Attached files
| file | filename |
|---|---|
| EX-32 - CERTIFICATION - Microvast Holdings, Inc. | f10k2019ex32_tuscanhold.htm |
| EX-31.2 - CERTIFICATION - Microvast Holdings, Inc. | f10k2019ex31-2_tuscanhold.htm |
| EX-31.1 - CERTIFICATION - Microvast Holdings, Inc. | f10k2019ex31-1_tuscanhold.htm |
| EX-4.1 - DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES - Microvast Holdings, Inc. | f10k2019ex4-1_tuscanhold.htm |
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
☒ Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the year ended December 31, 2019
Commission File Number 001-38826
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 83-2530757 | |
| (State
or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.) | |
135 E. 57th St. , 18th Floor New York, NY |
10022 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (zip code) |
(646) 948-7100
(Issuer’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | ||
| Units, each consisting of one share of common stock and one redeemable warrant | THCBU | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share | THCB | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Redeemable warrants, exercisable for shares of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share | THCBW | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 during the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirement for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☒ |
| Non-accelerated filer ☐ | Smaller reporting company ☒ |
| Emerging growth company ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒ No ☐
The aggregate market value of the common stock outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing price for the common stock as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter ($9.88 as of June 28, 2019), as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market, was approximately $272,680,000.
As of March 13, 2020, 35,487,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, were issued and outstanding.
Documents Incorporated by Reference: None.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other business combination and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not limited to our:
| ● | ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following an initial business combination; |
| ● | officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| ● | potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete an initial business combination; |
| ● | pool of prospective target businesses; |
| ● | failure to maintain the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) or an inability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination; |
| ● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities; |
| ● | potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock; |
| ● | public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | 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. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this annual report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and 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. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” may not be exhaustive.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report. In addition, even if our results or operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.
i
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ii
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”), references to the “Company” and to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Tuscan Holdings Corp.
We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on November 5, 2018. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location, although we are currently focusing our search for target businesses in the cannabis industry.
In November 2018, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of our common stock (“founders’ shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to our initial stockholders. In March 2019, we effectuated a stock dividend of 0.2 shares of common stock for each outstanding share of common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 6,900,000 founders’ shares.
In November 2018, we also issued to designees of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., the representative of the underwriters in our initial public offering (“IPO”), an aggregate of 300,000 shares of common stock (after giving effect to the stock dividend referred to above) (“representative shares”) at a price of $0.0001 per share.
On March 7, 2019, we consummated the IPO of 24,000,000 units. Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one redeemable warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $240,000,000.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, we consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 615,000 Units (“Private Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $6,150,000. The Private Units were sold to Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC, our Sponsor, and EarlyBirdCapital and its designees. The Private Units are identical to the units sold in the IPO, except that the warrants underlying the Private Units are non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.
On March 12, 2019, we consummated the sale of an additional 3,600,000 units that were subject to the underwriters’ over-allotment option at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $36,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the sale of additional units, we consummated the sale of an additional 72,000 Private Units at $10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $720,000. Following the closing of the over-allotment option and sale of additional Private Units, an aggregate amount of $276,000,000 has been placed in the trust account established in connection with the IPO.
Effecting a Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of our IPO and the Private Placement of Private Units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in our securities are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.
1
We Have Not Identified a Target Business
Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the fair market value requirement described below, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. We have not established any other specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in our securities to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. To the extent we effect a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. 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.
Sources of Target Businesses
We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors. While our officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to our Sponsor’s contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. Our officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income accrued in the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. We may engage the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on a formal basis, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction.
We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or Sponsor. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.
2
Selection of Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination
Subject to the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management has virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:
| ● | financial condition and results of operation; |
| ● | growth potential; |
| ● | brand recognition and potential; |
| ● | experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel; |
| ● | capital requirements; |
| ● | competitive position; |
| ● | barriers to entry; |
| ● | stage of development of the products, processes or services; |
| ● | existing distribution and potential for expansion; |
| ● | degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services; |
| ● | proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas; |
| ● | impact of regulation on the business; |
| ● | regulatory environment of the industry; |
| ● | the target business’s compliance with U.S. federal law, including the Controlled Substances Act; |
| ● | costs associated with effecting the business combination; |
| ● | industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and |
| ● | macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.
The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained 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 a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.
3
Fair Market Value of Target Business
Nasdaq listing rules require that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.
We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test.
In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fundraising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.
4
Lack of Business Diversification
We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, and there is no required minimum valuation standard for any single target at the time of such acquisition. We expect to complete only a single business combination, although this process may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several operating businesses. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| ● | subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination, and |
| ● | result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, 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.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’ Management
Although we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’ management will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
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 any such additional managers we do recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination
In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related conversions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combination even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
5
We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.
Our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to convert any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination.
If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination, our officers, directors, Sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates could make purchases of our securities in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, Sponsor, initial stockholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.
Conversion Rights
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.
Our Sponsor, initial stockholders and our officers and directors will not have conversion rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior our IPO or purchased by them in the IPO or in the aftermarket. Additionally, the holders of the representative shares will not have conversion rights with respect to the representative shares.
We may require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.
6
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise conversion rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.
Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.
The foregoing is different from the procedures historically used by some blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect conversion rights in connection with a blank check company’s business combination, the company 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 conversion 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 company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the conversion price, he could sell his shares in the open market before actually delivering his shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the conversion rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become a “continuing” right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to convert his shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share of common stock delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).
If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their conversion rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.
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Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only until December 7, 2020 to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to convert or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination by December 7, 2020 unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our Sponsor, initial stockholders, executive officers, directors or any other person.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, 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 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period 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 Delaware General Corporation Law, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business combination within the prescribed time frame, 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 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) 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 21st 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 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.
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We are required to seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of our IPO, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that other vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. We have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our Sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement our Sponsor entered into specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.00 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount in the trust account, inclusive of any interest (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below).
We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate such distribution. The holders of the founders’ shares and private shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to such shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our Sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of the IPO, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period, if the stockholders seek to have us convert or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to consummating an initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 to our public stockholders at least $10.00 per share.
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If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after December 7, 2020, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties 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.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to our IPO that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our stockholders. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to convert or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination by December 7, 2020, we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our Sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. Our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive any conversion rights with respect to any founders’ shares, private shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
| ● | we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
| ● | we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination; |
| ● | if our initial business combination is not consummated by December 7, 2020, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve our company; |
| ● | we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and |
| ● | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the common stock sold in our IPO on an initial business combination. |
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Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.
The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:
| ● | our obligation to seek stockholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction; |
| ● | our obligation to convert or repurchase shares of common stock held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and |
| ● | our outstanding warrants, and the potential future dilution they represent. |
Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately-held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.
