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EX-99.8 - EXHIBIT 99.8 - Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.tm2118460d1_ex99-8.htm
EX-99.7 - EXHIBIT 99.7 - Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.tm2118460d1_ex99-7.htm
EX-23.1 - EXHIBIT 23.1 - Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.tm2118460d1_ex23-1.htm
EX-5.1 - EXHIBIT 5.1 - Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.tm2118460d1_ex5-1.htm
EX-4.4 - EXHIBIT 4.4 - Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.tm2118460d1_ex4-4.htm
EX-1.1 - EXHIBIT 1.1 - Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.tm2118460d1_ex1-1.htm

 

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 4, 2021.

 

Registration No. 333-254010

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 3

TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   6770   85-1873463
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)   (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

17 State Street, 21st Floor

New York, NY 10004

(646) 465-9000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

Jonas Grossman

Chief Executive Officer

17 State Street, 21st Floor

New York, NY 10004

(646) 465-9000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

Copies to:

 

Ari Edelman, Esq.

C. Craig Lilly, Esq.
Reed Smith LLP
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
(212) 521-5400
(212) 521-5450— Facsimile

 

Alan I. Annex, Esq.

Jason T. Simon, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
1750 Tysons Blvd., Suite 1000

McLean, VA 22102
(703) 749-1300

(703) 749-1301 — Facsimile

 

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this offering.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ¨

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting 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   x   Smaller reporting company   x
        Emerging growth company   x

 

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Security being registered   Amount
Being
Registered
    Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price per Security(1)
    Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price(1)(2)
    Amount of
Registration
Fee
 
Units, each consisting of one share of common stock, $0.0001 par value and one-half of one redeemable warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock(2)     11,500,000     $ 10.00     $ 115,000,000     $ 12,546.50  
Shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value, included as part of the units(3)     11,500,000                   (4)
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)     5,750,000                   (4)
Shares of common stock underlying the redeemable warrants included as part of the units     5,750,000       11.50       66,125,000       7,214.25 (5)
Total                   $ 181,125,000.00     $ 19,760.75 (6)

 

 

 

(1)Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(2)Includes (A) the aggregate of 10,000,000 units to be issued to public stockholders in the public offering, and 1,500,000 units which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the Underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any; and (B) shares of common stock and warrants underlying such units.

(3)Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share sub-divisions, share dividends or similar transactions.

(4)No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act.

(5)Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(g), based on the exercise price of the warrants.
(6) As the number of warrants being registered has increased since the filing of Amendment No. 2, the registration fee has increased by $2,404.75. Registrant previously paid $17,355 in connection with its initial filing of this Registration Statement on March 8, 2021, and prior to this Amendment No. 3 paid the additional $2,404.75.

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS   SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED  MAY 8, 2021

 

$100,000,000
CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 

10,000,000 UNITS

 

Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp., which we refer to as “we,” “us” or “our company,” is a newly organized blank check company incorporated in Delaware and 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, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” Although we are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination, we intend to focus our search on disruptive technology companies.

 

This is an initial public offering of our securities. We are offering 10,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. Each unit consists of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001, and one-half of one warrant, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as “warrants” or the “public warrants.” Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described in the prospectus. Only whole warrants are exercisable. Each warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the consummation of an initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.

 

We have granted Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, the representative of the underwriters, a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units (over and above the 10,000,000 units referred to above) solely to cover over-allotments, if any. Our sponsor, Chardan NexTech Investments 2 LLC, and certain of our officers and directors are affiliated with the representative of the underwriters. We have engaged B. Riley Securities, Inc. to act as a “qualified independent underwriter” for this offering.

 

We will provide the holders of our outstanding shares of common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon the consummation of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below, including interest (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding shares of common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to as our “public shares.”

 

We will have 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering) to consummate an initial business combination. In addition, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months and we have not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), our insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination), as described in more detail in this prospectus. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the above time period, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, pro rata to our public stockholders, by way of the redemption of their shares and thereafter cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. In such event, the warrants will expire and be worthless.

 

Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,700,000 warrants, or “private warrants,” at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total purchase price of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor. Such shares are referred to herein as “founder shares,” which includes an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part.

 

There is presently no public market for our units, common stock, or warrants. We have applied to have our units listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or the Nasdaq, under the symbol “CNTQU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading as described in this prospectus, the shares of common stock and warrants will be traded on the Nasdaq under the symbols “CNTQ” and “CNTQW,” respectively. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the Nasdaq after this offering.

 

 

 

 

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and will therefore be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 28 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

   Price to
Public
   Underwriting
Discount and
Commissions(1)
   Proceeds,
Before
Expenses, to us
 
Per unit  $10.00   $0.0050   $9.9950 
Total  $100,000,000   $500,000   $99,500,000 

 

 

 

(1) Includes $100,000 payable to B. Riley Securities, Inc. for acting as a qualified independent underwriter. Such amount shall remain constant at $500,000, even if the over-allotment option is exercised. Please see the section titled “Underwriting” for further information relating to the underwriting arrangements agreed to between us and the underwriters in this offering.

  

Upon consummation of the offering, $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering (whether or not the over-allotment option has been exercised in full or part) will be deposited into a United States-based trust account at Morgan Stanley with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our redemption of the public shares upon our failure to consummate a business combination within the required period.

 

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. Chardan, acting as the representative of the underwriters, expects to deliver the units to purchasers on or about            , 2021.

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

 

Chardan

 

, 2021

 

 

 

 

CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
SUMMARY   1
SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA   26
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY   27
RISK FACTORS   28
USE OF PROCEEDS   64
DIVIDEND POLICY   67
DILUTION   68
CAPITALIZATION   70
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS   71
PROPOSED BUSINESS   76
MANAGEMENT   104
PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS   115
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS   118
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES   121
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS   134
UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)   143
LEGAL MATTERS   148
EXPERTS   148
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION   148
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS   F-1

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY

 

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus:

 

“$”, “US$” and “U.S. dollar” each refer to the United States dollar;

 

“Chardan” refers to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, the representative of the underwriters,

 

“common stock” refers to our shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;

 

“founder shares” refers to the 2,875,000 shares of common stock held by our sponsor, officers, directors, and affiliates of our management team prior to this offering (including up to an aggregate of 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part);

 

“initial stockholders” refers to all of our stockholders immediately prior to the date of this prospectus, including our sponsor, officers and directors to the extent they hold founder shares;

 

  “insiders” refers to our officers, directors, initial stockholders, and Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor;

 

“management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;

 

“private warrants” refers to the warrants we are selling privately to our sponsor or its designees upon consummation of this offering;

 

“public shares,” refers to the shares of common stock that are being sold as part of the units in this public offering, whether they are purchased in this public offering or in the aftermarket;

 

“public stockholders” refers to the holders of our public shares, including any of our initial stockholders to the extent that they purchase such public shares (except that our initial stockholders will not have redemption or tender rights with respect to any public shares they own);

 

“sponsor” refers to Chardan NexTech Investments 2 LLC, an entity affiliated with Chardan;

 

“warrants” refers to our redeemable warrants, which include the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering, whether they are purchased in this public offering or in the aftermarket; and

 

“we,” “us” or “our company” refers to Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp., a Delaware corporation.

 

Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase a multiple of two units, the number of warrants issuable to you upon separation of the units will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of warrants.

 

Unless otherwise provided herein, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and gives effect to a 2.875-for-1 stock split we effected on March 4, 2021.

 

Certain financial information contained in this prospectus has been rounded and, as a result, certain totals shown in this prospectus may not equal the arithmetic sum of the figures that should otherwise aggregate to those totals.

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

 

1

 

 

General

 

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on June 23, 2020. We were formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. Our intent is to focus on opportunities in disruptive technologies and leverage the tremendous proprietary deal flow that our Board, executive team and sponsor, Chardan have developed over the past 17 years in the special purpose acquisition company and investment banking marketplaces.

 

Our focus on disruptive technologies is aligned to the investment expertise, relationships, proprietary deal flow, and connectivity of our management team, Board of Directors, and Chardan. Through our multiple decades of special purpose acquisition company, sector, direct investment, and investment banking advisory experiences, our sponsor and management team receive proprietary access to a tremendous pipeline of disruptive technology investment opportunities. As Chardan’s special purpose acquisition company advisory and principal special purpose acquisition company practices have expanded, our inbound deal flow in technology, among other sectors, has significantly increased as private companies seek out our proprietary expertise.

 

At the time of preparing this prospectus, we have not identified any specific business combination, nor has anyone on our behalf initiated or engaged in any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, related to such a transaction. Our efforts to date are limited to organizational activities related to this offering.

 

The Opportunity

 

Having founded the third-ever publicly listed special purpose acquisition company in 2004, Chardan had the foresight to recognize that the traditional initial public offering process was broken. The initial public offering process has not changed in decades and it is a time and resource intensive process that not only lacks deal and price certainty, but also prevents high-growth technology companies from sharing their financial projections. We believe that Chardan has an unmatched track record as a special purpose acquisition company underwriter, sponsor (or co-sponsor) and special purpose acquisition mergers and acquisitions advisor, which we intend to leverage as special purpose acquisition companies have become more mainstream. We believe that the market is now only beginning to recognize the benefits of special purpose acquisition companies as has been demonstrated within the last several months. In the second half of 2020, special purpose acquisition companies accounted for ~56% of all capital raised in the initial public offering market, and have had record issuances in the first month of 2021, raising nearly $24 billion, almost two times U.S. initial public offerings during the same period.

 

The opportunity for disruptive technology companies to take advantage of the public markets is evident as there are over 2,000 private technology companies that have raised at least $50MM in private funding or over $1 trillion in aggregate. We believe that such private funding has been a result of many entrepreneurs adopting the philosophy to stay private longer, not only from a cost perspective, but also because of the volume of private capital. Over the past year, however, we believe private company executives’ and stakeholders’ mindset has fundamentally shifted as special purpose acquisition companies have provided a more effective and efficient path to access public markets and its greater access to capital providers. We believe private companies are realizing that they are rewarded for providing greater transparency into their growth plans and can potentially capture further upside via the special purpose acquisition company structure. Since 2019, disruptive technology companies that have gone public via a special purpose acquisition company have experienced substantial share price growth, with a number of recent transactions surging over 100% growth since their public market debuts. We aim to capitalize on the number of disruptive technology companies that are still private and capable of achieving attractive risk-adjusted returns through our decades of special purpose acquisition company experience.

 

Management Team, Sponsor, and Board of Directors

 

As we search for a prospective target company or business, we intend to leverage the multiple decades of combined investment experience, successful special purpose acquisition company and mergers and acquisitions execution experience, and the expansive network of relationships of the principals and affiliates of our sponsor, Chardan. Our board and management team, led by co-founders Kerry Propper and Jonas Grossman, have a combined 80 years of investment and execution experience. Together with our management team, sponsor, and our board of directors, we are confident that the combined experience makes us uniquely situated to identify, source, negotiate and execute an initial business combination with a disruptive technology company.

 

2

 

 

Our Management Team

 

Kerry Propper is our co-founder and will serve as our Chairman of the board of directors upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Propper was co-founder of Chardan and served as its chief executive officer and head of its investment bank from 2003 to 2015. He is a pioneer in the special purpose acquisition marketplace and has been an executive or senior advisor for six special purpose acquisition companies. Since 2015, Mr. Propper has served as the chairman of Chardan’s board of directors and the co-founder and managing partner of ATW Partners, a growth-focused investment firm. Mr. Propper also sits on the board of 340Basics, Credit Sesame, and PierianDx among other boards.

 

Jonas Grossman is our co-founder and has been our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since June 2020 and our President, Secretary, and Treasurer since July 2020. Mr. Grossman has served as managing partner and head of capital markets for Chardan since December 2003, and has additionally served as president of Chardan since September 2015. With nearly two decades of transactional and special acquisition company expertise, Mr. Grossman has led or managed more than 400 transactions, including providing underwriting and business combination advisory services to more than 80 special purpose acquisition companies in a variety of industries. Mr. Grossman has been a founder and member of the board of four special purpose acquisition companies, of which on two he also has served as chief executive officer and president. Since April 2020, Mr. Grossman has served as the president and chief executive officer of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. He served as president and chief executive officer of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp. from March 2018 until its merger in October 2019 with BiomX Ltd. (NYSE: PHGE). Mr. Grossman is currently a director of BiomX. Mr. Grossman was a founder and director of LifeSci Acquisition Corp. from March, 2020 until the close of its business combination with Vincera Pharma, Inc. in December of 2020. Since July 2020 he has served as chief executive officer and director of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. He has served as a director to Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. since December 2020. Mr. Grossman holds a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He has served on the board of directors for UNICEF since December 2016.

 

Alex Weil has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2021 and will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Weil has spent over two decades on Wall Street providing strategic advisory services to global companies, senior executives, boards of directors, and investors. Since March 2021, he has served as chief financial officer of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., and he has agreed to also serve on the board of directors. Since December 2020 he has served as a director of Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. Mr. Weil’s background in strategic advisory work was built during his career at both global companies, such Citibank’s corporate strategy and mergers and acquisition group, UBS Financial Institutions Group’s investment bank, and General Electric’s corporate development group, and at boutique investment banking advisors, such as Lazard Middle Market and William Blair. He has advised on billions of dollars of transactions ranging from corporate divestitures and spin offs, innovative technology company acquisitions to larger, more complex mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Weil has participated or led a variety of transactions, such as: Genworth’s spin-off initial public offering from General Electric; Citi-related transactions including a variety of technology and capital markets businesses (e.g. Lava Trading, Knight Options Market Making, and Automated Trading Desk) along with the creation of Citi Holdings and subsequent sales of Nikko Asset Management and its subprime auto finance business; Schwab’s acquisition of OptionsXpress; and CVC Capital Partner’s majority investment in Alix Partners. Mr. Weil’s extensive FinTech and mergers and acquisitions expertise will help put us in a strong position to originate and structure profitable investments.

 

3

 

 

Chardan

 

Our management team is supported by Chardan’s team of investment banking professionals, which possesses extensive collective experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets, strategic consulting and operations.

 

Chardan has an extensive track record in the special purpose acquisition company market as underwriter, sponsor and advisor. Since 2004, Chardan has been lead or co-lead underwriter on 88 special purpose acquisition company initial public offerings. Since 2018, Chardan has been a mergers and acquisition advisor to 16 special purpose acquisition companies, helping them close transactions valued at approximately $6.8 billion. Chardan-advised special purpose acquisition companies have targeted a wide range of industries, including life sciences, healthcare services, technology hardware and software, FinTech, insurance, financial services, education, media and entertainment, industrials, materials, consumer staple, energy, hospitality, leisure, travel and dining sectors. Chardan has advised special purpose acquisition companies targeting both global and regional markets as well as those with more defined areas of focus in emerging and other geographic markets, including in North America. No special purpose acquisition company that has either been advised by Chardan or for which Chardan served as the lead underwriter has liquidated to-date. In addition to its active advisory and underwriting business, Chardan’s principals have founded or co-founded twelve special purpose acquisition companies, six of which have closed successful business combinations, one of which has announced a business combination, three of which are seeking acquisitions, and two of which are publicly filed.

 

Our Board of Directors

 

In addition to Messrs. Propper, Grossman, and Weil, the other members of our board will include the following independent directors:

 

Jonathan C. “Jon” Biele will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Biele has over 28 years of investment banking experience serving in a variety of roles. He recently joined PREEM, a vertical technology platform, as head of business and corporate development. Most recently, Mr. Biele served as head of technology and services investment banking after helping rejuvenate the equity capital markets practice at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. During his career, Mr. Biele has focused on providing capital markets, strategic and tactical advice to companies, boards of directors, private equity and venture capitalists. In addition to his tenure at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, he has served as head of equity capital markets for Citadel Securities, Cowen and Co,. and Lazard Freres in addition to his contribution in a variety of capacities with the equity capital markets departments of Lehman Brothers, ABN Amro Rothschild and UBS Securities. In these roles, Mr. Biele originated and executed numerous public and private equity and debt financings and provided strategic advice. His vast experience in corporate finance and advisory spans across multiple sectors and asset classes, both public and private. In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Biele most recently completed a third term as a trustee of Burke Mountain Academy, one of the premier ski academies in the United States, and remains the lead investor and advisor to the chief executive officer of inGamba Tours, a luxury cyclo-tourism business. Mr. Biele holds a B.A. in History from St. Lawrence University.

 

Perry Boyle will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Boyle helped lead the launch of Point72 Asset Management, L.P., or Point72, as a registered investment advisor, raising over $6 billion in external capital. He originally joined S.A.C. Capital Advisors, or S.A.C., in 2004 as the firm’s first director of research. In January 2013 he became head of equities and, in January 2015, he became head of discretionary investing at Point72. From June 2016 through December 2017 he served as the president and chief investment officer of Stamford Harbor Capital, L.P., a company owned by businessman Steven A. Cohen. He returned to Point72 in January 2018. In his various leadership roles at the firm, Mr. Boyle managed the long/short and macro portfolios. He created and led the firm’s professional development programs, including P72 Academy and the 9s Program, and helped drive the internationalization of the firm, overseeing offices in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. Prior to joining S.A.C., Mr. Boyle was a founding partner of Thomas Weisel Partners, an investment banking company, and a managing director at Alex. Brown & Sons, an investment firm. He began his career as an investment banker with Salomon Brothers Inc. Additionally, Mr. Boyle is a member of the advisory board of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and a director of The US Friends of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He has agreed to serve on the board of directors of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. upon the effectiveness of its registration statement. He was a 2018 and 2019 delegate from the IISS to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He is a council member of the Hoover Institution and a Lionel Curtis member of Chatham House. Mr. Boyle helps lead the annual Ride For Our Vets, the major source of funding for the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.

