Exhibit Index, which follows
the signature page and which is incorporated by reference herein.
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The undersigned hereby
undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in
such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(b) Insofar as
indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant
pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
II-4
the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned
registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in
reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities
Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.
II-5
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in the City of Philadelphia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on this 12th day of December, 2014.
FINTECH ACQUISITION CORP. |
||||||||||
By: |
/s/ James J. McEntee, III |
|||||||||
Name: |
James J. McEntee, III |
|||||||||
Title: |
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
We, the undersigned officers and
directors of FinTech Acquisition Corp., and each of us do hereby constitute and appoint each of James J. McEntee, III and Betsy Z. Cohen as our true
and lawful attorney with full power to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below any and all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to the registration statement filed herewith as well as any registration statement of the same offering covered by this registration
statement that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, and generally do all such things in our names and
in our capacities as officers and directors to enable FinTech Acquisition Corp. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, and all
requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or
any of them, to said registration.
Pursuant to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates
indicated.
Name |
Position |
Date |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
/s/ Daniel G. Cohen Daniel G. Cohen |
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director (Principal Executive Officer) |
December 12, 2014 |
||||||||
/s/ James J. McEntee, III James J. McEntee, III |
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
December 12, 2014 |
||||||||
/s/ Betsy Z. Cohen Betsy Z. Cohen |
Chairman of the Board of Directors |
December 12, 2014 |
||||||||
/s/ Walter T. Beach Walter T. Beach |
Director |
December 12, 2014 |
||||||||
/s/ Shami Patel Shami Patel |
Director |
December 12, 2014 |
||||||||
II-6
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. |
Description |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.1 |
Form of Underwriting Agreement. |
|||||
3.1(a) |
Certificate of Incorporation. |
|||||
3.1(b) |
Amendment No. 1 to Certificate of Incorporation. |
|||||
3.1(c) |
Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. |
|||||
3.2(a) |
Bylaws. |
|||||
3.2(b) |
Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws. |
|||||
4.1 |
Specimen Unit Certificate. |
|||||
4.2 |
Specimen Common Stock Certificate. |
|||||
4.3 |
Specimen Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.4). |
|||||
4.4 |
Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant. |
|||||
5.1 |
Opinion of Ledgewood, P.C. * |
|||||
10.1 |
Form of Investment Management Trust Account Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the
Registrant. |
|||||
10.2 |
Form of Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and security holders.* |
|||||
10.3(a) |
Placement Unit Subscription Agreement dated December 12, 2014 with FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC.* |
|||||
10.3(b) |
Placement Unit Subscription Agreement dated December 12, 2014 with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.* |
|||||
10.4(a) |
Form of Letter Agreement by and between the Registrant, the Registrants security holders named therein, and the officers and
directors of the Registrant. |
|||||
10.4(b) |
Form of Letter Agreement by and between the Registrant and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. * |
|||||
10.5 |
Form of Indemnity Agreement. |
|||||
10.6 |
Form of Promissory Note between Registrant and FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC (included in Exhibit 10.7). |
|||||
10.7 |
Loan Commitment Agreement between Registrant and FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC. |
|||||
10.8 |
Form of Promissory Note for loan to FinTech Investor Holdings, LLC. |
|||||
14.1 |
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. |
|||||
23.1 |
Consent of Marcum LLP. |
|||||
23.2 |
Consent of Ledgewood, P.C. (included in Exhibit 5.1). |
|||||
24.1 |
Powers of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration Statement). |
|||||
99.1 |
Form of Audit Committee Charter |
|||||
99.2 |
Form of Compensation Committee Charter |
* |
To be filed by amendment. |
II-7