If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
Facilities
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 135 E. 57th St., 18th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month fee Vogel Partners, LLP, an affiliate of our Chief Executive Officer, will charge us for general and administrative services. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.
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We have no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We have no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire an operating business. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.
If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait until after December 7, 2020 before receiving distributions from the trust account.
We have until December 7, 2020 to complete a business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate a business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to convert or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination.
We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable). Accordingly, it is possible that we will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.
We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 65,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2019, there were 1,226,000 authorized but unissued shares of common stock available for issuance (after appropriate reservation for the issuance of the shares underlying the Private Units and warrants included in such Private Units). We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination of common stock and preferred stock, to complete a business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock will not reduce the per-share conversion amount in the trust account. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:
| ● | may significantly reduce the equity interest of investors in our common stock; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock; |
| ● | may cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our shares of common stock. |
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Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a 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 |
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding. |
If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share conversion amount in the trust account.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.00.
Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with 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, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public stockholders, our Sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this Form 10-K) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our Sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. As a result, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.00, plus interest, due to such claims.
Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 may not be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.00.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will continue in existence only until December 7, 2020. If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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 well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.
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If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties 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 directors may decide not to enforce our Sponsor’s indemnification obligations, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.00 per public share and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce such indemnification obligations. 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 we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”
If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of shares of common stock that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.
An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of shares of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.
No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.
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The private warrants included in the Private Units may be exercised at a time when the public warrants may not be exercised.
Once the private warrants included in the Private Units become exercisable, such warrants may immediately be exercised on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. The public warrants, however, will only be exercisable on a cashless basis at the option of the holders if we fail to register the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act within 90 days following the closing of our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is possible that the holders of the private warrants could exercise such warrants at a time when the holders of public warrants could not.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants.
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. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If:
| ● | we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.50 per share of common stock, |
| ● | the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and |
| ● | the volume weighted average trading price of our common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.50 per share, |
then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete a business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.
We may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business industry or sector, although we are currently focusing on companies in the cannabis industry. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.
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Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.
Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.
The role of our key personnel after a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.
We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose, although we intend to focus on companies or assets ancillary to the cannabis industry. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following a business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.
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Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.
Our officers and directors do not commit their full time to our affairs. We expect each of our officers and directors to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The foregoing could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.
Our Sponsor has waived its right to convert its founders’ shares or any other shares purchased in our IPO or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to its founders’ shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to our IPO, as well as the private securities and any warrants purchased by our officers or directors in the aftermarket, will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.
Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations and may in the future become affiliated with other entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business. Additionally, our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Delaware law.
EarlyBirdCapital may have a conflict of interest in rendering services to us in connection with our initial business combination.
We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital a cash fee for such services in an aggregate amount equal to up to 3.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in our IPO only if we consummate our initial business combination. The representative shares will also be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. These financial interests may result in EarlyBirdCapital having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.
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Nasdaq may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our securities are listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange. Although we expect to meet on a pro forma basis Nasdaq’s minimum initial listing standards, which generally only requires that we meet certain requirements relating to stockholders’ equity, market capitalization, aggregate market value of publicly held shares and distribution requirements, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. Nasdaq will also have discretionary authority to not approve our listing if Nasdaq determines that the listing of the company to be acquired is against public policy at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, or we are not listed in connection with our initial business combination, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| ● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| ● | reduced liquidity with respect to our securities; |
| ● | a determination that our shares of common stock are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our shares of common stock to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares of common stock; |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, common stock and warrants are listed on Nasdaq, 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 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.
We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our shares of common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period or revenues exceeds $1.07 billion, or the market value of our shares of common stock that are 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 are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and we are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder 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 public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares of common stock less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our shares of common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price may be more volatile.
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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds from our IPO, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.
It is likely we will consummate a business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously acquire several target businesses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| ● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, or |
| ● | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination.
Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
The ability of our stockholders to exercise their conversion rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many stockholders may exercise conversion rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such conversion, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. 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.
In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek conversion of his, her or its shares.
In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our Sponsor, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock converted to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this Form 10-K) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all. The ability to seek conversion while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.
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In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.
In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we convert his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.
If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion, such converting stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.
If we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to convert their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek conversion may be able to sell their securities.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.
We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of our IPO, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of our IPO, together with interest earned on the funds held in the trust account available to us, will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business, we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of our IPO prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of the business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, or the obligation to convert into cash a significant number of shares from dissenting stockholders, we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional 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 Sponsor, officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.
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Our Sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
Our Sponsor, Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC, owns approximately 21% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Our Sponsor, officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates could determine in the future to make purchases of our securities in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of shareholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our initial stockholders, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before our IPO as well as any shares of common stock acquired in the IPO or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.
Our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law until possible December 7, 2020. 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 Sponsor, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of a business combination.
Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 27,600,000 shares of common stock as part of the units offered in our IPO and private warrants to purchase 687,000 shares of common stock as part of the Private Units. We may also issue other units and warrants to our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us. 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 upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.
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 the private warrants included in the Private Units and any warrants underlying additional units issued to our Sponsor, officers or directors in payment of working capital loans made to us) at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of the common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third business day prior to 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. None of the private warrants included in the Private Units will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.
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Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this Form 10-K have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrant (including any private warrants included in the Private Units) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.
Our Sponsor is entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the founders’ shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of representative shares, the private securities and any units and warrants our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the representative shares, private securities and any other units and warrants we issue to them (and the underlying securities) commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional securities trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common stock.
If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.
A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be invested by the trustee only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.
If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:
| ● | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| ● | restrictions on the issuance of securities. |
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In addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome requirements, including:
| ● | registration as an investment company; |
| ● | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| ● | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.
If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may be required to subsequently 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.
We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even 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 common stock. 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.
The requirement that we complete an initial business combination by December 7, 2020 may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination.
We have until December 7, 2020 to complete an initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.
We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.
We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.
Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.
It is anticipated 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 a decision is made not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the 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.
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If we effect a business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we are successful in consummating a business combination with a target business in a foreign country, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:
| ● | rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| ● | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| ● | longer payment cycles; |
| ● | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| ● | cultural and language differences; |
| ● | employment regulations; |
| ● | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
We cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new 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 company 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.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19. A significant outbreak of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
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Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws 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 and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards.
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. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our stockholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, such financial statements will need to be audited in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the business combination. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.
While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the acquired business and/or asset and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transfer of shares or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder and may therefore bring a claim in another appropriate forum. We cannot be certain that a court will decide that this provision is either applicable or enforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
There are risks related to the cannabis industry to which we may be subject.