 

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Roderick Hardamon will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Hardamon has over two decades of mergers and acquisitions business innovation and senior executive leadership experience. He has served as chief executive officer of URGE Imprint LLC, a boutique management consulting firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and URGE Development Group LLC, a real estate development firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, since May 2016. Previously, Mr. Hardamon held various positions at Citigroup, a leading global bank, including managing director and North American head of Citigroup’s alternative investor services business. In this role, he led an organization with over $300 billion in assets under administration and over 2,000 professionals spanning eight locations across the United States, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Bahamas, and India. Mr. Hardamon led multiple phases of Citigroup’s ownership of the business including: (1) initial acquisition (BISYS Inc.); (2) integration into Citigroup; (3) operational transformation and growth; and (4) divestiture to SS&C Technologies in March 2016. His prior roles at Citigroup included managing director and head of infrastructure & integration and co-head/head of internal mergers and acquisitions for Citi Markets & Banking and Global Transaction Services, respectively. After Citigroup, Mr. Hardamon briefly served as a managing director at SS&C Technologies, a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. He is a graduate of Morehouse College with B.A.s in Accounting and Philosophy.

 

Jory Des Jardins will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Jardins has decades of startup and marketing experience. Ms. Jardins is the chief marketing officer of The @ Company, a builder of an internet protocol designed to put control over online data and user experiences back into the hands of people. Additionally, Ms. Jardins is VC-in-Residence at the W Fund, a venture capital and private equity firm passionate about evangelizing emerging and disruptive tech and leveling the playing field for underrepresented founders. She pioneered social marketing as co-founder and president of BlogHer, a media marketplace representing thousands of digital influencers, which reached 100 million monthly unique viewers at the time of its acquisition in 2015. She recently served as the head of global startup marketing at Amazon Web Services, providing startups with the technology to launch, build, and scale. Ms. Jardins previously held the position of global head of community at ConsenSys, a block chain studio building decentralized applications on Ethereum. Before ConsenSys, she was an advisor at Tribal Advisors, a consulting and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm providing services to startups and corporates in the consumer digital, software and systems technology sectors. She has advised dozens of scaling startups, focusing on companies that are evolving digital influence, social content, media models, consumer marketplaces, ecommerce, block chain/token-based economies, and AR/VR/MR. Ms. Jardins graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

Hitesh Thakrar will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Thakrar is an experienced investor in the technology sector, having spent over 20 years investing in public equities in the life sciences, information technology and innovation sectors. Since 2015, he has been active in early stage venture investing. Mr. Thakrar is currently a Venture Partner at Syncona Limited, a Wellcome Trust backed early stage venture fund. He is also a Governance Board Member of KQ Labs at the Francis Crick Institute, an accelerator supporting next generation businesses in data science and life sciences. He is the main Board Trustee of the Alan Turing Institute which is the UK National Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science research. Additionally, Mr. Thakrar is the Chair of the Investment Committee for Newable Ventures, a pre-Series A fund focused on deep technology. He is also an advisor to UKRI’s Science and Technology Funding Council (SFTC) which helps early stage companies spin out from UK universities. He has previously served as a non-executive director for Desktop Genetics and Tropic Biosciences, both of which specialize in the use of CRISPR technology in gene editing. Prior to 2015, Mr. Thakrar worked at various public market institutions in global equity research and fund management including at ADIA (Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund), JP Morgan, Aviva Group, Dresdner Bank and New Star Asset Management. He has previously held the position of Innovation Fellow at the University of Cambridge, recently joined as a Trustee of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity and is a member of the commercial Board of the Institute and Audit committee. Mr. Thakrar has a degree in chemistry from Kings College, London, an MBA from Cranfield University and a CFA from the American Association of Investment Analysts.

 

Todd Thomson will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Thomson is currently the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Kairos Ventures, an early-stage investment firm. He is an accomplished operating executive and entrepreneur, having served as Citigroup chief financial officer for five years and as chief executive officer of Citigroup’s nearly $10 billion global wealth management division for more than two years. Mr. Thomson is a leading practitioner on mergers and acquisitions and business strategy, having led the acquisition and strategy efforts for Citigroup and GE Capital, as well as serving as advisor to Fortune 500 firms while at Bain & Co., Booz Allen Hamilton, and Barents Group. He has extensive investing experience as chief executive officer of Citigroup alternative investments, chairman of the Citigroup pension investment committee, chairman of the dynasty investment committee, and a member of the investment committees for the Davidson College and World Resources Institute endowments. Prior to joining Kairos Ventures, Mr. Thomson served as co-founder and chairman of Dynasty Financial Partners, or Dynasty, a leading investment and technology platform for sophisticated independent advisors. Founded by Mr. Thomson and his colleagues in 2010, Dynasty serves nearly 50 registered investment advisor firms nationally, with $50 billion under management. In addition to serving as chairman, Todd served in several operating roles since Dynasty’s founding, including chairing the investment committee, serving as chief investment officer, and designing and leading Dynasty Capital Strategies. Mr. Thomson has also agreed to serve on the board of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., a blank check company, upon the effectiveness of its registration statement.

 

We believe our management team’s operating, special purpose acquisition company, and mergers and acquisitions transaction experience and relationships with companies will quickly provide us with a substantial number of attractive potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships in and around the disruptive technology industry. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions.

 

Certain of our executive officers and directors also served as executive officers and directors of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp., or Chardan Health SPAC 1, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in December 2018 and consummated its initial business combination with BiomX Ltd. (NYSE: PHGE) in October 2019.

 

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Certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., or Chardan Health SPAC 2, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in April 2020.

 

Certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., or Ventoux CCM, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in December 2020.

 

Certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., or Chardan NexTech 1, a blank check company expected to consummate its initial public offering before the consummation of this offering.

 

From time to time, Chardan acts as an underwriter for the initial public offering of special purpose acquisition companies and in addition to cash fees, Chardan receive equity in the form of private placement securities. Some of those special purpose acquisition companies may be competitive with our company as they look for targets in the same industries and geographies.

 

With respect to the foregoing descriptions, the past performance of Chardan and its affiliates and our management team is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. As described in this prospectus, Messrs. Propper, Grossman, Weil, and Boyle have had management and/or board experience with blank check companies. None of our other officers or directors, our sponsor, nor any of its respective officers, directors, employees, or affiliates, have had management experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on their respective historical records or performance of Chardan, its affiliates, or our management team as indicative of our future performance. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities, including for our officers with respect to Chardan Health SPAC 2, Ventoux CCM and Chardan NexTech 1, collectively which we refer to as the Affiliated SPACs. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers who are also officers of any of the Affiliated SPACs will be required to present all suitable target businesses to the Affiliated SPACs prior to presenting them to us, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such individual solely in his capacity as an officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent such individual is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers or directors and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our management team’s objective is to generate attractive returns and create long-term value for our stockholders by applying a disciplined approach of identifying attractive business combination targets that will benefit from becoming a publicly listed company and from the addition of strategic growth capital, management expertise and strategic insight. Our strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our management team, board of directors and advisors.

 

Our evaluation process will leverage our co-founders’ and board’s network of industry, private equity sponsor, and lending community relationships, as well as relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisors, attorneys and accountants, which we believe will provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We intend to deploy a pro-active, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, capital and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to transform a target company and can help accelerate the target’s growth and performance.

 

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Certain members of our management team, board and advisors have experience in:

 

all key activities of special purpose acquisition companies, including sponsoring, underwriting and mergers and acquisitions advisory;

 

operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting world-class talent;

 

developing and growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions and strategic transactions and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of a number of target businesses;

 

sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;

 

accessing the capital markets, including financing businesses and helping companies transition to public ownership;

 

fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and

 

executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions.

 

Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team and board, as well as our advisers will communicate with their network of relationships to articulate our initial business combination criteria, including the parameters of our search for a target business, and will begin the disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads. At the time of preparing this prospectus, we have not identified any specific business combination, nor has anyone on our behalf initiated or engaged in any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, related to such a transaction. Our efforts to date are limited to organizational activities related to this offering.

 

Investment Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating candidates for our initial business combination. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to acquire one or more businesses that we believe:

 

has a strong competitive industry position with demonstrated competitive advantages to maintain barriers to entry;

 

has a historic record of above average growth and strong free cash flow characteristics with high returns on capital;

 

has a strong, experienced management team which would benefit from our management’s network or expertise, such as additional management expertise, capital structure optimization, acquisition advice or operational changes to drive improved financial performance;

 

is positioned for continued organic growth and may grow through bolt-on acquisitions;

 

is a fundamentally sound company with a proven track record;

 

has an operating model that has adapted or has an executable strategy to be able to meet the changing consumer or business behaviors in a COVID-19 or post-COVID 19 environment;

 

will offer an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders; and

 

can benefit from being a publicly traded company, are prepared to be a publicly traded company and can utilize access to broader capital markets.

 

Acquisition Strategy

 

Rigorous and comprehensive due diligence on prospective business targets is particularly important for disruptive technology companies, which we intend to target. In the process of identifying a potential business target, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review process which may encompass, as appropriate and among other things, meetings with incumbent management teams and stakeholders, business plan reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information made available to us about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience.

 

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We have not identified any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Our sponsor, all of the members of our management team and our board, and Chardan, are continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted, or had any discussions, formal or otherwise with, any prospective target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.

 

In addition, our officers and directors are not prohibited from becoming either a director or officer of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

General

 

We will have 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering) to consummate an initial business combination. In addition, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months and we have not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), our insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination);  provided that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, the only way to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination in the absence of a definitive agreement is for our insiders or their affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or $1,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case, or an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full)), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. In the event that our insiders elected to extend the time to complete a business combination and deposited the applicable amount of money into trust, the insiders would receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. In the event that we receive notice from our insiders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our insiders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that some, but not all, of our insiders, decide to extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination, such insiders (or their affiliates or designees) may deposit the entire amount required. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders. In the event of our dissolution and liquidation, the private units will expire and will be worthless.

 

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm as to the fair market value of the target business. We have also agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. In addition, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

We may, at our option, pursue a business combination opportunity jointly with Chardan or one or more entities affiliated with Chardan, which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with an Affiliated SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Chardan considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. We refer to this potential future issuance, or a similar issuance to other specified purchasers, as a “specified future issuance” throughout this prospectus. Any such Affiliated Joint Acquisition or specified future issuance would be in addition to, and would not include, the forward purchase securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance.

 

We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. From the period commencing with our formation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no communications or discussions between any of our officers, directors or our sponsor and any of their potential contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate, to conduct any research or take any measures, directly or indirectly, to locate or contact a target business. Additionally, we have not contacted any of the prospective target businesses that any of the Affiliated SPACs had considered and rejected while such entity was a blank check company searching for target businesses to acquire. We do not currently intend to contact any of such targets; however, we may do so in the future if we become aware that the valuations, operations, profits or prospects of such target business, or the benefits of any potential transaction with such target business, would be attractive. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses, or (ii) in such a way so that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders, or for other reasons, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or 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 of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction.

 

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% test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

 

Chardan will be the beneficial owner of founder shares or private warrants following this offering by virtue of its ownership of our sponsor and members of our management team may indirectly own such securities. Our sponsor intends to allocate up to 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors. Because of such ownership and interests, Chardan and our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

All of our officers are employed by Chardan or its affiliates. Chardan is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Chardan will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Chardan may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Chardan may decide to share with us. We have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors, Chardan and their respective affiliates may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of an Affiliated SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses that may provide significant opportunities for attractive investor returns in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.

 

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity, including an Affiliated SPAC. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, including an Affiliated SPAC, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us.

 

Advisory Services in Connection with the Business Combination

 

We have engaged Chardan as an advisor in connection with our business combination, pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement. We will pay Chardan a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. As a result, Chardan will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination. Certain individuals who will perform advisory services on behalf of Chardan in connection with the business combination also serve as our officers and directors.

 

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Corporate Information

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior year’s second quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

 

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Private Placements

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor. Such number of shares includes an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering. None of our initial stockholders has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering.

 

The founder shares are identical to the public shares. However, our initial stockholders have agreed (1) to vote their founder shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to propose, or vote in favor of prior to and unrelated to an initial business combination, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our redemption obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) of the closing of this offering, unless we provide public stockholders an opportunity to redeem their public shares in conjunction with any such amendment, (3) not to redeem any shares, including any founder shares, into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination, (4) not to sell any shares to us in any tender offer in connection with our proposed initial business combination, and (5) that the founder shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated.

 

On the date of this prospectus, the founder shares will be placed into an escrow account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as escrow agent. 50% of these founder shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of (i) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our shares of common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 10 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination. And the remaining 50% of the founder shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

In addition, Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total purchase price of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

 

The proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable), the proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares.

 

The private warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the public units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private warrants (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the initial purchaser until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis. The private warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Rule 5110(g), as long as Chardan or any of its related persons beneficially own these private warrants.

 

If public units or public shares are purchased by any of our directors, officers or initial stockholders, they will be entitled to funds from the trust account to the same extent as any other public stockholder upon our liquidation, but such directors, officers, or initial stockholders will not have redemption rights related thereto.

 

Our executive offices are located at 17 State Street, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004, and our telephone number is (646) 465-9000.

 

11

 

 

 

THE OFFERING

 

In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that we are not conducting this offering in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 28 of this prospectus.

 

Securities offered  

10,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.

 

Listing of our securities and proposed symbols  

We anticipate the units, and the shares of common stock and the warrants, once they begin separate trading, will be listed on the Nasdaq under the symbols “CNTQU,” “CNTQ,” and “CNTQW,” respectively.

 

   

Each of the shares of common stock and warrants may trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Chardan determines that an earlier date is acceptable (based upon, among other things, its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular). In no event will Chardan allow separate trading of the shares of common stock and warrants until we file an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering.

 

   

Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into separately trading shares of common stock and warrants.

 

    We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC, including an audited balance sheet, promptly upon the consummation of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days from the date the units commence trading. The audited balance sheet will reflect our receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of the over-allotment option if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Current Report on Form 8-K or a new Current Report on Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in the Current Report on Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Current Report on Form 8-K, information indicating if Chardan has allowed separate trading of the shares of common stock and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus.

 

12

 

 

Shares of common stock:    
     
Number issued and outstanding before this offering  

2,875,000 shares(1)

     
Number to be issued and outstanding after this offering  

12,500,000 shares(2)

     
Redeemable Warrants:    
     
Number issued and outstanding before this offering  

0 warrants

     
Number to be issued and outstanding after this offering and sale of private warrants  

5,000,000 public warrants and 3,700,000 private warrants(3)

     
Exercisability  

Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable public warrant. Each whole redeemable public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock, and each private warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase a multiple of two units, the number of warrants issuable to you upon separation of the units will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of warrants.

 

 

(1)This number includes an aggregate of up to 375,000 founder shares held by our initial stockholders that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not fully exercised by the underwriters.
(2)Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 375,000 founder shares held by our initial stockholders have been forfeited. If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, there will be a total of 14,375,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.
(3) Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised. If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, there will be a total of 5,750,000 public warrants and 3,700,000 private warrants issued and outstanding.

13

 

 

Exercise price  

$11.50 per share

 

In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination (not including any securities to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement to be entered into with our sponsor) at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (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 our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our shares 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 $9.20 per share, the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $16.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 160% of the higher of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price.

 

No public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. It is our current intention to have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock in effect promptly following consummation of an initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 120 days following the consummation of our initial business combination, public warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the whole public warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the public warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the shares of common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the day prior to the date of exercise. For example, if a holder held 300 warrants to purchase 300 shares and the fair market value on the date prior to exercise was $15.00, that holder would receive 70 shares without the payment of any additional cash consideration.

 

14

 

 

Exercise period   The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the consummation of an initial business combination. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption. The private warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g), as long as Chardan or any of its related persons beneficially own these private warrants.

  

15

 

 

Redemption  

We may redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding the private warrants), in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:

 

•      at any time while the warrants are exercisable;

 

•      upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption;

 

•      if, and only if, the last sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $16.00 per share for any 10 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption; and

 

•      if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the offer and sale of the shares of common stock underlying such warrants at the time of redemption and for the entire 30-day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption.

 

If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of our common stock may fall below the $16.00 trigger price, as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

 

The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.

 

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the whole warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the shares of common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Whether we will exercise our option to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis” will depend on a variety of factors including the price of our shares of common stock at the time the warrants are called for redemption, our cash needs at such time and concerns regarding dilutive share issuances.