Business combinations with companies with operations in the cannabis industry entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with a target business with operations in the cannabis industry, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| ● | The cannabis industry is extremely speculative and its legality is uncertain, making it subject to inherent risk; |
| ● | Use of cannabis that is not in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act is illegal under federal law, and therefore, strict enforcement of federal laws regarding the use, cultivation, processing and/or sale of cannabis would likely result in our inability to execute a business plan in the cannabis industry; |
| ● | Changes in the current policies of the Trump Administration and the Department of Justice resulting in heightened enforcement of federal cannabis laws may negatively impact our ability to pursue our prospective business operations and/or generate revenues; |
| ● | Federal courts may refuse to recognize the enforceability of contracts pertaining to any business operations that are deemed illegal under federal law and, as a result, cannabis-related contracts could prove unenforceable in such courts; |
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| ● | Consumer complaints and negative publicity regarding cannabis related products and services could lead to political pressure on states to implement new laws and regulations that are adverse to the cannabis industry or to reverse current favorable laws and regulations relating to cannabis; |
| ● | Assets leased to cannabis businesses may be forfeited to the federal government in connection with government enforcement actions under federal law; |
| ● | U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation of cannabis and the possible registration of facilities where cannabis is grown could negatively affect the cannabis industry, which could directly affect our financial condition; |
| ● | Due to our proposed involvement in the regulated cannabis industry, we may have a difficult time obtaining the various insurance policies that are needed to operate our business, which may expose us to additional risks and financial liabilities; |
| ● | The cannabis industry may face significant opposition from other industries that perceive cannabis products and services as competitive with their own, including but not limited to the pharmaceutical industry, adult beverage industry and tobacco industry, all of which are have powerful lobbying and financial resources; |
| ● | Many national and regional banks have been resistant to doing business with cannabis companies because of the uncertainties presented by federal law and, as a result, we may have difficulty accessing the service of banks, which may inhibit our ability to open bank accounts, obtain financing in the future, or otherwise utilize traditional banking services; |
| ● | Laws and regulations affecting the regulated cannabis industry are varied, broad in scope and subject to evolving interpretations, and may restrict the use of the properties we acquire or require certain additional regulatory approvals, which could materially adversely affect our operations; |
| ● | Securities exchanges may not list companies engaged in the cannabis industry; and |
| ● | Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code, which disallows a tax deduction for any amount paid or incurred in carrying on any trade or business that consists of trafficking in controlled substances prohibited by federal or state law, may prevent us from deducting certain business expenditures, which would increase our net taxable income. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the cannabis industry. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 135 E. 57th St., 18th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month fee Vogel Partners, LLP, an affiliate of Stephen A. Vogel, our Chief Executive Officer, charges us for general and administrative services. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
None.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our units, common stock and warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Markets (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols THCBU, THCB and THCBW, respectively.
Holders
As of March 13, 2020, there were three holders of record of our units, twelve holders of record of our common stock and one holder of record of our warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be contingent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements, and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
In November 2018, we issued 5,750,000 shares of common stock to our initial stockholders for $25,000 in cash, at a purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share, in connection with our organization. Such shares were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”).
On March 7, 2019, we consummated our IPO of 24,000,000 units. Each unit consisted of one share of common stock and one redeemable warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $240,000,000. EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. acted as sole book-running manager and I-Bankers Securities, Inc. acted as co-manager of the offering. The securities sold in the IPO were registered under the Securities Act on registration statements on Form S-1 (Nos. 333-229657 and 333-230068) which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 5, 2019.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, we consummated the Private Placement of 615,000 Private Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $6,150,000. The Private Units were sold to Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC, our Sponsor, and EarlyBirdCapital and its designee. The Private Units are identical to the units sold in the IPO, except that the warrants underlying the Private Units are non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.
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On March 12, 2019, we consummated the sale of an additional 3,600,000 units that were subject to the underwriters’ over-allotment option at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $36,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the sale of additional units, we consummated the sale of an additional 72,000 Private Units at $10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $720,000.
Transaction costs amounted to $6,059,098, consisting of $5,520,000 of underwriting fees and $539,098 of other offering costs.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (less taxes payable) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions, and pursue our growth strategies.
We intend to use the funds held outside the trust account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants, or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate, and complete a business combination.
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant data for our business as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this 10-K:
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | For
the Period | |||||||
| Income Statement Data: | ||||||||
| Loss from operations | $ | (778,815 | ) | $ | (792 | ) | ||
| Other income | 5,041,245 | — | ||||||
| Net income (loss) | 3,367,179 | (792 | ) | |||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding – basic and diluted | 7,927,608 | 6,300,000 | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per common share | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) | ||
| December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | |||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 140,303 | $ | 17,500 | ||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | 280,103,245 | — | ||||||
| Total assets | 280,499,613 | 101,200 | ||||||
| Total liabilities | 296,124 | 75,792 | ||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption | 275,203,480 | — | ||||||
| Total stockholders' equity | 5,000,009 | 25,408 | ||||||
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on November 5, 2018 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
Our entire activity since inception relates to our formation, to prepare for our IPO, which was consummated on March 7, 2019, and identifying a company for a business combination.
Results of Operations
Our only activities from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2019 were organizational activities, those necessary to consummate the IPO, described below, and, after the IPO, searching for a target company for a business combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our business combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the trust account. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, we had net income of $3,367,179, which consisted of interest income on marketable securities held in the trust account of $4,912,346 and an unrealized gain on marketable securities held in the trust account of $128,899, offset by operating costs of $778,815 and provision for income taxes of $895,251.
For the period from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018, we had a net loss of $792, which consisted of operating and formation costs.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Until the consummation of the IPO, our liquidity needs were satisfied through the receipt of $25,000 from our sale of the founder shares and unsecured loans from our Chief Executive Officer.
On March 7, 2019, we consummated our IPO of 24,000,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $240,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we consummated the sale of 615,000 private units to our Sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and its designee, generating gross proceeds of $6,150,000.
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On March 12, 2019, in connection with the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, we consummated the sale of an additional 3,600,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating total gross proceeds of $36,000,000. In addition, we also consummated the sale of an additional 72,000 private units to our Sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and its designee at $10.00 per private unit, generating total gross proceeds of $720,000.
Following the IPO, the exercise of the over-allotment option and the sale of the private units, a total of $276,000,000 was placed in the trust account. We incurred $6,059,098 in IPO related costs, including $5,520,000 of underwriting fees, and $539,098 of other costs.
As of December 31, 2019, we had marketable securities held in the trust account of $280,103,245 (including approximately $4,103,000 of interest income, net of unrealized gains) consisting of U.S. treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less. Interest income on the balance in the trust account may be used by us to pay taxes. Through December 31, 2019, we withdrew $938,000 of interest earned on the trust account to pay our income tax obligations.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, cash used in operating activities was $1,634,432. Net income of $3,367,179 was affected by interest earned on marketable securities held in the trust account of $4,912,346, an unrealized gain on marketable securities held in our trust account of $128,899 and a deferred income tax provision of $27,069. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $12,565 of cash from operating activities.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital, upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the remaining funds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.