 

16

 

 

Offering proceeds to be held in trust  

$100,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the private placement (or $115,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be placed in a trust account at Morgan Stanley, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus.

 

Except as set forth below, the proceeds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of an initial business combination within the required time period or (2) the redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, unless and until our initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses that we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our tax obligations. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $100,000 of interest annually assuming an interest rate of 0.1% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.

 

Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account of approximately $955,000; provided, however, that to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our 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 be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest.

 

17

 

 

Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination   On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights. We will use the remaining funds to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination, including the fee payable to Chardan pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement,” which fee we refer to throughout this prospectus as the Marketing Fee. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account, as well as the proceeds from the sale of the private warrants described elsewhere in this prospectus, for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

18

 

 

Limited payments to insiders  

Prior to the consummation of a business combination, there will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of a business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than:

 

•     repayment of loans of up to $250,000 advanced to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;

 

•     payment of $10,000 per month to an affiliate of our sponsor for office space and related services, subject to deferral as described herein;

 

•    repayment of loans that may be made by our insiders, officers, directors or any of its or their respective affiliates to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined;

 

•     reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our insiders, officers, directors or any of its or their respective affiliates in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations;

 

•     our sponsor will transfer up to 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors; and

 

•       payment to Chardan of the underwriting discount and the Marketing Fee, fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services Chardan may provide to our company in the future, including in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, and reimbursement of Chardan for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services.

 

    There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account available to us, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to any initial stockholder or member of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, and any reimbursements and payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

19

 

 

Stockholder approval of, or tender offer in connection with, initial business combination  

In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us, not to redeem any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each public stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its public shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares.

 

We may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

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 based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction or whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. If we provide stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer, 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. If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will consummate the business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of such business combination.

 

We have determined not to consummate any business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. 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, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed) and 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.

 

20

 

 

   

Our initial stockholders have agreed (A) to vote their founder shares and any public shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, prior to and unrelated to an initial business combination, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our redemption obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) unless we provide public stockholder an opportunity to redeem their public shares in conjunction with any such amendment, (C) not to redeem any shares (including the founder shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in a tender offer in connection with our proposed initial business combination, and (D) that the founder shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. None of our initial stockholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock in the open market or in private transactions. However, if a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Our initial stockholders, officers, directors and their affiliates could purchase sufficient shares so that the initial business combination may be approved without the majority vote of public shares held by non-affiliates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, 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 Securities and Exchange Act of 1940, which we refer to as the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock or purchasing shares when the buyer is in possession of material non-public information about the Company.

 

21

 

 

Redemption 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, she or it is voting for or against such proposed business combination, to demand that we redeem his, her or its public shares into a pro rata share of the trust account upon consummation of the business combination.

 

We may require public stockholders wishing to exercise redemption rights, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender the certificates they are seeking to redeem to our transfer agent or to deliver the shares they are seeking to redeem to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian System, or DWAC System, at the holder’s option, at any time at or prior to the vote on the business combination. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether we require holders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the business combination in order to exercise redemption rights, because a holder would need to deliver shares to exercise redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.

 

Under Delaware law, we may be required to give a minimum of only 10 days’ notice for each general meeting. As a result, if we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of common stock into the right to receive a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account to comply with the foregoing delivery requirements, holders may not have sufficient time to receive the notice and deliver their shares for redemption. Accordingly, investors may not be able to exercise their redemption rights and may be forced to retain our securities when they otherwise would not want to.

 

If we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of common stock to comply with specific delivery requirements for redemption described above and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders.

 

22

 

 

Liquidation if no business
combination
 

If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares (including any public units in this offering or any public units or shares that our initial stockholders or their affiliates purchased in this offering or later acquired in the open market or in private transactions), 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 practicable following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining holders of common stock and our board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the Company, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law.

 

In connection with our redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, each holder will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not necessary to pay our taxes payable on such funds. Holders of warrants will receive no proceeds in connection with the liquidation with respect to such warrants, which will expire worthless.

 

We may not have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them.

 

The holders of the founder shares and private warrants will not participate in any redemption distribution with respect to their founder shares and private warrants, but may have any public shares held by them redeemed upon liquidation.

 

If we are unable to conclude our initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering not deposited in the trust account, without taking into account any interest earned on the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $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 our stockholders. Furthermore, our underwriters may seek recourse against the proceeds in the trust account relating to any future claims they may have against us. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. Therefore, the actual per-share redemption price may be less than approximately $10.00. 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 agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation and has agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses. We currently do not anticipate that such funds will be insufficient.

 

Ability to extend time to complete business combination  

If we have filed a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC seeking stockholder approval of an initial business combination within 18 months of this offering, the period of time we have to consummate an initial business combination shall be automatically extended by an additional three months for an aggregate of 21 months.

 

If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each of the available three month extensions providing a total possible business combination period of 24 months at a total payment value of $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full. Any such payments would be made in the form of non-interest bearing loans, evidenced by an unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit, which will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Our public stockholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. As a result, we may conduct such an extension even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such an extension and will not be able to redeem their shares in connection therewith.

 

23

 

 

 Conflict of Interest

 

 Both we and our sponsor are affiliates of Chardan, the representative of the underwriters in this offering, and certain of our officers and directors are affiliated with Chardan. As a result, Chardan is deemed to have a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121(f)(5), or Rule 5121. Accordingly, this offering is being made in compliance with the applicable requirements of Rule 5121.

 

Rule 5121 requires that a “qualified independent underwriter,” as defined in Rule 5121, participate in the preparation of the registration statement and prospectus and exercise the usual standards of due diligence with respect thereto. B. Riley Securities, Inc. has agreed to act as a “qualified independent underwriter” for this offering. B. Riley Securities, Inc. will receive $100,000 from the total underwriting discount, acting as a qualified independent underwriter. We have agreed to indemnify B. Riley Securities, Inc. against certain liabilities incurred in connection with acting as a “qualified independent underwriter,” including liabilities under the Securities Act. In addition, no underwriter with a conflict of interest will confirm sales to any account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the specific prior written approval of the account holder.

 

All of our officers are employed by Chardan or its affiliates. Chardan is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Chardan will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Chardan may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Chardan may decide to share with us. In addition, our officers and directors may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities to which they owe duties or clients of affiliates of our sponsor.

 

As a result, affiliates of our sponsor and their respective clients may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If any of them decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated within Chardan, including by any of our officers and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable both for us and for affiliates of our sponsor or any of their respective clients, and will be directed initially to such persons rather than to us. None of Chardan nor members of our management team who are also employed by Chardan or any of its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware unless it is offered to them solely in their capacity as a director or officer of the Company and after they have satisfied their contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties.

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors, Chardan and their respective affiliates may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of an Affiliated SPAC, which is focused on searching for businesses that may provide significant opportunities for attractive investor returns in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.

 

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As described herein, each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including an Affiliated SPAC. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, including an Affiliated SPAC, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described above). These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.

 

In addition, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with an Affiliated SPAC. This would only occur, though, if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Chardan considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition could involve a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination.

 

The potential conflicts described above may limit our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where interests may conflict. There can be no assurance that these or other conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the Company and investors will not arise.

 

Risks

 

We are a newly formed company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from our offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 28 of this prospectus.

 

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data are presented.

 

    March 31, 2021  
    Actual     As Adjusted(1)  
Balance Sheet Data:                
Working capital   $ (53,118 )   $ 98,389,000  
Total assets   $ 150,000     $ 100,979,000  
Total liabilities   $ 126,000     $ 2,590,000  
Value of shares of common stock subject to possible redemption/tender   $     $ 93,388,990  
Stockholder’s equity   $ 24,000     $ 5,000,010  

  

 

 

(1) Includes the $2,405,000 we will receive from the sale of the private warrants and $2,590,000 related to the warrant liability.

 

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid such that we have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets upon consummation of this offering and upon consummation of our initial business combination.

 

The “as adjusted” working capital and total assets amounts include the $100,000,000 (without exercise of over-allotment option) to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of our initial business combination within the time period described in this prospectus.

 

We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination (if a vote is required or being obtained).

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

Some statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:

 

·our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

 

·our ability to consummate an initial business combination, even if an appropriate target business is selected;

 

·our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;

 

·our 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;

 

·our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;

 

·

our pool of prospective target businesses in the disruptive technology sectors;

 

·

risks associated with acquiring an operating company in the disruptive technology sectors;

 

·the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities;

 

·the delisting of our securities from the Nasdaq or an inability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq following a business combination;

 

·our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

 

·the lack of a market for our securities;

 

·the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;

 

·the trust account being subject to the claims of third parties; or

 

·our financial performance following this offering.

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 28 of this prospectus. 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.

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

I.Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks

 

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

 

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

 

Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own shares representing 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.

 

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the initial business combination.

 

At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete an initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote.

 

Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

 

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The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into an initial business combination with a target.

 

We may seek to enter into an initial business combination agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. While we will have access to the proceeds from the $2,405,000 private placement from our sponsor, if too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the initial business combination. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the initial business combination. Furthermore, we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination with us. The ability of a large number of our stockholders to exercise redemption rights may not allow us to consummate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

 

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

 

At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.

 

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

 

If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.

 

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The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

 

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering) to consummate an initial business combination. In addition, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months and we have not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), our insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination), as described in more detail in this prospectus. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the United States and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the continued outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 18-month (or up to 24-month) period, 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, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law, in which case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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 and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, lowered equity market valuations, created significant volatility and disruption in financial markets, and increased unemployment levels, all of which may become heightened concerns upon a second wave of infection or future developments. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in temporary closures of many businesses and the institution of social distancing and sheltering in place requirements in many states and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has and a significant outbreak of 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 partner 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 concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the partner business’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 partner business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all

 

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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our common stock or warrants.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.

 

Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

 

In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

 

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

 

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination — Redemption/Tender Rights.”

 

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You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

 

Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 either immediately prior to or upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”

 

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire, including affiliates of our sponsor. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more industry knowledge than we do, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

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If the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private warrants not being held in the trust account and the loan committed by our sponsor for working capital are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

The funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with the loan committed by our sponsor for working capital, may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

If the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants, not being held in the trust account, and the loan committed by our sponsor for working capital are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on additional loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants, only approximately $955,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $950,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $950,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor has committed up to $250,000 to be provided to us to fund our expenses relating to investigating and selecting a target business and other working capital requirements after this offering and prior to our initial business combination. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance additional funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

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Subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

 

Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the initial business combination constituted an actionable material misstatement or omission.

 

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. WithumSmith+Brown, PC, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.

 

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Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

 

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.

 

While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. 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.

 

We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.

 

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.

 

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If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

 

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

 

Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.

 

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th month (or up to the 24th month, as applicable) from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

 

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

 

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Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.

 

We will seek to complete an initial business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector, though we intend to focus on the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

 

We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.

 

We will consider a business combination in sectors which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in an initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

 

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “-— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

We may seek business combination opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.

 

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

 

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

 

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

 

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Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.

 

We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.

 

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require the approval of holders of a majority of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least a majority of the public warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

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The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of majority of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions may be amended if approved by holders of majority of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of majority of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own up to 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

 

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

 

We have not selected any specific business combination target, but intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share,” under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.

 

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Our initial stockholders will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own shares representing 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (including the shares of common stock underlying the private warrants and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a portion of the board of directors will be considered for election. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote. Please see “Proposed Business — Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination.”

 

Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

 

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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

 

Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

 

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securities are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.

 

In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial business combination.

 

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial business combination.

 

Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.

 

In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.

 

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The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

 

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

 

If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

 

If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

 

If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:

 

·higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;

 

·rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

 

·complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

·laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;

 

·tariffs and trade barriers;

 

·regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

·longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

·tax issues, including but not limited to tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

 

·currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

·rates of inflation;

 

·cultural and language differences;

 

·employment regulations;

 

·crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;

 

·deterioration of political relations with the United States; and

 

·government appropriations of assets.

 

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We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination or, if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.

 

Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the Company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

 

We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

 

Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

 

·default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

 

·acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

 

·our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;

 

·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;

 

·our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

·using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;

 

·limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

·increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

 

·limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and

 

·other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.

 

Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses.

 

We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

 

·solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or

 

·dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

 

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.

 

We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.

 

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

 

We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

 

In pursuing our initial business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

 

We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.

 

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

 

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II.Risks Relating to Chardan, our Sponsor and Management Team

 

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.

 

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

 

Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor. Such founder shares include an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has agreed that it or its designees will purchase an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants at a price of $0.65 per private warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,405,000 that will also be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. Holders of founder shares and private warrants have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, any loans from our sponsor will not be repaid if our business combination is not consummated. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.

 

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Since our officers and directors will not be eligible to be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses, and our sponsor will not be eligible to be repaid for loans our sponsor has provided to us, if our business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

Our officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Reimbursement for such expenses will be paid by us out of loans by our sponsor and interest earned on the trust account. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. In addition, at the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor will be repaid an aggregate of up to $250,000 in loans, which our sponsor has committed to cover working capital costs and to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination following this offering, in addition to any additional loans our sponsor chooses to make. These financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination.

 

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 conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for an initial business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, our officers and non-independent directors are employed by Chardan and/or certain of its affiliates and our other directors are employees of other companies. Our directors and officers also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Directors and Officers.”

 

All of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction should be presented.

 

Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, including an Affiliated SPAC. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers who are also officers of any Affiliated SPAC will be required to present all suitable target businesses to an Affiliated SPAC prior to presenting them to us, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such individual solely in his capacity as an officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent such individual is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses. In addition, our officers and directors may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act even if we have not yet entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. As a result, our officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.

 

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including an Affiliated SPAC. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary, contractual or other duties.

 

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Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, including an Affiliated SPAC, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

 

Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.

 

We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so, or we may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more affiliates of Chardan. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

 

In particular, Chardan, its respective affiliates, our directors and our officers have invested, and may in the future invest, in a broad array of sectors, including those in which our company may invest, and are also focused on acquisitions and investments in industries in which we may search for a target business. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.

 

We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

 

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated or competitive with our sponsor, officers or directors or their respective affiliates. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning an initial business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for an initial business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest. In order to satisfy applicable regulatory or other legal requirements applicable to an Affiliated Joint Acquisition, our initial business combination may be effected on less favorable terms than otherwise would apply if the initial business combination were not an Affiliated Joint Acquisition.

 

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We may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more affiliates of Chardan. This may result in conflicts of interest as well as dilutive issuances of our securities.

 

We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with an Affiliated SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Chardan considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

 

We may compete with other affiliates of Chardan for acquisition opportunities for our company, which could negatively impact our ability to locate a suitable business combination.

 

Our business strategy may overlap with some of the strategies of Chardan and certain of its other affiliates. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers will be required to present all suitable target businesses to an Affiliated SPAC prior to presenting them to us, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such individual solely in his capacity as an officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent such individual is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. In addition, Chardan and its affiliates specialize in financial services and real estate services and finance for institutional customers operating in the global financial and commercial real estate markets. Acquisition opportunities that may be of interest to us may come to those other affiliates instead of us or may be pursued by those affiliates. Our affiliates are not restricted from competing with our business and none of our affiliates are required to refer any such opportunities to us. Our sponsor and its affiliates face conflicts of interest relating to performing services on our behalf and allocating investment opportunities to us, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, meaning we could find less suitable acquisition opportunities which could limit our ability to find a business combination that we find attractive.

 

Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.

 

We may structure an initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

 

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III.Risks Relating to our Securities

 

The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants, in the amount of $100,000,000, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may use to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds then held in the trust account, plus any interest income (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses). If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $100,000,000 as a result of negative interest rates, 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 are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:

 

·restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

·restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:

 

·registration as an investment company;

 

·adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

·reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are not currently subject to.

 

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete an initial business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

 

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities.

 

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The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our common stock.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

 

We have applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the shares of our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be separately listed on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500) of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

 

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If Nasdaq delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

·a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

·reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

·a determination that our common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;

 

·a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

 

·a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our common stock and warrants will be 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, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.

 

Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.01 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of the founder shares.

 

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 84.2% (or $8.42 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $1.58 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our common stock.

 

We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 30,466,667 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of common stock, which amount takes into account the shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.

 

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination). However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.

 

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These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

 

The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:

 

·may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;

 

·may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;

 

·could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our 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 units, common stock and/or warrants.

 

We are registering the offer and sale of the shares of common stock underlying the public warrants under the Securities Act, however we cannot assure you that such registration will be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.

 

Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. However, there may be instances in which holders of our public warrants may be unable to exercise such public warrants but holders of our private warrants may be able to exercise such private warrants.

 

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If you exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer shares of common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

 

There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if our common stock is at any time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. Third, if we call the public warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the volume weighted average last reported sale price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

 

Since our sponsor paid only approximately $0.01 per share for the founder shares, certain of our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value.