As of December 31, 2019, we had cash of $140,303. We intend to use the funds held outside the trust account for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the Sponsor or our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of notes may be convertible into private units, at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the private units.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.
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Off-balance sheet financing arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2019. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of our Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We began incurring these fees on March 5, 2019 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the business combination and our liquidation.
We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital to act as an advisor in connection with a business combination, to assist us in holding meetings with our shareholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with a business combination, assist us in obtaining shareholder approval for the business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of a business combination in an amount equal to $9,660,000 (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable); provided that up to 30% of the fee may be allocated at our sole discretion to other FINRA members that assist us in identifying and consummating a business combination.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:
Common stock subject to possible redemption
We account for common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that feature redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets.
Net loss per common share
We apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Common stock subject to possible redemption which is not currently redeemable and is not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic net loss per common share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the trust account earnings. Our net income is adjusted for the portion of income that is attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption, as these shares only participate in the earnings of the Trust Account and not our income or losses.
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Recent accounting pronouncements
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
Related Party Transactions
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If we complete a business combination, we would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account to the extent such funds are available. In the event that a business combination does not close, we may use a portion of proceeds held outside the trust account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the trust account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Units.
We entered into an agreement whereby, commencing on the March 5, 2019 through the earlier of the consummation of a business combination and its liquidation, to pay an affiliate of Mr. Vogel a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we incurred and paid $100,000 in fees for these services.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As of the period ended December 31, 2019, we were not subject to any market or interest rate risk. The net proceeds of our IPO, including amounts in deposited in the trust account, may be invested in U.S. government treasury bills, notes or bonds with a maturity of 180 days or less, or in certain money market funds that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk when and if the net proceeds are invested in such securities.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
This information appears following Item 16 of this Report and is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.
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ITEM 9A. CONTROL AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2019, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2019, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
| (1) | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company, |
| (2) | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and |
| (3) | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2019. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of internal controls from our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
None.
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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Directors and Executive Officers
Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Stephen A. Vogel | 71 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Ruth Epstein | 57 | President, Chief Financial Officer and Director | ||
| Stefan M. Selig | 56 | Director | ||
| Richard O. Rieger | 62 | Director | ||
| Amy Butte | 52 | Director | ||
| Holly Zimmerman | 53 | Director |
Stephen A. Vogel has served as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Mr. Vogel has over 40 years of operating and private equity experience. He has served as General Partner of Vogel Partners, LLP, a private investment firm, since 1996. Since May 2018, he has served as President of Twelve Seas Investment Company, a blank check company seeking to consummate an initial business combination, and has served as a director since June 2018. From December 2016 until February 2018, Mr. Vogel was Executive Chairman of Forum Merger Corporation, a blank check company that completed its initial public offering in April 2017. Forum completed its initial business combination in February 2018 with C1 Investment Corp. and in connection with the consummation of the business combination changed its name to ConvergeOne Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVON). Mr. Vogel began his career in 1971 as President, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Synergy Gas Corp., a retail propane distribution company. After selling Synergy Gas Corp. to Northwestern Corp. in 1995, Mr. Vogel co-founded EntreCapital Partners, a private equity firm that focused on companies facing operational or management challenges, and served until 1999. Additionally, he was a venture partner at EnerTech Capital Partners, an energy focused venture capital firm, from 1999 to 2002, and an operating partner at Tri-Artisan Capital Partners, LLC, an investment bank, from 2004 to 2006. Mr. Vogel also served as Chief Executive Officer of Grameen America, a not-for-profit organization that provides microloans to low-income borrowers in the United States, from 2008 to 2013. He was on the board of Netspend (NASDAQ: NTSP), a leader for prepaid stored value platforms, from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Vogel was a member of the Board of Trustees at Montefiore Medical Center and Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and served on the Board of Trustees at Lighthouse International, a non-profit organization. Mr. Vogel is a past Trustee of the Horace Mann School and previously served on the Board of Directors of the National Propane Gas Association. Mr. Vogel received a BS degree from Syracuse University School of Management. We believe Mr. Vogel is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to his business experience, including prior blank check company experience, investments made in the legal cannabis industry and his contacts.
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Ruth Epstein has served as our President, Chief Financial Officer and a member of our board of directors since November 2018. Ms. Epstein has over 25 years’ experience providing financial and strategic advisory services to companies across a wide range of mature and emerging growth industries. She has also been an active investor in, and advisor to, companies operating in the legal cannabis industry. In 2017, she founded, and has since served as a Partner of, BGP Advisors LLC, a financial and strategic advisory firm providing consulting and management services to companies in the emerging legal cannabis industry. She has also been a registered representative at Pickwick Capital Partners since January 2019. In 2018, Ms. Epstein served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Treez, Inc., California’s leading provider of point of sale and retail management solutions to cannabis dispensaries. From 2014 through February 2017, Ms. Epstein served as Senior Vice President of Business Development for Holt Media Companies. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Epstein served as Chief Operating Officer for Arjewel Partners, LLC/ Bigelow Capital, LP, a long-short hedge fund. Prior to 2009, Ms. Epstein raised an independent film fund and served as Executive Producer on several independent feature films. She began her career at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the Investment Banking Division. During her ten-year tenure with Goldman, Ms. Epstein served as Vice President in Corporate Finance, working on numerous IPOs, debt and equity offerings and M&A transactions. Ms. Epstein received a BA in Economics with Highest Honors from Wesleyan University and a MBA from Harvard Business School with First Year Honors. We believe Ms. Epstein is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to her business experience, including prior experience working with companies in the legal cannabis industry, as well as her substantial industry contacts.
Stefan M. Selig has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2018. Mr. Selig is the founder and Managing Partner of BridgePark Advisors LLC, a firm formed in January 2017 which provides personalized strategic advice on a broad range of critical business and financial issues and transaction execution. Mr. Selig served as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce from June 2014 to June 2016, and during this period headed the International Trade Administration, a global bureau of more than 2,200 trade and investment professionals. During this period, he also served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, sat on the board of directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, was a Commissioner for the Congressional Executive Commission on China and was the Executive Director of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. Prior to that, he held various senior level leadership positions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch beginning in 1999, including being the Executive Vice Chairman of Global Corporate & Investment Banking from 2009 to 2014, and prior to that, he was Vice Chairman of Global Investment Banking and Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions. Mr. Selig currently serves on the board of directors of Simon Property Group, Inc., Entercom Communications Corp. and Safehold Inc. Mr. Selig received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Wesleyan University. We believe Mr. Selig is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his business experience serving in prominent leadership roles in both the private and public sectors as well as his business contacts.