 

In July 2020, we issued 1,000,000 founder shares to our sponsor in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000. In March 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor, resulting in a purchase price of approximately $0.01 per share. Certain of our officers and directors have a significant economic interest in our sponsor. As a result, the low acquisition cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we complete a business combination with a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.

 

The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $96,500,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $3,500,000 pursuant to the business combination marketing agreement, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our public and private warrants. At such valuation, each of our shares of common stock would have an implied value of $7.72 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 22.8% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value to the public warrants).

 

Public shares     10,000,000  
Founder shares(1)     2,500,000  
          
Total shares     12,500,000  
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less business combination marketing agreement)   $ 96,500,000  
Initial implied value per public share   $ 10.00  
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination   $ 7.72  

 

  (1) Assumes the full forfeiture of 375,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

 

The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $2,430,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $2,405,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 2,500,000 founder shares (assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised) would have an aggregate implied value of $25,000,000. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $0.98 per share, and the private placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public stockholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.

 

Our private placement warrants are expected to be accounted for as a warrant liability and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

 

Following the consummation of this offering and the concurrent private placement of warrants, we will have 3,700,000 private placement warrants outstanding, assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. We currently expect to account for these private placement warrants as a warrant liability, which means that we will record them at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets may seek a business combination partner that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the warrants could be redeemed for cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

 

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

 

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Our initial stockholders may purchase public warrants with the intention of reducing the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to warrant holders for approval, including amending the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. While our initial stockholders have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for such transactions, there is no limit on the number of our public warrants that our initial stockholders may purchase and it is not currently known how many public warrants, if any, our initial stockholders may hold at the time of our initial business combination or at any other time during which the terms of the public warrants may be proposed to be amended. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities.”

 

Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

 

Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, or a foreign action, in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions, or an enforcement action,, and (y) having service of proves made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrantholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrantholder.

 

The choice-of-forum provision may result in increased costs for investors to bring a claim. The choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrantholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

 

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $16.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 10 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. 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 will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 5,000,000 shares of our common stock (or up to 5,750,000 shares of common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing, in a private placement, an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants, at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares. Such founder shares include an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part.

 

To the extent we issue shares of common stock to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of common stock upon exercise of these warrants and redemption rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock and reduce the value of the shares of common stock issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

 

The private warrants and warrants underlying the units issuable pursuant to the forward purchase contract are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis, (iv) will be entitled to registration rights and (v) for so long as they are held by our sponsor, will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g).

 

Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.

 

Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase a multiple of two units, the number of warrants issuable to you upon separation of the units will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of warrants. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of an initial business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

 

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A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

 

If

 

·we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination (not including any securities to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement to be entered into with our sponsor) at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), 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 Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like),

 

then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $16.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 160% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private warrants and the founder shares held, or to be held, by them, and may demand that we register such warrants or the common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.

 

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

·the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;

 

·prior offerings of those companies;

 

·our prospects for acquiring an operating business;

 

·a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;

 

·our capital structure;

 

·an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;

 

·general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and

 

·other factors as were deemed relevant.

 

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Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.

 

There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

 

There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

 

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Section 203 of the DGCL affects the ability of an “interested stockholder” to engage in certain business combinations, for a period of three years following the time that the stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder.” We will elect in our certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Nevertheless, our certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that it will provide that affiliates of our sponsor and their transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and will therefore not be subject to such restrictions. These charter provisions may limit the ability of third parties to acquire control of our company.

 

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of common stock and the one-half of one warrant to purchase common stock included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law. It is also unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of common stock suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

 

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other 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, subject to certain exceptions, be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other 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 or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter 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 or make more costly 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, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, 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 will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions. 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. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

IV.General Risk Factors

 

We are a company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

 

We are a company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning an initial business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

 

Past performance by Chardan, its affiliates and members of our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.

 

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, Chardan, its affiliates and members of our management team is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance, including related to acquisitions, of Chardan, its affiliates and members of our management team is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record or performance of Chardan, its affiliates and members of our management team as indicative of the future performance of us or an investment in the Company or the returns the Company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in Chardan or any of its affiliates.

 

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Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

 

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

 

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.

 

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly.

 

Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.

 

There are risks related to the software and technology industries to which we may be subject.

 

Business combinations with companies with operations in the software and technology industries entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with a target business with operations in the software and technology industries, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks, including but not limited to:

 

·if we do not develop successful new products or improve existing ones, our business will suffer;

 

·we may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue;

 

·we will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer;

 

·disruption or failure of our networks, systems, platform or technology that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, may cause our users, advertisers, and partners to cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business;

 

·mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation;

 

·if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business will suffer;

 

·if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed;

 

·we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; and

 

·components used in our products may fail as a result of a manufacturing, design, or other defect over which we have no control, and render our devices inoperable.

 

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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 software and technology industries. 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.

 

We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior year’s second quarter, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year end. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

 

V.Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business outside of the United States

 

We may effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States.

 

If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, 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 redemption or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

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·laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;

 

·exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;

 

·tariffs and trade barriers;

 

·regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

·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;

 

·rates of inflation;

 

·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 may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

 

There are costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations.

 

Managing a business, operations, personnel or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Any management that we may have (whether based abroad or in the United States) may be inexperienced in cross-border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.

 

Social unrest, acts of terrorism, regime changes, changes in laws and regulations, political upheaval, or policy changes or enactments may occur in a country in which we may operate after we effect our initial business combination.

 

Political events in another country may significantly affect our business, assets or operations. Social unrest, acts of terrorism, regime changes, changes in laws and regulations, political upheaval, and policy changes or enactments could negatively impact our business in a particular country.

 

Many countries have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience.

 

Our ability to seek and enforce legal protections, including with respect to intellectual property and other property rights, or to defend ourselves with regard to legal actions taken against us in a given country, may be difficult or impossible, which could adversely impact our operations, assets or financial condition.

 

Rules and regulations in many countries are often ambiguous or open to differing interpretation by responsible individuals and agencies at the municipal, state, regional and federal levels. The attitudes and actions of such individuals and agencies are often difficult to predict and inconsistent.

 

Delay with respect to the enforcement of particular rules and regulations, including those relating to customs, tax, environmental and labor, could cause serious disruption to operations abroad and negatively impact our results.

 

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If relations between the United States and foreign governments deteriorate, it could cause potential target businesses or their goods and services to become less attractive.

 

The relationship between the United States and foreign governments could be subject to sudden fluctuation and periodic tension. For instance, the United States may announce its intention to impose quotas on certain imports. Such import quotas may adversely affect political relations between the two countries and result in retaliatory countermeasures by the foreign government in industries that may affect our ultimate target business. Changes in political conditions in foreign countries and changes in the state of U.S. relations with such countries are difficult to predict and could adversely affect our operations or cause potential target businesses or their goods and services to become less attractive. Because we are not limited to any specific industry, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible extent of any impact on our ultimate operations if relations are strained between the United States and a foreign country in which we acquire a target business or move our principal manufacturing or service operations.

 

If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws.

 

Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with our laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues, which may adversely affect our operations.

 

Currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.

 

In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.

 

Because foreign law could govern our material agreements, we may not be able to enforce our rights within such jurisdiction or elsewhere.

 

Foreign law could govern our material agreements. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available outside of such foreign jurisdiction’s legal system. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws and contracts in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The judiciaries in certain foreign countries may be relatively inexperienced in enforcing corporate and commercial law, leading to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation, any such jurisdictions may not favor outsiders or could be corrupt. As a result, the inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business and business opportunities.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We are offering 10,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, together with the funds we receive from the sale of the private warrants (all of which will be deposited into the trust account), will be used as set forth in the following table:

 

    Without
Over-Allotment
Option
    Over-Allotment
Option
Exercised
 
Gross proceeds                
From offering   $ 100,000,000     $ 115,000,000  
From sale of private warrants     2,405,000       2,405,000  
Total gross proceeds   $ 102,405,000     $ 117,405,000  
                 
Offering expenses(1)                
Underwriting and qualified independent underwriter fees   $ 500,000     $ 500,000  
Initial Trustees’ fee     11,000       11,000  
Company legal fees and expenses     250,000       250,000  
Transfer agent fees     35,000       35,000  
Nasdaq listing and filing fees     75,000       75,000  
Printing and engraving expenses     20,000       20,000  
Accounting fees and expenses     40,000       40,000  
Director and officer liability insurance premiums     375,000       375,000  
FINRA filing fee     24,362       24,362  
SEC registration fee     19,761       19,761  
Miscellaneous expenses     99,877       99,877  
Total offering expenses (excluding underwriter commissions)   $ 950,000     $ 950,000  
Net proceeds                
Held in trust(2)   $ 100,000,000     $ 115,000,000  
Not held in trust     955,000       955,000  
Total net proceeds   $ 100,955,000     $ 115,955,000  
Use of net proceeds not held in the trust account(3) (4)                
Legal, accounting and other third party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of a business combination   $ 250,000       26.2 %
Due diligence of prospective target businesses by officers, directors and initial stockholders     250,000       26.2 %
Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations     50,000       5.2 %
Nasdaq continued listing fees     75,000       7.9 %
Payment of administrative fee to an affiliate of our sponsor     180,000       18.8 %
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations and reserves     150,000       15.7 %
Total   $ 955,000       100.0 %

 

 

(1)A portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the funds we borrowed from our sponsor. These funds will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering available to us.

(2)The funds held in the trust account will be used to acquire a target business, to pay holders who wish to redeem or sell their shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, to pay the Marketing Fee of $3,500,000 (or $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital.

(3)The amount of proceeds not held in trust will remain constant at $955,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised.

(4)These are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of that business combination. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would be deducted from our excess working capital.

 

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The payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of a monthly fee of $10,000 is for general and administrative services including office space, utilities and secretarial support. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, we may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by our audit committee that we lack sufficient funds held outside the trust to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with our initial business combination. Any such unpaid amount will accrue without interest and be due and payable no later than the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. This arrangement is being agreed to by an affiliate of our sponsor for our benefit. We believe that the fee charged by the affiliate of our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. This arrangement will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public stockholders. Other than the $10,000 per month fee, no compensation of any kind (including finder’s fees, consulting fees or other similar compensation) will be paid to our insiders, members of our management team or any of our or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will 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. Since the role of present management after our initial business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after our initial business combination.

 

A total of $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants described in this prospectus will be placed in a trust account in the United States at Morgan Stanley, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills, notes and bonds with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and which invest solely in U.S. Treasuries. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $100,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.1% per year; however, we can provide no assurance regarding this amount. Except for all interest income that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, as discussed below, none of the funds held in the trust account will be released from the trust account until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering and (ii) a redemption to public stockholders prior to any voluntary winding-up in the event we do not consummate our initial business combination within the applicable period.

 

The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using shares or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination, we may apply the cash released from the trust account that is not applied to the purchase price for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating the initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

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We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of our initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, or the amount of interest available to use from the trust account is minimal as a result of the current interest rate environment, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from members of our management team, but such members of our management team are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has not loaned us any amounts to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. Any loans will be non-interest bearing and payable on the date on which we consummate the offering.

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required 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 be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest. Loans made by Chardan or any of its related persons will not be convertible into any of our securities and Chardan and its related persons will have no recourse with respect to their ability to convert their loans into any of our securities.

 

We may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our consummation of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) following the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) if we seek to amend our certificate of incorporation to affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) of the closing of this offering and such amendment is duly approved. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares they own in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, including their founder shares and public shares that they purchase during or after the offering, if any. In addition, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to receive liquidating distributions with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

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 our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time and subject to the Delaware law. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a share dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain our initial stockholders’ ownership at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming no purchase in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private warrants). 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.

 

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DILUTION

 

The difference between the public offering price per share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with sale and exercise of warrants, including the private warrants. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of common stock.

 

At March 31, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $(53,118) or approximately $(0.02) per share. After giving effect to the sale of 10,000,000 shares of common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and the proceeds received from the sale of the private warrants, the deduction of underwriting discounts and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at March 31, 2021 would have been $5,000,010 or $1.58 per share (or $1.41 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $1.60 per share (or $1.43 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to the initial stockholders and an immediate dilution of $8.42 per share or 84.2% (or $8.59 per share or 85.9% if the underwriters’ over-allotment if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to new investors not exercising their redemption/tender rights. For purposes of presentation, our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering is $93,388,990 (or $108,388,990 if the underwriters’ over-allotment if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) less than it otherwise would have been because, if we effect a business combination, the ability of public stockholders to exercise redemption rights or sell their shares to us in any tender offer may result in the redemption or tender of up to 9,338,899 shares (or 10,838,899 if the underwriters’ over-allotment if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering.

 

The following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the redeemable warrants, including the private warrants:

 

    Without
Over-Allotment
    With
Over-Allotment
 
Public offering price           $ 10.00             $ 10.00  
Net tangible book value before this offering   $ (0.02)             $ (0.02)          
Increase attributable to new investors, private sales and capital contribution     1.60               1.43          
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering             1.58               1.41  
Dilution to new investors           $ 8.42             $ 8.59  
Percentage of dilution to new investors             84.2 %             85.9 %

   

The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the new investors:

 

   Shares Purchased     Total Consideration     Average Price  
   Number     Percentage     Amount     Percentage     Per Share  
Initial stockholders(1)(2)     2,500,000       20.0 %   $ 25,000       0.02 %   $ 0.01  
New investors     10,000,000       80.0 %     100,000,000       99.98 %   $ 10.00  
     12,500,000       100.00 %   $ 100,025,000       100.00 %        

 

 

(1)Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 375,000 shares of common stock held by our initial stockholders have been forfeited as a result thereof.

 

(2) In May and June 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins.

 

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The pro forma net tangible book value after the offering is calculated as follows:

 

Numerator:   Without
Over-Allotment
(1)
    With
Over-Allotment
 
Net tangible book deficit before this offering   $ (53,118)     $ (53,118)  
Net proceeds from this offering and private placement of private warrants     100,955,000       115,955,000  
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance; excluding from tangible book value before this offering     77,118       77,118  
Less: Warrant liabilities(2)     (2,590,000)       (2,590,000)  
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001(3)(4)     (93,388,990 )     (103,388,990 )
    $ 5,000,010     $ 5,000,010  
                 
Denominator:                
Shares of common stock issued and outstanding prior to this offering     2,500,000       2,875,000  
Shares of common stock to be sold in this offering     10,000,000       11,500,000  
Less: Shares subject to redemption/tender     (9,388,899 )     (10,838,899
      3,161,101       3,536,101  

  

 

(1) Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 375,000 shares of common stock held by our initial stockholders have been forfeited by us as a result thereof.
   
(2) The private placement warrants are expected to be accounted for as warrant liabilities and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each reporting period included in earnings as determined by the Company based upon a valuation report obtained from its independent third-party valuation firm.

 

(3) If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of shares of common stock subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share.

 

(4) The actual number of shares subject to redemption may exceed this amount so long as we have at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization at March 31, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the private warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities.

 

    March 31, 2021  
    Actual     As Adjusted(1)  
Promissory note – related party(2)   $     $  
Warrant liabilities(3)           2,590,000  
Shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value, none and 9,338,899 shares are subject to possible redemption/tender, respectively           93,388,990  
Shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 2,875,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 50,000,000 shares authorized(6), 3,161,101 shares issued and outstanding(4) (5) (excluding 9,338,899 shares subject to possible redemption/tender), as adjusted     288       316  
Additional paid-in capital     24,712       5,012,628  
Accumulated deficit     (1,000 )     (12,934 )
Total stockholders’ equity     24,000       5,000,010  
Total capitalization   $ 24,000     $ 100,979,000  

 

  (1) Includes the $2,405,000 we will receive from the sale of the private warrants (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option).

  (2) Our sponsor has agreed to loan us an aggregate of $250,000 to be used to pay formation and a portion of the expenses of this offering. The loan is non-interest bearing and payable on the date on which we consummate the offering.
  (3) The private placement warrants are expected to be accounted for as warrant liabilities and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each reporting period included in earnings as determined by the Company based upon a valuation report obtained from its independent third-party valuation firm.

  (4) Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 375,000 shares of common stock held by our initial stockholders have been forfeited as a result thereof.

  (5) Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination. The actual number of shares subject to redemption may exceed this amount so long as we have at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.
  (6) The Company intends to file an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to the closing date of the Proposed Public Offering such that the Company will be authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

We were incorporated on June 23, 2020, as a Delaware corporation, and we were formed to serve as a vehicle to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more target businesses. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination, shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.

 

The issuance of additional shares in connection with our business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:

 

·may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;

 

·may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if we issue preferred shares with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock;

 

·could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;

 

·may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and

 

·may adversely affect prevailing market prices for securities.

 

·Similarly, if we issue debt securities, or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:

 

·default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;

 

·acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness, even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due, if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant 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;

 

·our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while such security is outstanding;

 

·our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

·using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;

 

·limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

·increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

 

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·imitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and

 

·other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at March 31, 2021, we had $72,882 in cash and $77,118 in deferred offering costs. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

 

Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events

 

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as expenses as we conduct due diligence on prospective business combination candidates. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at March 31, 2021, we had $72,882 in cash and a working capital deficit of $(53,118). Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above.

 

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares and loans from our sponsor in an aggregate amount of $250,000. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $950,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $500,000 and (2) the sale of the private warrants for a purchase price of $2,405,000 will be $100,955,000 (or $115,955,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining $955,000 (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will not be held in the trust account.

 

We intend to use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business or businesses and to pay our expenses relating thereto. To the extent that our share capital is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended 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 initial business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.

  

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Over the next 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable), assuming a business combination is not consummated prior thereto, we will be using the funds held outside of 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. Out of the funds available outside the trust account, we anticipate that we will incur approximately:

 

·$250,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business combination;

 

·$250,000 of expenses for the due diligence and investigation of a target business by our officers, directors and initial stockholders;

 

·$50,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations;

 

·$75,000 of expenses in Nasdaq continued listing fees;

 

  · $180,000 for the payment of the administrative fee to an affiliate of our sponsor (of $10,000 per month for up to 18 months); and

 

  · $150,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, including director and officer liability insurance premiums.

 

If our estimates of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor. Such number of shares includes an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering. None of our initial stockholders has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering.

 

Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on the NASDAQ through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Our sponsor intends to allocate up to 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

 

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us an aggregate of $250,000 on a non-interest bearing basis, for payment of offering expenses on our behalf.

 

In addition, Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total purchase price of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

 

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Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain for sale under the Securities Act. These holders are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights on registration statements filed after the consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, our sponsor may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.

 

We have engaged Chardan as an advisor in connection with our business combination, pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” We will pay Chardan a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. As a result, Chardan will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.

 

If needed to finance transaction costs in connection an intended initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. 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. Such loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would be repaid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest. Loans made by Chardan or any of its related persons will not be convertible into any of our securities and Chardan and its related persons will have no recourse with respect to their ability to convert their loans into any of our securities.

 

Controls and Procedures

 

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.

 

Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

 

·staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;

 

·reconciliation of accounts;

 

·proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;

 

·evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

 

·documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and

 

·documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

 

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Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.

 

Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

The net proceeds of this offering, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act and 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.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results

 

As of the date of this prospectus, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.

 

JOBS Act

 

On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

 

Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the report of independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

 

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

Introduction

 

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on June 23, 2020. We were formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. Our intent is to focus on opportunities in disruptive technologies and leverage the tremendous proprietary deal flow that our Board, executive team and sponsor, Chardan have developed over the past 17 years in the SPAC and investment banking marketplaces.

 

Our focus on disruptive technologies is aligned to the investment expertise, relationships, proprietary deal flow, and connectivity of our management team, Board of Directors, and Chardan. Through our multiple decades of special purpose acquisition company, sector, direct investment, and investment banking advisory experiences, our sponsor and management team receive proprietary access to a tremendous pipeline of disruptive technology investment opportunities. As Chardan’s special purpose acquisition company advisory and principal special purpose acquisition company practices have expanded, our inbound deal flow in technology, among other sectors, has significantly increased as private companies seek out our proprietary expertise.

 

At the time of preparing this prospectus, we have not identified any specific business combination, nor has anyone on our behalf initiated or engaged in any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, related to such a transaction. Our efforts to date are limited to organizational activities related to this offering.

 

The Opportunity

 

Having founded the third-ever publicly listed special purpose acquisition company in 2004, Chardan had the foresight to recognize that the traditional initial public offering process was broken. The initial public offering process has not changed in decades and it is a time and resource intensive process that not only lacks deal and price certainty, but also prevents high-growth technology companies from sharing their financial projections. We believe that Chardan has an unmatched track record as a special purpose acquisition company underwriter, sponsor (or co-sponsor) and special purpose acquisition mergers and acquisitions advisor, which we intend to leverage as special purpose acquisition companies have become more mainstream. We believe that the market is now only beginning to recognize the benefits of SPACs as has been demonstrated within the last several months. In the second half of 2020, SPACs accounted for ~56% of all capital raised in the IPO market, and have had record issuances in the first month of 2021, raising nearly $24 billion, almost two times U.S. initial public offerings during the same period.

 

The opportunity for disruptive technology companies to take advantage of the public markets is evident as there are over 2,000 private technology companies that have raised at least $50MM in private funding or over $1 trillion in aggregate. We believe that such private funding has been a result of many entrepreneurs adopting the philosophy to stay private longer, not only from a cost perspective, but also because of the volume of private capital. Over the past year, however, we believe private company executives’ and stakeholders’ mindset has fundamentally shifted as special purpose acquisition companies have provided a more effective and efficient path to access public markets and its greater access to capital providers. We believe private companies are realizing that they are rewarded for providing greater transparency into their growth plans and can potentially capture further upside via the SPAC structure. Since 2019, disruptive technology companies that have gone public via a special purpose acquisition company have experienced substantial share price growth with a number of recent transactions surging over 100% growth since their public market debuts. We aim to capitalize on the number of disruptive technology companies that are still private and capable of achieving attractive risk-adjusted returns through our decades of special purpose acquisition company experience.

 

Our Management Team

 

As we search for a prospective target company or business, we intend to leverage the multiple decades of combined investment experience, successful special purpose acquisition company and mergers and acquisitions execution experience, and the expansive network of relationships of the principals and affiliates of our sponsor, Chardan. Our board and management team, led by co-founders Kerry Propper and Jonas Grossman, have a combined 80 years of investment and execution experience. Together with our management team, sponsor, and our board of directors, we are confident that the combined experience makes us uniquely situated to identify, source, negotiate and execute an initial business combination with a disruptive technology company.

 

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Kerry Propper is our co-founder and will serve as our Chairman of the board of directors upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Propper was co-founder of Chardan and served as its chief executive officer and head of its investment bank from 2003 to 2015. He is a pioneer in the special purpose acquisition marketplace and has been an executive or senior advisor for six special purpose acquisition companies. Since 2015, Mr. Propper has served as the chairman of Chardan’s board of directors and the co-founder and managing partner of ATW Partners, a growth-focused investment firm. Mr. Propper also sits on the board of 340 Basics, Credit Sesame, and PierianDx among other boards.

 

Jonas Grossman is our co-founder and has been our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since June 2020 and our President, Secretary, and Treasurer since July 2020. Mr. Grossman has nearly two decades of special purpose acquisition company expertise. He has provided underwriting and business combination advisory services to more than 80 special purpose acquisition companies in a variety of industries. Mr. Grossman has been a founder and member of the board of four special purpose acquisition companies, of which on two he also has served as chief executive officer and president. Since April 2020, Mr. Grossman has served as the president and chief executive officer of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp. He served as president and chief executive officer of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp. from March 2018 until its merger in October 2019 with BiomX Ltd. (NYSE: PHGE). Mr. Grossman is currently a director of BiomX. Mr. Grossman was a founder and director of LifeSci Acquisition Corp. from March, 2020 until the close of its business combination with Vincera Pharma, Inc. in December of 2020. Since July 2020 he has served as chief executive officer and director of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. He has served as a director to Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. since December, 2020.

 

Alex Weil has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2021 and will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Weil has spent over two decades on Wall Street providing strategic advisory services to global companies, senior executives, boards of directors, and investors. Since March 2021, he has served as chief financial officer and director of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., and he has agreed to serve on the board of director’s. Since December 2020 he has served as a director of Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. Mr. Weil’s background in strategic advisory work was built during his career at both global companies, such Citibank’s corporate strategy and mergers and acquisition group, UBS Financial Institutions Group’s investment bank, and General Electric’s corporate development group, and at boutique investment banking advisors, such as Lazard Middle Market and William Blair. He has advised on billions of dollars of transactions ranging from corporate divestitures and spin offs, innovative technology company acquisitions to larger, more complex mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Weil has participated or led a variety of transactions, such as: Genworth’s spin-off initial public offering from General Electric; Citi-related transactions including a variety of technology and capital markets businesses (e.g. Lava Trading, Knight Options Market Making, and Automated Trading Desk) along with the creation of Citi Holdings and subsequent sales of Nikko Asset Management and its subprime auto finance business; Schwab’s acquisition of OptionsXpress; and CVC Capital Partner’s majority investment in Alix Partners. Mr. Weil’s extensive FinTech and mergers and acquisitions expertise will help put us in a strong position to originate and structure profitable investments.

 

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Chardan

 

Our management team is supported by Chardan’s team of investment banking professionals, which possesses extensive collective experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets, strategic consulting and operations.

 

Chardan has an extensive track record in the special purpose acquisition company market as underwriter, sponsor and advisor. Since 2004, Chardan has been lead or co-lead underwriter on 82 special purpose acquisition company initial public offerings. Since 2018, Chardan has been a mergers and acquisition advisor to 12 special purpose acquisition companies, helping them close transactions valued at approximately $5.7 billion. Chardan-advised special purpose acquisition companies have targeted a wide range of industries, including life sciences, healthcare services, technology hardware and software, FinTech, insurance, financial services, education, media and entertainment, industrials, materials, consumer staple, energy, hospitality, leisure, travel and dining sectors. Chardan has advised special purpose acquisition companies targeting both global and regional markets as well as those with more defined areas of focus in emerging and other geographic markets, including in North America. No special purpose acquisition company that has either been advised by Chardan or for which Chardan served as the lead underwriter has liquidated to-date. In addition to its active advisory and underwriting business, Chardan’s principals have founded or co-founded eight special purpose acquisition companies, five of which have closed successful business combinations, one of which has announced a business combination and two of which are currently seeking acquisitions.

 

In addition to Messrs. Propper, Grossman, and Weil, the other members of our board will include the following independent directors:

 

Jonathan C. “Jon” Biele will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Biele has over 28 years of investment banking experience serving in a variety of roles. He recently joined PREEM Inc., a vertical technology platform, as head of business and corporate development. Most recently, Mr. Biele served as head of technology and services investment banking after helping rejuvenate the equity capital markets practice at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. During his career, Mr. Biele has focused on providing capital markets, strategic and tactical advice to companies, boards of directors, private equity and venture capitalists. In addition to his tenure at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, he has served as head of equity capital markets for Citadel Securities, Cowen and Co. and Lazard Freres in addition to his contribution in a variety of capacities with the equity capital markets departments of Lehman Brothers, ABN Amro Rothschild and UBS Securities. In these roles, Mr. Biele originated and executed numerous public and private equity and debt financings and provided strategic advice. His vast experience in corporate finance and advisory spans across multiple sectors and asset classes, both public and private. In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Biele most recently completed a third term as a trustee of Burke Mountain Academy, one of the premier ski academies in the United States, and remains the lead investor and advisor to the chief executive officer of inGamba Tours, a luxury cyclo-tourism business. Mr. Biele holds a B.A. in History from St. Lawrence University.

 

Perry Boyle will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Boyle helped lead the launch of Point72 Asset Management, L.P., or Point72, as a registered investment advisor, raising over $6 billion in external capital. He originally joined S.A.C. Capital Advisors, or S.A.C., in 2004 as the firm’s first director of research. In January 2013 he became head of equities and, in January 2015, he became head of discretionary investing at Point72. From June 2016 through December 2017 he served as the president and chief investment officer of Stamford Harbor Capital, L.P., a company owned by businessman Steven A. Cohen. He returned to Point72 in January 2018. In his various leadership roles at the firm, Mr. Boyle managed the long/short and macro portfolios. He created and led the firm’s professional development programs, including P72 Academy and the 9s Program, and helped drive the internationalization of the firm, overseeing offices in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. Prior to joining S.A.C., Mr. Boyle was a founding partner of Thomas Weisel Partners, an investment banking company, and a managing director at Alex. Brown & Sons, an investment firm. He began his career as an investment banker with Salomon Brothers Inc. Additionally, Mr. Boyle is a member of the advisory board of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and a director of The US Friends of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He has agreed to serve on the board of directors of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. upon the effectiveness of its registration statement. He was a 2018 and 2019 delegate from the IISS to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He is a council member of the Hoover Institution and a Lionel Curtis member of Chatham House. Mr. Boyle helps lead the annual Ride For Our Vets, the major source of funding for the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.

 

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Roderick Hardamon will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Hardamon has over two decades of mergers and acquisitions business innovation and senior executive leadership experience. He has served as chief executive officer of URGE Imprint LLC, a boutique management consulting firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and URGE Development Group LLC, a real estate development firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, since May 2016. Previously, Mr. Hardamon held various positions at Citigroup, a leading global bank, including managing director and North American head of Citigroup’s alternative investor services business. In this role, he led an organization with over $300 billion in assets under administration and over 2,000 professionals spanning eight locations across the United States, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Bahamas, and India. Mr. Hardamon led multiple phases of Citigroup’s ownership of the business including: (1) initial acquisition (BISYS Inc.); (2) integration into Citigroup; (3) operational transformation and growth; and (4) divestiture to SS&C Technologies in March 2016. His prior roles at Citigroup included managing director and head of infrastructure & integration and co-head/head of internal mergers and acquisitions for Citi Markets & Banking and Global Transaction Services, respectively. After Citigroup, Mr. Hardamon briefly served as a managing director at SS&C Technologies, a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. He is a graduate of Morehouse College with B.A.s in Accounting and Philosophy.

 

Jory Des Jardins will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Jardins has decades of startup and marketing experience. Ms. Jardins is the chief marketing officer of The @ Company, a builder of an internet protocol designed to put control over online data and user experiences back into the hands of people. Additionally, Ms. Jardins is VC-in-Residence at the W Fund, a venture capital and private equity firm passionate about evangelizing emerging and disruptive tech and leveling the playing field for underrepresented founders. She pioneered social marketing as co-founder and president of BlogHer, a media marketplace representing thousands of digital influencers, which reached 100 million monthly unique viewers at the time of its acquisition in 2015. She recently served as the head of global startup marketing at Amazon Web Services, providing startups with the technology to launch, build, and scale. Ms. Jardins previously held the position of global head of community at ConsenSys, a block chain studio building decentralized applications on Ethereum. Before ConsenSys, she was an advisor at Tribal Advisors, a consulting and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm providing services to startups and corporates in the consumer digital, software and systems technology sectors. She has advised dozens of scaling startups, focusing on companies that are evolving digital influence, social content, media models, consumer marketplaces, ecommerce, block chain/token-based economies, and AR/VR/MR. Ms. Jardins graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

Hitesh Thakrar will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Thakrar is an experienced investor in the technology sector, having spent over 20 years investing in public equities in the life sciences, information technology and innovation sectors. Since 2015, he has been active in early stage venture investing. Mr. Thakrar is currently a Venture Partner at Syncona Limited, a Wellcome Trust backed early stage venture fund. He is also a Governance Board Member of KQ Labs at the Francis Crick Institute, an accelerator supporting next generation businesses in data science and life sciences. He is the main Board Trustee of the Alan Turing Institute which is the UK National Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science research. Additionally, Mr. Thakrar is the Chair of the Investment Committee for Newable Ventures, a pre-Series A fund focused on deep technology. He is also an advisor to UKRI’s Science and Technology Funding Council (SFTC) which helps early stage companies spin out from UK universities. He has previously served as a non-executive director for Desktop Genetics and Tropic Biosciences, both of which specialize in the use of CRISPR technology in gene editing. Prior to 2015, Mr. Thakrar worked at various public market institutions in global equity research and fund management including at ADIA (Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund), JP Morgan, Aviva Group, Dresdner Bank and New Star Asset Management. He has previously held the position of Innovation Fellow at the University of Cambridge, recently joined as a Trustee of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity and is a member of the commercial Board of the Institute and Audit committee. Mr. Thakrar has a degree in chemistry from Kings College, London, an MBA from Cranfield University and a CFA from the American Association of Investment Analysts.

 

Todd Thomson will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Thomson is currently the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Kairos Ventures, an early-stage investment firm. He is an accomplished operating executive and entrepreneur, having served as Citigroup chief financial officer for five years and as chief executive officer of Citigroup’s nearly $10 billion global wealth management division for more than two years. Mr. Thomson is a leading practitioner on mergers and acquisitions and business strategy, having led the acquisition and strategy efforts for Citigroup and GE Capital, as well as serving as advisor to Fortune 500 firms while at Bain & Co., Booz Allen Hamilton, and Barents Group. He has extensive investing experience as chief executive officer of Citigroup alternative investments, chairman of the Citigroup pension investment committee, chairman of the dynasty investment committee, and a member of the investment committees for the Davidson College and World Resources Institute endowments. Prior to joining Kairos Ventures, Mr. Thomson served as co-founder and chairman of Dynasty Financial Partners, or Dynasty, a leading investment and technology platform for sophisticated independent advisors. Founded by Mr. Thomson and his colleagues in 2010, Dynasty serves nearly 50 registered investment advisor firms nationally, with $50 billion under management. In addition to serving as chairman, Todd served in several operating roles since Dynasty’s founding, including chairing the investment committee, serving as chief investment officer, and designing and leading Dynasty Capital Strategies. Mr. Thomson has also agreed to serve on the board of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., a blank check company, upon the effectiveness of its registration statement.

 

We believe our management team’s operating, SPAC, and mergers and acquisitions transaction experience and relationships with companies will quickly provide us with a substantial number of attractive potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships in and around the disruptive technology industry. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions.