Richard O. Rieger has been a member of our board of directors since February 2019. Mr. Rieger has over 33 years of investment experience. Since January 2016, he has served as the President of Inkblot Capital, LLC, which is a family office. Prior to this, Mr. Rieger was a Principal, Member of the Executive Committee and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Kingdon Capital Management LLC (“Kingdon”) from 1992 to September 2014 and then served as a consultant to Kingdon until December 2015. He joined Kingdon in December 1992 as a Portfolio Manager and was named Co-Director of Domestic Equity Research in March 1995 and the Chief Investment Officer in May 2002. From January 1992 to December 1992, Mr. Rieger worked as a securities Analyst and a Portfolio Manager for Glickenhaus & Co., an investment manager. Prior to this, Mr. Rieger served as an Analyst for several investment firms, including Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., Allen & Company and Sloate, Weisman, Murray & Co. Mr. Rieger is on the Photography Committee at the Museum of Modern Art and the Investment Committee of Ethical Cultural Fieldston School. He previously served on the board of the University Settlement House in New York City and was a trustee at the Ethical Cultural Fieldston School and the Rippowam Cisqua School in Bedford NY. Mr. Rieger received a BA from the University of Michigan. We believe Mr. Rieger is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his business experience as well as business contacts and relationships.
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Amy Butte has been a member of our board of directors since February 2019. Ms. Butte has significant experience in leading and advising companies through the IPO process. She spearheaded two public offerings as Chief Financial Officer, including the public offering of the New York Stock Exchange in 2006. She has served as a Board Member and Audit Chair for Digital Ocean Inc., a high-growth technology company, since 2018 and an Independent Director, Audit Chair and Risk Committee member for BNP Paribas USA, Inc., an entity created to ensure compliance with Dodd-Frank regulations, since 2016. She has also served as an advisor to the Long Term Stock Exchange, Inc., a Silicon Valley led start up creating a vision and market place for long-term investors, issuers, and leaders, and Carbon38, Inc., an online athleisure destination, each since 2015, and previously served as an advisor to other start-up companies. Previously, she was an Independent Director for the Fidelity Investments Strategic Advisors Funds (2011 to 2017), a Board Member for Accion International, a global microfinance organization (2008 to 2016) and the founder of a fintech startup, TILE Financial (2008 to 2012). From 2002 to 2008, Ms. Butte was CFO and Strategist for the Financial Services Division of Credit Suisse First Boston, Inc., CFO and Executive Vice President at Nasdaq, and CFO of Man Financial, Inc. Between 1996 and 2002, Ms. Butte was an equity research analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. and Bear Stearns & Co., where she took part in multiple capital markets transactions. Ms. Butte received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Yale University. We believe Ms. Butte is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her business experience, business contacts and relationships.
Holly Zimmerman has served as a member of our Board of Directors since February 2019. She brings over twenty years of experience in finance with significant expertise in consumer-facing industries across various stages of growth. Since November 2017, Ms. Zimmerman has served as a Managing Director at XRC Labs, a venture capital firm that sources and accelerates companies in the consumer and retail industries. From 2013 to November 2017, Ms. Zimmerman served as a Managing Director and Sector Head of the Consumer Group at Golden Seeds, an investment firm that has invested over $110 million in over 150 women-led enterprises. From 2004 to 2012, Ms. Zimmerman managed her family office where she was an active investor in, and advisor to, several private companies. From 1994 to 2003, Ms. Zimmerman was an Equity Analyst at Citigroup, Lehman Brothers and Jennison Associates. Ms. Zimmerman was consistently recognized by Institutional Investors’ All American Research Team in both consumer products and technology sectors. She was ranked No. 1 in four categories throughout her analyst career, including Cosmetics and Personal care (96-98), Household Products (96-98), Internet (01-02) and E-Commerce (2000-2002). From 1992 to 1994, Ms. Zimmerman was a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Ms. Zimmerman received a B.S. in Economics from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Prior to graduating from Harvard, she held positions in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble and in Mergers & Acquisitions at First Boston. We believe Ms. Zimmerman is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her business experience, business contacts and relationships.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Amy Butte and Holly Zimmerman, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Ruth Epstein and Richard O. Rieger, will expire at the second annual meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Stephen A. Vogel and Stefan M. Selig, will expire at the third annual meeting.
Director Independence
Our board has determined that each of Stefan M. Selig, Richard O. Rieger, Amy Butte and Holly Zimmerman is an “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.
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Audit Committee
Effective March 5, 2019, we established an audit committee of the board of directors, in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act, which consists of Stefan M. Selig, Richard O. Rieger and Amy Butte, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:
| ● | reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the 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; | |
| ● | reviewing and approving all related-party transactions; | |
| ● | 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; | |
| ● | 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 Experts on Audit Committee
The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards. In addition, we must certify to Nasdaq 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 individual’s financial sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Amy Butte qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.
Nominating Committee
Effective March 5, 2019, we established a nominating committee of the board of directors, which consists of Stefan M. Selig, Richard O. Rieger and Amy Butte, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and others.
Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:
| ● | should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service; | |
| ● | should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and | |
| ● | should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the shareholders. |
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The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background, and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons.
There have been no material changes to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to our board of directors.
Compensation Committee
Effective March 5, 2019, we established a compensation committee of the board of directors, which consists of Stefan M. Selig, Richard O. Rieger and Holly Zimmerman, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; | |
| ● | reviewing and approving 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; | |
| ● | if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and | |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating, and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
Code of Ethics
Effective March 5, 2019, we adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors, and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Executive Compensation
No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Until consummation of an initial business combination, we will pay Vogel Partners, LLP, an affiliate of Mr. Vogel, an aggregate fee of $10,000 per month for providing us with office space and certain office and secretarial services. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide Mr. Vogel compensation in lieu of a salary. We may also pay consulting, success or finder fees to our Sponsor, officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. They will also receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations, as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants, or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.
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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 shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. The amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
Since our formation, we have not granted any stock options or stock appreciation rights or any other awards under long-term incentive plans to any of our executive officers or directors.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock by:
| ● | 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 and directors; and | |
| ● | all of 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 of beneficial ownership of the warrants included in the units offered in the IPO or the Private Units as the warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date hereof.
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares | ||||||
| Stephen A. Vogel | 7,308,589 | 20.6 | % | |||||
| Ruth Epstein | - | (3) | - | |||||
| Stefan M. Selig | 30,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Amy Butte | 30,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Holly Zimmerman | 30,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Richard O Rieger | 30,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC | 30,000 | (3) | * | |||||
| Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.(4) | 1,934,600 | 5.5 | % | |||||
| All directors and executive officers as a group (six individuals) | 7,488,589 | 21.1 | % | |||||
| * | Less than 1%. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 135 E. 57th St., 18th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
| (2) | Represents securities held by Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC, our Sponsor, of which Mr. Vogel is sole managing member. |
| (3) | Does not include any securities held by Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC, of which each person is a member. Each such person disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of his ultimate pecuniary interest therein. |
| (4) | Represents shares held by Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund and certain managed accounts, for which Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. serves as investment advisor. The business address of Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. is 401 Bay Street, Suite 1900, PO Box 19, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2Y4, Canada. Information derived from a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 13, 2020. |
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All of the founders’ shares outstanding prior to the IPO have been placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (i) with respect to 50% of such shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of such shares, one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate 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.