 

Certain of our executive officers and directors also served as executive officers and directors of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp., or Chardan Health SPAC 1, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in December 2018 and consummated its initial business combination with BiomX Ltd. (NYSE: PHGE) in October 2019.

 

Certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., or Chardan Health SPAC 2, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in April 2020.

 

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Certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., or Ventoux CCM, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in December 2020.

 

Certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., or Chardan NexTech 1, a blank check company that is expected to consummate its initial public offering before the consummation of this offering.

 

From time to time, Chardan acts as an underwriter for the initial public offering of special purpose acquisition companies and in addition to cash fees, Chardan receive equity in the form of private placement securities. Some of those special purpose acquisition companies may be competitive with our company as they look for targets in the same industries and geographies.

 

With respect to the foregoing descriptions, the past performance of Chardan and its affiliates and our management team is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. As described in this prospectus, Messrs. Propper, Grossman, Weil, and Boyle have had management and/or board experience with blank check companies. None of our other officers or directors, our sponsor, nor any of its respective officers, directors, employees, or affiliates, have had management experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on their respective historical records or performance of Chardan, its affiliates, or our management team as indicative of our future performance. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities, including for our officers with respect to Chardan Health SPAC 2, Ventoux CCM, and Chardan NexTech 1, collectively which we refer to as the Affiliated SPACs. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers who are also officers of any of the Affiliated SPACs will be required to present all suitable target businesses to the Affiliated SPACs prior to presenting them to us, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such individual solely in his capacity as an officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent such individual is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers or directors and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our management team’s objective is to generate attractive returns and create long-term value for our stockholders by applying a disciplined approach of identifying attractive business combination targets that will benefit from becoming a publicly listed company and from the addition of strategic growth capital, management expertise and strategic insight. Our strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our management team, board of directors and advisors.

 

Our evaluation process will leverage our co-founders’ and board’s network of industry, private equity sponsor, and lending community relationships, as well as relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisors, attorneys and accountants, which we believe will provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We intend to deploy a pro-active, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, capital and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to transform a target company and can help accelerate the target’s growth and performance.

 

Certain members of our management team, board and advisors have experience in:

 

·all key activities of special purpose acquisition companies, sponsoring, underwriting and mergers and acquisitions advisory;

 

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·operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting world-class talent;

 

·developing and growing companies, both organically and through acquisitions and strategic transactions and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of a number of target businesses;

 

·sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;

 

·accessing the capital markets, including financing businesses and helping companies transition to public ownership;

 

·fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and’

 

·executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions.

 

Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team and board, as well as our advisers will communicate with their network of relationships to articulate our initial business combination criteria, including the parameters of our search for a target business, and will begin the disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads. At the time of preparing this prospectus, we have not identified any specific business combination, nor has anyone on our behalf initiated or engaged in any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, related to such a transaction. Our efforts to date are limited to organizational activities related to this offering.

 

Investment Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating candidates for our initial business combination. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to acquire one or more businesses that we believe:

 

·has a strong competitive industry position with demonstrated competitive advantages to maintain barriers to entry;

 

·has a historic record of above average growth and strong free cash flow characteristics with high returns on capital;

 

·has a strong, experienced management team which would benefit from our management’s network or expertise, such as additional management expertise, capital structure optimization, acquisition advice or operational changes to drive improved financial performance;

 

·is positioned for continued organic growth and may grow through bolt-on acquisitions;

 

·is a fundamentally sound company with a proven track record;

 

·has an operating model that has adapted or has an executable strategy to be able to meet the changing consumer or business behaviors in a COVID-19 or post-COVID 19 environment;

 

·will offer an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders; and

 

·can benefit from being a publicly traded company, are prepared to be a publicly traded company and can utilize access to broader capital markets.

 

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Acquisition Strategy

 

Rigorous and comprehensive due diligence on prospective business targets is particularly important for disruptive technology companies, which we intend to target. In the process of identifying a potential business target, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review process which may encompass, as appropriate and among other things, meetings with incumbent management teams and stakeholders, business plan reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information made available to us about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience.

 

We have not identified any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Our sponsor, all of the members of our management team and our board, and Chardan, are continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted, or had any discussions, formal or otherwise with, any prospective target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.

 

In addition, our officers and directors are not prohibited from becoming either a director or officer of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm as to the fair market value of the target business. We have also agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. In addition, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

We may, at our option, pursue a business combination opportunity jointly with Chardan or one or more entities affiliated with Chardan, which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with an Affiliated SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Chardan considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. We refer to this potential future issuance, or a similar issuance to other specified purchasers, as a “specified future issuance” throughout this prospectus. Any such Affiliated Joint Acquisition or specified future issuance would be in addition to, and would not include, the forward purchase securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance.

 

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We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. From the period commencing with our formation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no communications or discussions between any of our officers, directors or our sponsor and any of their potential contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate, to conduct any research or take any measures, directly or indirectly, to locate or contact a target business. Additionally, we have not contacted any of the prospective target businesses that any of the Affiliated SPACs had considered and rejected while such entity was a blank check company searching for target businesses to acquire. We do not currently intend to contact any of such targets; however, we may do so in the future if we become aware that the valuations, operations, profits or prospects of such target business, or the benefits of any potential transaction with such target business, would be attractive. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses, or (ii) in such a way so that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders, or for other reasons, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or 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 of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction.

 

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% test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

 

Chardan will be the beneficial owner of founder shares or private warrants following this offering by virtue of its ownership of our sponsor and members of our management team may indirectly own such securities. Our sponsor intends to allocate up to 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors. Because of such ownership and interests, Chardan and our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

All of our officers are employed by Chardan or its affiliates. Chardan is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Chardan will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Chardan may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Chardan may decide to share with us. We have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target regarding an initial business combination with our company.

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors, Chardan and their respective affiliates may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of Chardan NexTech 1, which is focused on searching for businesses that may provide significant opportunities for attractive investor returns in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.

 

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Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity, including Chardan Health SPAC 2. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, including Chardan Health SPAC 2, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us.

 

Effecting a Business Combination

 

General

 

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private warrants, our shares, new debt, or a combination of these, as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to consummate our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth (such as a company that has begun operations but is not yet at the stage of commercial manufacturing and sales), which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

If our initial business combination is paid for using shares or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination or used for redemptions of purchases of our common stock, we may apply the cash released to us from the trust account that is not applied to the purchase price for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

  

We will have 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering) to consummate an initial business combination. In addition, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months and we have not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), our insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination);  provided that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, the only way to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination in the absence of a definitive agreement is for our insiders or their affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or $1,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case, or an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full)), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. In the event that our insiders elected to extend the time to complete a business combination and deposited the applicable amount of money into trust, the insiders would receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. In the event that we receive notice from our insiders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our insiders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that some, but not all, of our insiders, decide to extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination, such insiders (or their affiliates or designees) may deposit the entire amount required. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders. In the event of our dissolution and liquidation, the private units will expire and will be worthless.

 

Subject to the requirement that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination, we have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, this assessment may not result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

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We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would consummate such financing only simultaneously with the consummation of our business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law or the Nasdaq, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.

 

Sources of Target Businesses

 

We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity groups, 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 also may introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, also may bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a 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 will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. Although some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the acquired business following our initial business combination, the presence or absence of any such arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with Chardan or its affiliates or our sponsor, officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

 

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As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest”, each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. and Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary, contractual or other duties. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, including Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. and Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with an Affiliated SPAC. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and our sponsor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. Any such Affiliated Joint Acquisition or specified future issuance would be in addition to, and would not include, the forward purchase securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract.

 

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination

 

So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of our initial business combination will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of mergers and acquisitions transactions of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. We have also agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.

 

To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

 

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In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information which will be made available to us.

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. We will not pay any finders or consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.

 

Lack of Business Diversification

 

For an indefinite period of time after consummation of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

 

·subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and

 

·cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.

 

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

 

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. The future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. Consequently, members of our management team may not become a part of the target’s management team, and the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Further, it is also not certain whether one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination. Moreover, members of our management team may not have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business. Our key personnel may not remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We may not have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

 

Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve 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 public stockholders may seek to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us, not to redeem any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its public 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 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. If we so choose and we are legally permitted to do so, we have the flexibility to avoid a 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.

 

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We may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

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. 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, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed or sold to us) and 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. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

 

Our initial stockholders and our 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 redeem 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. As a result, if we sought stockholder approval of a proposed transaction, we would need only 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised).

 

None of our officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, 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, initial stockholders or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, initial stockholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.

 

Permitted Purchases of our Securities

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any their respective affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions.

 

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In the event our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination.

 

The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will purchase shares only if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws

 

Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors and/or any of their respective affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchases are subject to such reporting requirements.

 

Redemption/Tender Rights

 

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to written letter agreements with us, not to redeem any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we hold a meeting to approve an initial business combination, a holder will always have the ability to vote against a proposed business combination and not seek redemption of his shares.

 

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Alternatively, if we engage in a tender offer, each public stockholder will be provided the opportunity to sell his public shares to us in such tender offer. The tender offer rules require us to hold the tender offer open for at least 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether they want to sell their public shares to us in the tender offer or remain an investor in our company.

 

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will not have redemption rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket.

 

We may also require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, at any time at or prior to the vote on the business combination. The proxy solicitation materials that we will furnish to stockholders in connection with the vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time our proxy statement is mailed through the vote on the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his redemption rights. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days’ advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise redemption rights. As a result, if we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of common stock into the right to receive a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account to comply with the foregoing delivery requirements, holders may not have sufficient time to receive the notice and deliver their shares for redemption. Accordingly, investors may not be able to exercise their redemption rights and may be forced to retain our securities when they otherwise would not want to. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.

 

There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to deliver their shares 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 request to redeem or tender such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their redemption or tender and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the business combination or the expiration of the tender offer not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” Such restriction shall also be applicable to our affiliates. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed initial business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

 

If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption or tender rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

 

Liquidation of Trust Account if No Business Combination

 

If we do not complete a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), 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 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. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months and we have not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), our insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination);  provided that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, the only way to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination in the absence of a definitive agreement is for our insiders or their affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or $1,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case, or an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full)), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. In the event that our insiders elected to extend the time to complete a business combination and deposited the applicable amount of money into trust, the insiders would receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. In the event that we receive notice from our insiders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our insiders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that some, but not all, of our insiders, decide to extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination, such insiders (or their affiliates or designees) may deposit the entire amount required. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.

 

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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 redemptions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a redemption 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. It is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th month (or up to 24th month, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, but not more than five business days thereafter, and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the above 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 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to seeking to complete an initial business combination, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.

 

We will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable 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. The underwriters in this offering will execute such a waiver agreement.

 

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, there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. In the event that a potential contracted party was to refuse to execute such a waiver, we will execute an agreement with that entity only if our management first determines that we would be unable to obtain, on a reasonable basis, substantially similar services or opportunities from another entity willing to execute such a waiver. Examples of instances where we may engage a third party that refused to execute a waiver would be the engagement of a third party consultant who cannot sign such an agreement due to regulatory restrictions, such as our independent public registered accounting firm, who are unable to sign due to independence requirements, or whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or a situation in which management does not believe it would be able to find a provider of required services willing to provide the waiver. There is also no guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our insiders have agreed that they will be jointly and severally liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below $10.00 per public share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a valid and enforceable 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 and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our board of directors has evaluated our insiders’ financial net worth and believes they will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations that may arise. However, our insiders may not be able to satisfy their indemnification obligations, as we have not required our insiders to retain any assets to provide for their indemnification obligations, nor have we taken any further steps to ensure that they will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations that arise. Moreover, our insiders will not be liable to our public stockholders and instead will only have liability to us. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than approximately $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 then held in the trust account, inclusive of any interest not previously released to us, (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below).

 

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If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and are forced to redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, 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 5 business days to effectuate the redemption of our public shares. Our insiders have waived their rights to participate in any redemption with respect to their founder shares. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our insiders have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses. Each holder of public shares will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. 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 our initial business combination in the required time period or if the stockholders seek to have us redeem their respective shares of common stock upon a business combination which is actually completed by us. 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, the per share redemption or redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. Claims may be brought against us for these reasons.

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we hold a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholder’s rights or pre-business combination activity (including the substance or timing within which we have to complete a business combination), we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, in connection with any such vote. Our insiders have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:

 

·prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares of common stock, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into a portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, 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, in each case subject to the limitations described herein;

 

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·we will consummate our initial business combination only if public stockholders do not exercise redemption rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and 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 within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) of the closing of this offering, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account to all of our public holders of shares of common stock;

 

·upon the consummation of this offering, $100,000,000, or $115,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account;

 

·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 shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.

 

Potential Revisions to Agreements with Insiders

 

Each of our insiders has entered into letter agreements with us pursuant to which each of them has agreed to do certain things relating to us and our activities prior to a business combination. We could seek to amend these letter agreements without the approval of stockholders, although we have no intention to do so. In particular:

 

·Restrictions relating to liquidating the trust account if we failed to consummate a business combination in the time-frames specified above could be amended, but only if we allowed all stockholders to redeem their shares in connection with such amendment;

 

·Restrictions relating to our insiders being required to vote in favor of a business combination or against any amendments to our organizational documents could be amended to allow our insiders to vote on a transaction as they wished;

 

·The requirement of members of the management team to remain our officer or director until the closing of a business combination could be amended to allow persons to resign from their positions with us if, for example, the current management team was having difficulty locating a target business and another management team had a potential target business;

 

·The restrictions on transfer of our securities could be amended to allow transfer to third parties who were not members of our original management team;

 

·The obligation of our management team to not propose amendments to our organizational documents could be amended to allow them to propose such changes to our stockholders;

 

·The obligation of insiders to not receive any compensation in connection with a business combination could be modified in order to allow them to receive such compensation;

 

·The requirement to obtain a valuation for any target business affiliated with our insiders, in the event it was too expensive to do so.

 

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Except as specified above, stockholders would not be required to be given the opportunity to redeem their shares in connection with such changes. Such changes could result in:

 

·Our having an extended period of time to consummate a business combination (although with less in trust as a certain number of our stockholders would certainly redeem their shares in connection with any such extension);

 

·Our insiders being able to vote against a business combination or in favor of changes to our organizational documents;

 

·Our operations being controlled by a new management team that our stockholders did not elect to invest with;

 

·Our insiders receiving compensation in connection with a business combination; and

 

·Our insiders closing a transaction with one of their affiliates without receiving an independent valuation of such business.

 

We will not agree to any such changes unless we believed that such changes were in the best interests of our stockholders (for example, if we believed such a modification were necessary to complete a business combination). Each of our officers and directors have fiduciary obligations to us requiring that they act in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders.

 

Competition

 

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have significant experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, the requirement that we acquire a target business or businesses having a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the business combination, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights and the number of our outstanding warrants and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.

 

Facilities

 

We currently maintain our executive offices at 17 State Street, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004. Our sponsor is making this space available to us for a fee of $10,000 per month. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Employees

 

We currently have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

Financial Position

 

With funds available for an initial business combination initially in the amount of $96,500,000, after payment of the Marketing Fee of $3,500,000 (or $110,975,000 after payment of the Marketing Fee of up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.

 

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Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

 

We have registered the offer and sale of our units, shares of common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

 

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, the financial information included in the proxy solicitation materials will need to be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. The financial statements may also be required to be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for the Form 8-K announcing the closing of an initial business combination, which would need to be filed within four business days thereafter. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial information. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.

 

We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act beginning for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior year’s second quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

 

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Legal Proceedings

 

There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such, and we and our officers and directors have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.

 

Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination

 

The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering.

 

   

Redemptions

in Connection with our

Initial Business

Combination

 

Other Permitted

Purchases of Public

Shares by us or our

Affiliates

 

Redemptions if we

fail to Complete an

Initial Business

Combination

 
Calculation of redemption price   Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed initial business combination.   If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions.   If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share) including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.  

 

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Redemptions

in Connection with our

Initial Business

Combination

 

Other Permitted

Purchases of Public

Shares by us or our

Affiliates

 

Redemptions if we

fail to Complete an

Initial Business

Combination

 
Impact to remaining stockholders  

The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the Marketing Fee, taxes payable.

 

  If the permitted purchases described above are made there would be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us.   The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such redemptions.  

 

Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

 

The following table compares and contrasts the terms of our offering and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule 419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419 offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering because we will be listed on a national securities exchange, we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact.

 

    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Escrow of offering proceeds   $100,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be deposited into a trust account in the United States, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.   $86,400,000 of the offering proceeds would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.
         
Investment of net proceeds   The $100,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the private warrants held in trust will only be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act and that invest solely in United States government treasuries.   Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.

 

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    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds   Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation.   Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination.
         
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business   The initial target business that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in our trust account net of taxes payable at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination.   We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
         
Trading of securities issued   The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Chardan informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading (based upon its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization and blank check companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular), provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering.   No trading of the units or the underlying securities would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.
         