During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among our initial stockholders or to our initial stockholders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founders’ shares.
Our executive officers and our Sponsor are our “promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Equity Compensation Plans
As of December 31, 2019, we had no compensation plans (including individual compensation arrangements) under which equity securities of the registrant were authorized for issuance.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
In November 2018, we issued 5,750,000 shares of common stock to our initial stockholders for $25,000 in cash, at a purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share, in connection with our organization. In March 2019, we effected a stock dividend of 0.2 shares of common stock for each outstanding share, resulting in our initial stockholders holding an aggregate of 6,900,000 founders’ shares.
Mr. Vogel advanced us an aggregate of $86,748 to be used for the payment of costs related to the Initial Public Offering. The advances were non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on demand. The advances were repaid upon the consummation of the Initial Public Offering on March 7, 2019.
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Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, we consummated the Private Placement of 615,000 Private Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $6,150,000. The Private Units were sold to Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC, our Sponsor, and EarlyBirdCapital and its designee. The Private Units are identical to the units sold in the IPO, except that the warrants underlying the Private Units are non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. The initial purchasers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units and underlying securities until after the completion of our initial business combination.
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into units at a price of $10.00 per private unit. The units would be identical to the private units. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.
The holders of our founders’ shares, as well as the holders of the Private Units and any units our Sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), are entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement signed in connection with the IPO. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founders’ shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private units and units issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Vogel Partners, LLP, an affiliate of Mr. Vogel, has agreed that, until the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay Vogel Partners, LLP $10,000 per month for these services. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in the New York City metropolitan area, that the fee charged by Vogel Partners, LLP is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.
Related Party Policy
Our Code of Ethics, which we adopted upon consummation of the IPO, requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.
We also require each of our directors and executive officers to annually complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
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Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our audit committee and a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors, or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our audit committee and a majority of our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties. Additionally, we require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
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 company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have determined that Stefan M. Selig, Amy Butte, Holly Zimmerman and Richard O. Rieger are independent directors under the Nasdaq rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.
The firm of Marcum LLP acts as our independent registered public accounting firm. The following is a summary of fees paid to Marcum LLP for services rendered.
Audit Fees
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm are $88,415 and $56,125 for the services they performed in connection with our IPO and the audit of our December 31, 2019 and 2018 financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Audit-Related Fees
During the fiscal period ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render assurance and related services related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements.
Tax Fees
During the fiscal period ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm are $5,974 and $0 for services to us for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
All Other Fees
During the fiscal period ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no fees billed for products and services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm other than those set forth above.
Audit Committee Approval
Because our audit committee was not formed until March 5, 2019, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. However, in accordance with Section 10A(i) of the Exchange Act, before we engage our independent registered public accounting firm to render audit or non-audit services on a going-forward basis, the engagement will be approved by our audit committee.
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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND SCHEDULES
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:
(1) Financial Statements:
| Description | ||
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 | |
| Financial Statements: | ||
| Balance Sheets | F-3 | |
| Statements of Operations | F-4 | |
| Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity | F-5 | |
| Statements of Cash Flows | F-6 | |
| Notes to Financial Statements | F-7 to F-17 |
(2) Financial Statement Schedules:
None.
(b) The following Exhibits are filed as part of this report:
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 4.1 | Description of Securities | |
| 31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
| 31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
| 32 | Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
| 101.INS | XBRL Instance Document | |
| 101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |
| 101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | |
| 101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | |
| 101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | |
| 101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Section 13 or 15 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on the 13th day of March, 2020.
| TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP. | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephen A. Vogel | |
| Stephen A. Vogel | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
In accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Stephen A. Vogel | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | March 13, 2020 | ||
| Stephen A. Vogel | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Ruth Epstein | President, Chief Financial Officer | March 13, 2020 | ||
Ruth Epstein |
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) and Director | |||
/s/ Amy Butte |
Director | March 13, 2020 | ||
| Amy Butte | ||||
| /s/ Holly Zimmerman | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||
| Holly Zimmerman | ||||
|
/s/ Richard O. Rieger |
Director | March 13, 2020 | ||
| Richard O. Rieger |
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TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 |
| Financial Statements: | |
| Balance Sheets | F-3 |
| Statements of Operations | F-4 |
| Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity | F-5 |
| Statements of Cash Flows | F-6 |
| Notes to Financial Statements | F-7 to F-17 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of
Tuscan Holdings Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Tuscan Holdings Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019 and for the period from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019 and for the period from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
| /s/ Marcum LLP | |
| Marcum LLP | |
| We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2018. | |
| New York, NY | |
| March 13, 2020 | |
F-2
BALANCE SHEETS
| December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 140,303 | $ | 17,500 | ||||
| Prepaid income taxes | 69,818 | — | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 186,247 | 25 | ||||||
| Total Current Assets | 396,368 | 17,525 | ||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | 280,103,245 | — | ||||||
| Deferred offering costs | — | 83,675 | ||||||
| Total Assets | $ | 280,499,613 | $ | 101,200 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current liabilities | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 269,055 | $ | 450 | ||||
| Promissory note – related party | — | 75,342 | ||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | 269,055 | 75,792 | ||||||
| Deferred tax liability | 27,069 | — | ||||||
| Total Liabilities | 296,124 | 75,792 | ||||||
| Commitments | ||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption, 27,126,477 and no shares at redemption value at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively | 275,203,480 | — | ||||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
| Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 65,000,000 shares authorized; 8,360,523 and 7,200,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 27,126,477 and no shares subject to possible redemption) at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively | 836 | 720 | ||||||
| Additional paid in capital | 1,632,786 | 25,480 | ||||||
| Retained earnings/(Accumulated deficit) | 3,366,387 | (792 | ) | |||||
| Total Stockholders’ Equity | 5,000,009 | 25,408 | ||||||
| Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | $ | 280,499,613 | $ | 101,200 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Year
Ended | For
the Period | |||||||
| 2019 | 2018 | |||||||
| Formation and operating costs | $ | 778,815 | $ | 792 | ||||
| Loss from operations | (778,815 | ) | (792 | ) | ||||
| Other income: | ||||||||
| Interest income | 4,912,346 | — | ||||||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account | 128,899 | — | ||||||
| Other income | 5,041,245 | — | ||||||
| Income (loss) before provision for income taxes | 4,262,430 | (792 | ) | |||||
| Provision for income taxes | (895,251 | ) | — | |||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 3,367,179 | $ | (792 | ) | |||
| Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1) | 7,927,608 | 6,300,000 | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per common share (2) | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) | ||
| (1) | Excludes an aggregate of 27,126,477 shares subject to possible redemption, at December 31, 2019. Excluded an aggregate of up to 900,000 shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters, at December 31, 2018. |
| (2) | Net loss per common share - basic and diluted excludes income attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption of $3,911,933 for the year ended December 31, 2019. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
| Common Stock | Additional Paid in | (Accumulated Deficit) / Retained | Total Stockholder’s | |||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Capital | Earnings | Equity | ||||||||||||||||