Exercise of the warrants   The warrants cannot be exercised until the completion of a business combination and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed.   The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.

 

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    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Election to remain an investor   We will either (1) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Under our certificate of incorporation, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to redeem their shares into cash at such a meeting or to remain an investor in our company. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy statement.   A prospectus containing information required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company, in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his or her investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account would automatically be returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.
         
    The tender offer rules require us to hold the tender offer open for at least 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether they want to sell their shares to us in the tender offer or remain an investor in our company.    
         
Business combination deadline   Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the consummation of this offering, it will trigger our automatic winding up, dissolution and liquidation.   If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.

 

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    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote   If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder (including our affiliates), together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 1% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell any Excess Shares in open market transactions.   Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination

 

101

 

 

    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights   We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights.   In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership.

 

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    Terms of the Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Release of funds   Except for interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants held in the trust account will not be released until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time frame (subject to the requirements of applicable law). On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us, less amounts released to a separate account controlled by the trustee for disbursal to redeeming stockholders. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination, including the Marketing Fee pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.”   The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

Officers, Directors and Director Nominees

 

Our officers, directors, and director nominees are as follows:

 

Name   Position
Kerry Propper   Co-Founder and Director Nominee (Chairman)
Jonas Grossman   Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director
Alex Weil   Chief Financial Officer and Director Nominee
Jonathan Biele   Director Nominee
Perry Boyle   Director Nominee
Roderick Hardamon   Director Nominee
Jory Des Jardins   Director Nominee
Hitesh Thakrar   Director Nominee
Todd Thomson   Director Nominee

 

Kerry Propper, 46, is our co-founder and will serve as our Chairman of the board of directors upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Propper was co-founder of Chardan and served as its chief executive officer and head of its investment bank from 2003 to 2015. He is a pioneer in the special purpose acquisition marketplace and has been an executive or senior advisor for six special purpose acquisition companies. Since 2015 Mr. Propper has been the chairman of Chardan’s board of directors and the co-founder and managing partner of ATW Partners, a growth-focused investment firm. Mr. Propper also sits on the board of 340Basics, Credit Sesame, PierianDx, and China Networks. Mr. Propper dedicates much of his time to philanthropy and is a founding member of Nadia’s Initiative. He also serves on the board of trustees of the International Crisis Group and sits on the executive boards of Keep A Child Alive, Voices of Rwanda, Yazda and Digital Citizens Fund. Mr. Propper earned his B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Colby College. We believe Mr. Propper is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive industry and transaction expertise and wide network of relationships with industry participants.

 

Jonas Grossman, 46, is our co-founder and has been our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since June 2020 and our President, Secretary, and Treasurer since July 2020. Since July 2020, Mr. Grossman has served as chief executive officer and director of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. Since April 2020, Mr. Grossman has been the chief executive officer and president of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. He was the chief Executive officer and president of Chardan Healthcare Acquisition Corp. from March 2018 until its merger in October 2019 with BiomX (NYSE: PHGE). Mr. Grossman is currently a director of BiomX. He was a co-founder and director for LifeSci Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company from March 2020 until its merger with Vincera Pharma, Inc. in December of 2020. Since December 2020, Mr. Grossman has served as a director of Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. He has served as managing partner and head of capital markets for Chardan, a New York headquartered broker/dealer, since December 2003, and has additionally served as president of Chardan since September 2015. Since 2003, Mr. Grossman has overseen the Chardan’s investment banking and capital markets activities and initiatives. He has extensive transactional experience having led or managed more than 400 transactions during his tenure at Chardan. Since December 2006, Mr. Grossman has served as a founding partner for Cornix Advisors, LLC, a New York based hedge fund. From 2001 until 2003, Mr. Grossman worked at Ramius Capital Group, LLC, a global multi-strategy hedge fund where he served as Vice President and Head Trader. Mr. Grossman served as a director for Ideanomics, Inc. (formerly China Broadband, Inc.) (NASDAQ: IDEX) from January 2008 until November 2010. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Mr. Grossman has served on the board of directors for UNICEF since December 2016. We believe Mr. Grossman is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his long-running capital markets experience as well as his previous company board positions.

 

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Alex Weil, 49, has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2021 and will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Since March 2021, Mr. Weil has served as chief financial officer of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., and he has agreed to serve on the board of directors. Mr. Weil has served as managing director and co-head of FinTech investment banking at Chardan, a New York headquartered broker/dealer, since March 2020 and as a director of Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, since December 2020. From January 2018 to March 2020, he served as managing director and head of insurtech investment banking at SenaHill Securities, LLC, a New York headquartered broker/dealer. From January 2013 to September 2017, Mr. Weil was a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc., a network of firms providing assurance, advisory and tax services. Prior to 2012, Mr. Weil held positions as a director at Lazard Middle Market, LLC, an executive director at UBS Securities LLC and a director at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Mr. Weil holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder. We believe Mr. Weil is qualified to serve on our board of directors extensive capital markets and transaction management experience and network of relationships.

 

Jonathan C. “Jon” Biele, 51, has agreed to become a member of our board of directors as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Biele recently joined PREEM Inc., a vertical technology platform, as head of business and corporate development after a 28-year career in investment banking serving in a variety of leadership roles. Most recently, Mr. Biele served as head of technology and services investment banking after rejuvenating the equity capital markets practice at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, where he worked from July 2013 to February 2020. During his career, Mr. Biele focused on providing capital markets, strategic and tactical advice to companies, boards of directors, private equity and venture capitalists. In addition to his tenure at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Mr. Biele served as head of equity capital markets for Citadel Securities from 2010 to 2013, for Cowen and Co. from 2007 to 2010, and for Lazard Freres from 2005 to 2007, in addition to his contribution in a variety of capacities with the equity capital markets departments of Lehman Brothers, ABN Amro Rothschild, and UBS Securities. In these roles Mr. Biele originated and executed numerous public and private equity and debt financings and provided strategic advice. His vast experience in corporate finance and advisory spans across multiple sectors and asset classes both public and private. In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Biele most recently completed a third term as a trustee of Burke Mountain Academy, a premier ski academy in the United States, and remains the lead investor and advisor to the chief executive officer of inGamba Tours, a luxury cyclo-tourism business. Mr. Biele earned a B.A. in History in 1992 from St. Lawrence University. We believe that Mr. Biele’s vast experience in corporate finance and strategy, in addition to his vast network of relationships, will be an extremely valuable contribution to our board of directors.

 

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Perry Boyle, 57, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Boyle was with Point72 Asset Management, L.P., or Point 72, and Point 72 affiliates from 2004 through his retirement in March 2020. He helped lead Point72’s launch as a registered investment advisor, raising over $6 billion in external capital. He originally joined S.A.C. Capital Advisors in 2004 as the firm’s first director of research. In January 2013 he became head of equities and, in January 2015, he became head of discretionary investing at Point72. From June 2016 through December 2017 he served as the president and chief investment officer of Stamford Harbor Capital, L.P., a company owned by businessman Steven A. Cohen. He returned to Point72 in January 2018. In his various leadership roles at the firm, Mr. Boyle managed the long/short and macro portfolios. He created and led the firm’s professional development programs, including P72 Academy and the 9s Program, and helped drive the internationalization of the Point72, overseeing offices in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. Prior to joining S.A.C., Mr. Boyle was a founding partner of Thomas Weisel Partners from 2000 until 2004, and a managing director at Alex. Brown & Sons from 1992-2000. He began his career as an investment banker with Salomon Brothers Inc. Mr. Boyle is a member of the advisory board of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and a director of The US Friends of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He has agreed to serve on the board of directors of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. upon the effectiveness of its registration statement. He was a 2018 and 2019 delegate from the IISS to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He is a council member of the Hoover Institution and a Lionel Curtis member of Chatham House. Mr. Boyle helps lead the annual Ride For Our Vets, the major source of funding for the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. He received his B.A. in Economics from Stanford University, his M.B.A. from Dartmouth College and a M.A. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He has lectured on investing at Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard, Cambridge and UNC, and delivered testimony to Congress on financial regulation. We believe Mr. Boyle is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of industry leadership and capital markets experience from research to fundraising.

 

Roderick Hardamon, 44, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Hardamon has served as chief executive officer of URGE Imprint LLC, a boutique management consulting firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and URGE Development Group, a real estate development firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, since May 2016. From July 1998 to March 2016, Mr. Hardamon held various positions at Citigroup, a leading global bank, finally serving as managing director and North American head of Citigroup’s alternative investor services business. From March 2016 to April 2016, Mr. Hardamon briefly served as a managing director at SS&C Technologies, a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. Mr. Hardamon graduated from Morehouse College with B.A.s in accounting and Philosophy in 1998. We believe Mr. Hardamon is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience in business innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and senior executive leadership.

 

Jory Des Jardins, 49, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Jardins is the chief marketing officer of The @ Company, a position she has held since 2020. She has also served as VC-in-Residence at the W Fund since 2020. Ms. Jardins recently served as the head of global startup marketing at Amazon Web Services from 2019 to 2020. Before her time at Amazon Web Services, she served as the global head of community at ConsenSys from 2018 to 2019. Ms. Jardins served as an advisor at Tribal Advisors from 2016 to 2018. In 2005, she co-founded BlogHer and served as the company’s president until its acquisition in 2015. Ms. Jardins graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1993 where she studied history, literature, and psychology. We believe that Ms. Jardins is qualified to serve on our board of directors given her exposure to dozens of scaling startups as well as her experience with disruptive technology.

 

Hitesh Thakrar, 59, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Thakrar is an experienced investor in the technology sector, having spent over 20 years investing in public equities in the life sciences, information technology and innovation sectors. Since 2015, he has been active in early stage venture investing. Mr. Thakrar is currently a Venture Partner at Syncona Limited, a Wellcome Trust backed early stage venture fund, a position he has held since February 2016. He has also served as a Governance Board Member of KQ Labs at the Francis Crick Institute since December 2018. Since August 2020, he has been the main Board Trustee of the Alan Turing Institute which is the UK National Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science research. Additionally, since November 2016, Mr. Thakrar has been the Chair of the Investment Committee for Newable Ventures, a pre-Series A fund focused on deep technology. He has also served as an advisor to UKRI’s Science and Technology Funding Council (SFTC), which helps early stage companies spin out from UK universities, since July 2020. He has previously served as a non-executive director for Desktop Genetics and Tropic Biosciences since 2015 and 2017 respectively, both of which specialize in the use of CRISPR technology in gene editing. Previously, Mr. Thakrar held the position of Portfolio Manager, Global Innovation Fund with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), from 2009 until 2015. He has worked at several other public market institutions in global equity research and fund management including JP Morgan, Aviva Group, Dresdner Bank and New Star Asset Management. He has previously held the position of Innovation Fellow at the University of Cambridge, recently joined as a Trustee of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity and is a member of the commercial Board of the Institute and Audit committee. Mr. Thakrar has a degree in chemistry from Kings College, London, an MBA from Cranfield University and a CFA from the American Association of Investment Analysts. We believe Mr. Thakrar is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors given his decades of technology investing and public company expertise.

 

Todd Thomson, 60, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. He is currently the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Kairos Ventures, an early-stage investment firm. He is an accomplished operating executive and entrepreneur, having served as Citigroup chief financial officer for five years and as chief executive officer of Citigroup’s nearly $10 billion global wealth management division for more than two years. Mr. Thomson is a leading practitioner on mergers and acquisitions and business strategy, having led the acquisition and strategy efforts for Citigroup and GE Capital, as well as serving as advisor to Fortune 500 firms while at Bain & Co., Booz Allen Hamilton, and Barents Group. He has extensive investing experience as chief executive officer of Citigroup alternative investments, chairman of the Citigroup pension investment committee, chairman of the dynasty investment committee, and a member of the investment committees for the Davidson College and World Resources Institute endowments. Prior to joining Kairos Ventures, Mr. Thomson served as co-founder and chairman of Dynasty Financial Partners, or Dynasty, a leading investment and technology platform for sophisticated independent advisors. Founded by Mr. Thomson and his colleagues in 2010, Dynasty serves nearly 50 registered investment advisor firms nationally, with $50 billion under management. In addition to serving as chairman, Todd served in several operating roles since Dynasty’s founding, including chairing the investment committee, serving as chief investment officer, and designing and leading Dynasty Capital Strategies. Mr. Thomson has also agreed to serve on the board of Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., a blank check company, upon the effectiveness of its registration statement. We believe Mr. Thomson is qualified to serve on our board of directors because experience in public company corporate finance and early-stage investing.

 

Director Independence

 

So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, a majority of our board of directors generally must be independent, subject to certain limited exceptions and phase-in period set forth under the rules of Nasdaq. 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. Our board of directors has determined that each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins, is an “independent director” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. We expect a majority of our board of directors to be comprised of independent directors within 12 months from the date of listing to comply with the majority independent board requirement in Rule 5605(b) of the Nasdaq listing rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

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Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

 

We will have eight directors upon completion of this offering. Our board of directors will be divided into two classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a 2-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Grossman, Propper, and Weil, will expire at our second annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class; Subject to any other special rights applicable to the stockholders, including holders of preferred stock, whenever any director shall have been elected by the holders of any class of stock voting separately as a class, such director may be removed and the vacancy filled only by the holders of that class of stock voting separately as a class. Vacancies caused by any such removal and not filled by the stockholders at the meeting at which such removal shall have been made, or any vacancy caused by the death or resignation of any director or for any other reason, and any newly created directorship resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors, may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, and any director so elected to fill any such vacancy or newly created directorship shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal.

  

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Vice Chairmen of the Board, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Treasurers, and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.

 

Officer and Director Compensation

 

None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Except as described below, to date, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our officers and directors, or, other than as described herein, to our sponsor or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, in May and June 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins. In addition, commencing on the date our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Also, our officers and directors will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.

 

After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.

 

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We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors will have two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and certain limited exceptions, Nasdaq rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. In addition, Nasdaq rules generally require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, subject to certain limited exceptions set forth thereunder.

 

Audit Committee

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Messrs. Hardamon, Boyle and Grossman will serve as members of our audit committee, and Mr. Hardamon will chair the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Mr. Hardamon and Mr. Boyle meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b) (1) of the Exchange Act but Mr. Grossman does not meet such standards.

 

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Hardamon qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.

  

We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:

 

·the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

 

·pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;

 

·setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations;

 

·setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

·obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence;

 

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·reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and

 

·reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

 

Compensation Committee

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Ms. Jardins, Mr. Biele and Mr. Thomson will serve as members of our compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we generally would be required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain limited exceptions set forth under the rules of Nasdaq. Ms. Jardins, Mr. Biele and Mr. Thomson are independent, and Ms. Jardins will chair the compensation committee.

 

We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

 

·reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, if any is paid by us, 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 on an annual basis the compensation, if any is paid by us, of all of our other officers;

 

·reviewing on an annual basis 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 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.

 

The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.

 

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Director Nominations

 

We do not have a standing nominating committee, although we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. All of our independent directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins is independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.

 

The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws. However, prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.

 

We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.

 

Code of Ethics

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit and compensation committee charters as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information” for more information.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

All of our officers are employed by Chardan or its affiliates. Chardan is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. While Chardan will not have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, Chardan may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which Chardan may decide to share with us. In addition, our officers and directors may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities to which they owe duties or clients of affiliates of our sponsor.

 

As a result, affiliates of our sponsor and their respective clients may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If any of them decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated within Chardan, including by any of our officers and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable both for us and for affiliates of our sponsor or any of their respective clients, and will be directed initially to such persons rather than to us. None of Chardan nor members of our management team who are also employed by Chardan or any of its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware unless it is offered to them solely in their capacity as a director or officer of the Company and after they have satisfied their contractual and fiduciary obligations to other parties.

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors, Chardan and their affiliates may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. In particular, certain of our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers or directors of Chardan NexTech 1, which is focused on searching for businesses that may provide significant opportunities for attractive investor returns in industries similar to the industries in which our search is focused. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.

 

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Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity, including an Affiliated SPAC. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, including an Affiliated SPAC, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. We do not expect that we would pursue any such opportunity with an Affiliated SPAC. This would only occur, though, if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and our sponsor considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition could involve a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination. Any such Affiliated Joint Acquisition or specified future issuance would be in addition to, and would not include, the forward purchase securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract.

 

The potential conflicts described above may limit our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where interests may conflict. There can be no assurance that these or other conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the Company and investors will not arise.

 

Potential investors should be aware of the additional following potential conflicts of interest:

 

·None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities.

 

·In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management has pre-existing fiduciary duties and contractual obligations and if there is a conflict of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented, any pre-existing fiduciary obligation will be presented the opportunity before we are presented with it.

 

·Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities, including other blank check companies, engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by our company.

 

·The founder shares owned by our officers and directors will be released from escrow only if a business combination is successfully completed and subject to certain other limitations. Additionally, our officers and directors will not receive distributions from the trust account with respect to any of their founder shares if we do not complete a business combination. In addition, our officers and directors may loan funds to us after this offering and may be owed reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with certain activities on our behalf which would only be repaid if we complete an initial business combination. For the foregoing reasons, the personal and financial interests of our directors and executive officers may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, completing a business combination in a timely manner and securing the release of their shares.