| Balance – November 5, 2018 (inception) | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock to Sponsor | 6,900,000 | 690 | 24,310 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Representative Shares | 300,000 | 30 | 1,170 | — | 1,200 | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss | — | — | — | (792 | ) | (792 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Balance – December 31, 2018 | 7,200,000 | 720 | 25,480 | (792 | ) | 25,408 | ||||||||||||||
| Sale of 27,600,000 Units, net of underwriting discounts and offering costs | 27,600,000 | 2,760 | 269,938,142 | — | 269,940,902 | |||||||||||||||
| Sale of 687,000 Private Units | 687,000 | 68 | 6,869,932 | — | 6,870,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Common stock subject to possible redemption | (27,126,477 | ) | (2,712 | ) | (275,200,768 | ) | — | (275,203,480 | ) | |||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | 3,367,179 | 3,367,179 | |||||||||||||||
| Balance – December 31, 2019 | 8,360,523 | $ | 836 | $ | 1,632,786 | $ | 3,366,387 | $ | 5,000,009 | |||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-5
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year
Ended | For
the Period | |||||||
| 2019 | 2018 | |||||||
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 3,367,179 | $ | (792 | ) | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account | (4,912,346 | ) | — | |||||
| Unrealized gains on marketable securities held in Trust Account | (128,899 | ) | — | |||||
| Deferred tax provision | 27,069 | — | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | (186,222 | ) | — | |||||
| Prepaid income taxes | (69,818 | ) | — | |||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 268,605 | 450 | ||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (1,634,432 | ) | (342 | ) | ||||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||||||
| Investment of cash in Trust Account | (276,000,000 | ) | — | |||||
| Cash withdrawn from Trust Account to pay income taxes | 938,000 | — | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (275,062,000 | ) | — | |||||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of common stock to Sponsor | — | 25,000 | ||||||
| Proceeds from sale of Units, net of underwriting discounts paid | 270,480,000 | — | ||||||
| Proceeds from sale of Private Units | 6,870,000 | — | ||||||
| Advances from related party | 86,748 | — | ||||||
| Repayment of advances from related party | (86,748 | ) | — | |||||
| Proceeds from promissory note – related party | 15,000 | 75,342 | ||||||
| Repayment of promissory note – related party | (90,342 | ) | — | |||||
| Payment of offering costs | (455,423 | ) | (82,500 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 276,819,235 | 17,842 | ||||||
| Net Change in Cash | 122,803 | 17,500 | ||||||
| Cash – Beginning | 17,500 | — | ||||||
| Cash – Ending | $ | 140,303 | $ | 17,500 | ||||
| Supplemental cash flow information: | ||||||||
| Cash paid for income taxes | $ | 938,000 | $ | — | ||||
| Non-cash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
| Initial classification of common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 271,835,860 | $ | — | ||||
| Change in value of common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 3,367,620 | $ | — | ||||
| Issuance of Representative Shares | $ | — | $ | 1,200 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Tuscan Holdings Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on November 5, 2018. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”).
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, the Company is focusing its search on companies in the cannabis industry. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
All activity through December 31, 2019 relates to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and, after the Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on March 5, 2019. On March 7, 2019, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 24,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $240,000,000, which is described in Note 3.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 615,000 units (the “Private Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit in a private placement to Tuscan Holdings Acquisition LLC (the “Sponsor”) and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EarlyBirdCapital”) and its designee, generating gross proceeds of $6,150,000, which is described in Note 4.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on March 7, 2019, an amount of $240,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) which will be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company 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 meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.
On March 12, 2019, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in full, resulting in the sale of an additional 3,600,000 Units for $36,000,000, less the underwriters’ discount of $720,000. In connection with the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option, the Company also consummated the sale of an additional 72,000 Private Units at $10.00 per Private Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $720,000. A total of $36,000,000 was deposited into the Trust Account from the sale of the additional Units pursuant to the over-allotment option and the additional sale of Private Units, bringing the aggregate proceeds held in the Trust Account to $276,000,000.
Transaction costs amounted to $6,059,098, consisting of $5,520,000 of underwriting fees and $539,098 of other offering costs. In addition, $809,840 of cash was held outside of the Trust Account upon closing of the Initial Public Offering and is available for working capital purposes.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. The Company’s Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
F-7
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.
The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, solely if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), Private Shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination and not to convert any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a Business Combination or sell any shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.
The Sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital have agreed (a) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares and Private Shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect a public stockholders’ ability to convert or sell their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
The Company will have until December 7, 2020 to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below $10.00 per Public Share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed an agreement with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Insiders will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
F-8
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging growth company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it 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 independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with 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.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
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. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
Marketable securities held in Trust Account
At December 31, 2019, the assets held in the Trust Account were substantially held in U.S. Treasury Bills. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company withdrew $938,000 of interest earned in the Trust Account to pay its income taxes.
F-9
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Common stock subject to possible redemption
The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that feature redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheets.
Income taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
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. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. 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.
Net Loss per common share
Net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. The Company applies the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Shares of common stock subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2019, which are not currently redeemable and are not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic net loss per common share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the Trust Account earnings. The Company has not considered the effect of warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering and the private placement to purchase 28,287,000 shares of common stock in the calculation of diluted loss per share, since the exercise of the warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events. As a result, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share for the periods presented.
F-10
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Reconciliation of net loss per common share
The Company’s net income is adjusted for the portion of income that is attributable to common stock subject to redemption, as these shares only participate in the earnings of the Trust Account and not the income or losses of the Company. Accordingly, basic and diluted loss per share is calculated as follows:
Year Ended December 31, | For the Period from | |||||||
| 2019 | 2018 | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 3,367,179 | $ | (792 | ) | |||
| Less: Income attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption | (3,911,933 | ) | — | |||||
| Adjusted net loss | $ | (544,754 | ) | $ | (792 | ) | ||
| Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted | 7,927,608 | 6,300,000 | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per common share | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) | ||
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Fair value of financial instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.
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 Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
On March 7, 2019, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering and sold 24,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of common stock and one warrant (“Public Warrant”). On March 12, 2019, in connection with the underwriters’ exercise of the over-allotment option in full, the Company sold an additional 3,600,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
F-11
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and its designee purchased an aggregate of 615,000 Private Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,150,000. The Sponsor purchased 500,047 Private Units and EarlyBirdCapital and its designee purchased an aggregate of 114,953 Private Units. On March 12, 2019, in connection with the underwriters’ exercise of the over-allotment option in full, the purchasers purchased an aggregate of an additional 72,000 additional Private Units, of which 58,542 Private Units were purchased by the Sponsor and 13,458 Private Units were purchased by EarlyBirdCapital and its designee, for an aggregate purchase price of $720,000. Each Private Unit consists of one share of common stock (“Private Share”) and one warrant (“Private Warrant”). Each Private Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the Private Units were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Units and all underlying securities will be worthless.
NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In November 2018, the Sponsor purchased 5,750,000 shares (the “Founder Shares”) of the Company’s common stock for an aggregate price of $25,000. On March 5, 2019, the Company effected a stock dividend of 0.2 shares of common stock for each outstanding share (the “Stock Dividend”), resulting in 6,900,000 Founder Shares being issued and outstanding. The 6,900,000 Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 900,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part, so that the holders of the Founder Shares would collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the holders did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering and excluding the Private Units and Representative Shares (see Note 7)). In connection with the underwriters’ exercise of the over-allotment option in full on March 12, 2019, 900,000 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
The holders of the Founder Shares have agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until, with respect to 50% of the Founder Shares, the earlier of one year after the consummation of a Business Combination and the date on which the closing price of the common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after a Business Combination and, with respect to the remaining 50% of the Founder Shares, until the one year after the consummation of a Business Combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Advance from Related Party
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer advanced the Company an aggregate of $86,748 to be used for the payment of costs related to the Initial Public Offering. The advances were non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on demand. The advances were repaid upon the consummation of the Initial Public Offering on March 7, 2019.
Promissory Note – Related Party
In November 2018, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company borrowed an aggregate principal amount of $90,342. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) November 1, 2019, (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering or (iii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with the Initial Public Offering. The Promissory Note was repaid upon the consummation of the Initial Public Offering on March 7, 2019.
F-12
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Related Party Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account to the extent such funds are available. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Units.
Administrative Support Agreement
The Company entered into an agreement whereby, commencing on the March 5, 2019 through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company incurred and paid $100,000 in fees for these services.
NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS
Registration Rights
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on March 7, 2019, the holders of the Founder Shares, Representative Shares, Private Units, and any units that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and all underlying securities) are entitled to registration rights. The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that the Company register such securities. The holders of the majority of the Founder Shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the Founder Shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Representative Shares, Private Units or units issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing after the Company consummates a Business Combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, EarlyBirdCapital and its designee may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination; provided, however, that EarlyBirdCapital and its designee may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
The Company has engaged EarlyBirdCapital as an advisor in connection with a Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its shareholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities in connection with a Business Combination, assist the Company in obtaining shareholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay EarlyBirdCapital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of a Business Combination in an amount equal to $9,660,000 (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable); provided that up to 30% of the fee may be allocated at the Company’s sole discretion to other FINRA members that assist the Company in identifying and consummating a Business Combination.
F-13
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 65,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were 8,360,523 and 7,200,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, excluding 27,126,477 and no shares of common stock subject to possible redemption, respectively.
Warrants — The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) March 7, 2020. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has 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 is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company 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, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; |
| ● | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Company’s 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 notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and |
| ● | If, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying the warrants. |
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement.
The Private Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Warrants will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Private Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants. In addition, so long as the Private Warrants are held by EarlyBirdCapital and its designee, the Private Warrants will expire five years from the effective date of the Initial Public Offering.
The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
F-14
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of an initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.50 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our Sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founders’ shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of an initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of an initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummated an initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.50 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which the Company issues the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities.
Representative Shares
In November 2018, the Company issued to the designees of EarlyBirdCapital, for a nominal consideration, 300,000 shares (after giving effect to the Stock Dividend) of common stock (the “Representative Shares”). The Company accounted for the Representative Shares as an offering cost of the Initial Public Offering, with a corresponding credit to stockholders’ equity. The Company estimated the fair value of Representative Shares to be $1,200 based upon the price of the Founder Shares issued to the Sponsor. The holders of the Representative Shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights (or to sell any shares in a tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Representative Shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following March 5, 2019 (“FINRA Restricted Period”), nor may they be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated during the FINRA Restricted Period except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the Initial Public Offering and their bona fide officers or partners.
NOTE 8. INCOME TAX
The Company’s deferred tax assets (liabilities) at December 31, 2018 and the provision for income taxes for the period from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018 were deemed to be de minimis.
The Company’s deferred tax liability is as follows:
December 31, | ||||
| Deferred tax liability | ||||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities | $ | (27,069 | ) | |
| Deferred tax liability | $ | (27,069 | ) | |
F-15
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
The income tax provision consists of the following:
December 31, | ||||
| Federal | ||||
| Current | $ | 868,182 | ||
| Deferred | 27,069 | |||
| State | ||||
| Current | $ | — | ||
| Deferred | — | |||
| Income tax provision | $ | 895,251 | ||
As of December 31, 2019, the Company did not have any U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryovers available to offset future taxable income.
In assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.
A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate at December 31, 2019 is as follows:
December 31,
| ||||
| Statutory federal income tax rate | 21.0 | % | ||
| State taxes, net of federal tax benefit | 0.0 | % | ||
| Income tax provision | 21.0 | % | ||
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction in various state and local jurisdictions and is subject to examination by the various taxing authorities. The Company’s tax returns since inception remain open and subject to examination. The Company considers New York to be a significant state tax jurisdiction
NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company follows the guidance in ASC 820 for its financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at each reporting period, and non-financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually.
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
| Level 1: | Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. | |
| Level 2: | Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. | |
| Level 3: | Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. |
F-16
TUSCAN HOLDINGS CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2019
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2019 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:
| December 31, | ||||||||
| Description | Level | 2019 | ||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | 1 | $ | 280,103,245 | |||||
NOTE 10. SELECTED QUARTERLY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
The following table presents summarized unaudited quarterly financial data for each of the four quarters for the year ended December 31, 2019 and for the period from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018. The data has been derived from the Company’s unaudited financial statements that, in management's opinion, include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of such information when read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto. The results of operations for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for any future period.
First | Second | Third | Fourth | |||||||||||||
| Year ended December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating costs | $ | 70,042 | $ | 195,350 | $ | 262,271 | $ | 251,152 | ||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 409,539 | $ | 1,670,719 | $ | 1,577,268 | $ | 1,254,820 | ||||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities | $ | 19,142 | $ | 133,070 | $ | (187,306 | ) | $ | 163,993 | |||||||
| Net income | $ | 283,325 | $ | 1,264,809 | $ | 896,594 | $ | 922,451 | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | (0.00 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | $ | (0.03 | ) | ||||
Fourth | ||||
| For the period from November 5, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018 | ||||
| Operating costs | $ | 792 | ||
| Net loss | $ | (792 | ) | |
| Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | (0.00 | ) | |
NOTE 11. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-17