 

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·Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our initial stockholders or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. 50% of these founder shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of (i) six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which the closing price of our shares of common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 10 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination. And the remaining 50% of the founder shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Since our sponsor, officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

·Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

·Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination.

 

·In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers will be required to present all suitable target businesses to an Affiliated SPAC prior to presenting them to us, unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such individual solely in his capacity as an officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent such individual is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

·

Our sponsor intends to allocate up to 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors. Such securities will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.

 

·We may engage Chardan, or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory fee for comparable transactions.

 

·Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged Chardan, or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor, and such target company may pay such affiliate a financial advisory fee in connection with our initial business combination.

 

In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:

 

·the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

 

·the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and

 

·it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

 

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Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers and directors (other than our independent directors) have agreed to present to us for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or entity, any suitable opportunity to acquire a target business, until the earlier of: (1) our consummation of an initial business combination and (2) 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the date of this prospectus. This agreement is, however, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations such officer or director may from time to time have to another entity. Accordingly, if any of them becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination because in most cases the affiliated companies are closely held entities controlled by the officer or director or the nature of the affiliated company’s business is such that it is unlikely that a conflict will arise.

 

The following table summarizes the other relevant pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors:

 

Name of Affiliated Company   Name of Individual   Priority/Preference relative to
Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.

340Basics d/b/a Nuvem
ATW Partners
Chardan Capital Markets, LLC

Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp.
China Networks International Holdings Ltd.

Credit Sesame, Inc.

PierianDx, Inc.

  Kerry Propper   340Basics d/b/a Nuvem, ATW Partners, and Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., China Networks International Holdings Ltd., Credit Sesame, Inc., and PierianDx, Inc. will each have priority over us.
         

Chardan Capital Markets, LLC
Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp.

Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp.

Chardan NexTech Investments LLC
Cornix Advisers, LLC
BiomX, Inc.
Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp.

  Jonas Grossman   Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, Chardan Healthcare Acquisition 2 Corp., Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp., Chardan NexTech Investments LLC, Cornix Advisers, LLC, BiomX, Inc. and Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. will each have priority over us.
         

Chardan Capital Markets, LLC

Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp.
Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp.

  Alex Weil   Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. and Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp. will each have priority over us.
         
PREEM Inc.   Jonathan Biele   PREEM Inc. will have priority over us.
         
Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp.   Perry Boyle   Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. will have priority over us.
         
URGE Development Group
URGE Imprint LLC
  Roderick Hardamon   URGE Development Group and URGE Imprint LLC will each have priority over us.
         
The @ Company
W Fund
  Jory Des Jardins   The @ Company and W Fund will each have priority over us.
         

Syncona Limited

KQ Labs

  Hitesh Thakrar   Syncona Limited and KQ Labs will each have priority over us.
         

Kairos Ventures Investments, LLC

Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp.

  Todd Thomson  

Kairos Ventures Investments, LLC and Chardan NexTech Acquisition Corp. will each have priority over us.

 

As noted above, some of our officers and directors are affiliated with Chardan, which is also our sponsor and the underwriter in this offering. Such officers and directors owe a pre-existing fiduciary duty to Chardan, meaning that they will present opportunities to Chardan prior to presenting them to us, if, for example, a potential target company is open to either raising funds in an offering or engaging in a transaction with a SPAC. This may limit the number of potential targets they present to us for purposes of completing a business combination.

 

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In connection with the vote required for any business combination, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective founder shares in favor of any proposed business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to those shares of common stock acquired by them prior to this offering. If they purchase shares of common stock in this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such shares but have agreed not to redeem such shares (or sell their shares in any tender offer) in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or an amendment to our certificate of incorporation relating to pre-business combination activity.

 

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.

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate our initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or initial stockholders, unless we have obtained (i) an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view and (ii) the approval of a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time). Furthermore, in no event will any of our initial stockholders, officers, directors, special advisors or their respective affiliates be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other similar compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.

 

We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.

 

These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

We believe that these provisions, the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.

 

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our shares of common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus (assuming none of the individuals listed purchase units in this offering), by:

 

·each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock;

 

·each of our officers, directors, and director nominees that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; and

 

·all of our officers, directors, and director nominees as a group.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private warrants, as such warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor (up to 375,000 of which are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). In May and June 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins. In addition, Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants for a purchase price of $0.65 per private warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our common stock owned by our initial stockholders before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial stockholders forfeit 375,000 founder shares on a pro rata basis, and that there are an aggregate of 12,500,000 shares of common stock, consisting of issued and outstanding after this offering.

 

    Prior to Offering     After Offering(2)  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)   Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2)     Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Shares of
Common
Stock
    Number of Shares Beneficially Owned     Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Shares of
Common
Stock
 
Chardan NexTech Investments 2 LLC(3)     2,755,000       95.83 %     2,380,000       19.04 %
Kerry Propper                        
Jonas Grossman(3)     2,755,000       95.83 %     2,380,000       19.04 %
Alex Weil                        
Jonathan Biele     20,000       *       20,000       *  
Perry Boyle     20,000       *       20,000       *  
Roderick Hardamon     20,000       *       20,000       *  

Jory Des Jardins

    20,000       *       20,000       *  
Hitesh Thakrar     20,000       *       20,000       *  
Todd Thomson     20,000       *       20,000       *  
All officers and directors as a group (8 individuals)     2,875,000       100 %     2,500,000       20.0 %

  

 

* Less than 1%.

(1)Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is c/o Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp., 17 State Street, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10004.

(2)Interests shown consist of founder shares.

(3) Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. Jonas Grossman is the sole member of our sponsor. As such, Mr. Grossman may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the common stock held directly by our sponsor. Mr. Grossman disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. Certain other employees of Chardan or its affiliates, including each of our executive officers, have direct or indirect membership interests in our sponsor, and thus have pecuniary interests in certain of the reported shares.

 

 

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Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming none of them purchase any units offered by this prospectus). None of our initial stockholders, officers and directors has indicated to us that he intends to purchase securities in this offering. Because of the ownership block held by our initial stockholders, such individuals may be able to effectively exercise control over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

 

If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, our initial stockholders will have up to an aggregate 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture. Only a number of shares necessary to maintain our initial stockholders’ collective 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option will be forfeited.

 

In addition, Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total purchase price of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

 

The proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable), the proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares.

 

The private warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the public units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private warrants (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the initial purchaser until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis. The private warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Rule 5110(g), as long as Chardan or any of its related persons beneficially own these private warrants

 

To meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our 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 be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest. Loans made by Chardan or any of its related persons will not be convertible into any of our securities and Chardan and its related persons will have no recourse with respect to their ability to convert their loans into any of our securities.

 

Each of our sponsor, officers and directors is our “promoter,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.

 

Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Warrants

 

All of the founder shares issued and outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (1) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of six months 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 capitalizations, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 10 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (2) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for forfeiture and cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

 

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During the escrow period, the holders of the founder shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any parties (including their respective affiliates and stockholders) participating in the private placement of the private warrants, officers, directors, stockholders, employees and members of our sponsor and its affiliates, (2) amongst initial stockholders or to our officers, directors, and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, (9) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination, (10) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or our sponsor’s operating agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor or the organizational documents of Chardan upon dissolution of Chardan; or (11) for the cancellation of up to 375,000 founder shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 11 or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and the insider letter.

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private warrants (and underlying securities) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. 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 founder 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 warrants (and 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. Chardan and its related persons may not, with respect to the private warrants purchased by our sponsor, (i) have more than one demand registration right at our expense, (ii) exercise their demand registration rights more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and (iii) exercise their “piggy-back” registration rights more than seven years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, as long as Chardan or any of its related persons are beneficial owners of private warrants.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor. In May and June 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 founder shares to each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins. If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our initial stockholders have agreed to forfeit and immediately cancel up to an aggregate of 375,000 founder shares in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised.

 

If the underwriters determine the size of the offering should be increased (including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) or decreased, a share capitalization or a contribution back to capital, as applicable, would be effectuated in order to maintain our initial stockholders’ ownership at 20% of the number of shares issued and outstanding after the closing of this offering.

 

Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants, at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total purchase price of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the maximum amount as described in more detail in this prospectus), the proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares. The private warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the public units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private warrants (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the initial purchaser until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis. The private warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Rule 5110(g), as long as Chardan or any of its related persons beneficially own these private warrants.

 

To meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our 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 be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest. Loans made by Chardan or any of its related persons will not be convertible into any of our securities and Chardan and its related persons will have no recourse with respect to their ability to convert their loans into any of our securities.

 

Our initial stockholders, holders of the private warrants (and all underlying securities) and holders of the warrants (and all underlying securities) issuable in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. 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 founder 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 warrants or warrants issued in payment of working capital loans made to us 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. Chardan and its related persons may not, with respect to the private warrants purchased by our sponsor, (i) have more than one demand registration right at our expense, (ii) exercise their demand registration rights more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and (iii) exercise their “piggy-back” registration rights more than seven years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, as long as Chardan or any of its related persons are beneficial owners of private warrants.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its affiliates, or our officers or directors, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, its affiliates or our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. Any such Affiliated Joint Acquisition or specified future issuance would be in addition to, and would not include, the forward purchase securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract.

 

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We will reimburse our officers and directors for any reasonable out-of-pocket business expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf such as identifying and investigating possible target businesses and business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to any initial stockholder or member of our management team, or our or their respective affiliates, and any reimbursements and payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

No compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s fees, consulting fees or other similar compensation, will be paid to any of our initial stockholders, officers or directors who owned our shares of common stock prior to this offering, or to any of their respective affiliates, prior to or with respect to the business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).

 

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, including the payment of any compensation, will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors (to the extent we have any) 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 disinterested “independent” directors (or, if there are no “independent” directors, our disinterested 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.

 

Commencing on the date our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes 18 months, our sponsor will be paid a total of $180,000 ($10,000 per month) and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.

 

We may engage Chardan, or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and pay such affiliate a customary financial advisory fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory fee for comparable transactions. Furthermore, we may acquire a target company that has engaged Chardan, or another affiliate of our sponsor, as a financial advisor, and such target company may pay such affiliate a financial advisory fee in connection with our initial business combination.

 

We have engaged Chardan as an advisor in connection with our business combination, pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement described under “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” We will pay Chardan a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. As a result, Chardan will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.

 

Related Party Policy

 

We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. A form of the code of ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

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In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. A form of the audit committee charter that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We also require each of our directors and 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.

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

 

·Repayment of up to an aggregate of $250,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor, which our sponsor has committed to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;

 

·Repayment to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month;

 

·

Our sponsor intends to allocate up to 20,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors;

 

·Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination;

 

·Repayment of loans, which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto (provided that in no event will any loans provided by our sponsor be convertible into our securities); and

 

·Payment to Chardan of the Marketing Fee, fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services Chardan may provide to our company in the future, including in connection with the closing of our initial business combination, and reimbursement of Chardan for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services.

 

Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

General

 

Our amended certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share. As of the date of this prospectus, 2,875,000 shares of common stock are issued and outstanding, which are held by our initial stockholders.

 

Units

 

Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of common stock. Thus, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase a multiple of two units, the number of warrants issuable to you upon separation of the units will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of warrants.

 

We expect that the common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless Chardan informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of common stock and warrants.

 

In no event will the common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which closing is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

Common Stock

 

Upon the closing of this offering, 12,500,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 375,000 founder shares by our initial stockholders), consisting of:

 

·10,000,000 shares of common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering;

 

·2,500,000 founder shares held by our initial stockholders.

 

If we increase or decrease the size of this offering (including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act), a share capitalization or a contribution back to capital, as applicable, would be effectuated in order to maintain our initial stockholders’ ownership at 20% of the number of shares issued and outstanding after the closing of this offering.

 

Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders (other than the election of directors). Our board of directors will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

 

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Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares of common stock, if we were to enter into an initial business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such an initial business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of common stock that we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the initial business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws, unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

 

We will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a stockholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting.

 

However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.

 

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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the initial business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, pursuant to the letter agreement our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, If we do not complete a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), 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 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. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months and we have not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), our insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination);  provided that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, the only way to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination in the absence of a definitive agreement is for our insiders or their affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or $1,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case, or an aggregate of $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full)), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. In the event that our insiders elected to extend the time to complete a business combination and deposited the applicable amount of money into trust, the insiders would receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. In the event that we receive notice from our insiders five days prior to the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our insiders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that some, but not all, of our insiders, decide to extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination, such insiders (or their affiliates or designees) may deposit the entire amount required. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 24 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the maximum amount as described in more detail in this prospectus). However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.

 

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after an initial business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.

 

Founder Shares

 

The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, and (iii) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination.

 

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With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Preferred Stock

 

There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be filed with the State of Delaware will authorize the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights, and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the common stock on our initial business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect our initial business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be used as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we reserve the right to do so in the future.

 

Redeemable Warrants

 

Public Warrants

 

Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase a multiple of two units, the number of warrants issuable to you upon separation of the units will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of warrants. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the offer and sale of the shares of common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of common stock underlying such unit.

 

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We are registering the offer and sale of our common stock underlying the public warrants under the Securities Act. In addition, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

 

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants for redemption:

 

·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 to each warrant holder, and

 

·if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the shares of common stock equals or exceeds $16.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 10 trading days within a 30-day trading period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to warrant holders.

 

If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering.

 

We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is, at the time of the call, a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the common stock may fall below the $16.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

 

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If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the volume weighted average last reported sale price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, our sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.

 

A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

 

If the number of outstanding shares of common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of common stock, or by a split-up of shares of common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of common stock. A rights offering to holders of common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, in determining the price payable for common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or redemption and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of common stock as reported during the 10-trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

 

In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of common stock on account of such shares of common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our common stock if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of common stock in respect of such event.

 

If the number of outstanding shares of our common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of common stock.

 

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Whenever the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

 

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants in order to determine and realize the option value component of the warrant. This formula is to compensate the warrant holder for the loss of the option value portion of the warrant due to the requirement that the warrant holder exercise the warrant within 30 days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.

 

The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.

 

In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination (not including any securities to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement to be entered into with our sponsor) at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), (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 our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and the Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $16.00 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 160% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

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The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

 

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

 

We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York in the Borough of Manhattan or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York in the Borough of Manhattan or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.

 

Private Warrants

 

The private warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Warrants” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private warrants on a cashless basis. Except as described below, the private warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the private warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.

 

If holders of the private warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the volume weighted average last reported sale price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could sell the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.

 

In addition, holders of our private warrants are entitled to certain registration rights and any private warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g), as long as Chardan or any of its related persons beneficially own these private warrants.

 

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Pursuant to the letter agreement, the private warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of any of the private warrants) are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, our sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or the applicable limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (g), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements and by the same agreements entered into by Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, our sponsor, officers, and directors of the Company, as the case may be, with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).

 

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 dependent 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.

 

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

 

The transfer agent for our shares of common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:

 

· If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, 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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;

 

·Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination;

 

·Although we do not intend to enter into an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view;

 

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·If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; whether or not we maintain our registration under the our Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above;

 

·So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination;

 

· If our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares;

 

·We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and

 

·We will not effect our initial business combination unless our sponsor approves of such transaction.

 

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions.

 

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be classified into two classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings.

 

We have opted out of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law, or the DGCL. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

·prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

·upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or

 

·at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

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Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or certain other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 20% or more of our voting stock.

 

Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring our company to negotiate in advance with our board of directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our sponsor and its respective affiliates, any of their respective direct or indirect transferees of at least 20% of our outstanding common stock and any group as to which such persons are party to, do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

 

Special Meeting of Stockholders

 

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors.

 

Advance Notice Requirements For Stockholder Proposals And Director Nominations

 

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day prior to the scheduled date of the annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.

 

Action by Written Consent

 

Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our common stockholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders.

 

Authorized But Unissued Shares

 

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

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Exclusive Forum for Certain Lawsuits

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, subject to certain exceptions and unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director or officer of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the inclusion of such provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not be deemed to be a waiver by our stockholders of our obligation to comply with federal securities laws, rules and regulations.

 

Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. Furthermore, the enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.

 

In addition to the exclusive forum provision described above, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. In addition, 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.

 

Securities Eligible For Future Sale

 

Immediately after this consummation of this offering, we will have 12,500,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, or 14,375,000 shares of common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 10,000,000 shares sold in this offering, or 11,500,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining 2,500,000 (or 2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. All of those shares will not be transferable except in limited circumstances described elsewhere in this prospectus, but these restricted securities will be entitled to registration rights as more fully described below under “—Registration Rights.”

 

Rule 144

 

Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of:

 

1% of the number of shares of common stock then issued and outstanding, which will equal 125,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 143,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

 

the average weekly trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

 

Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

 

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

 

Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:

 

the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

 

the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

 

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the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and

 

at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

 

As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and private warrants, and the securities underlying the foregoing, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private warrants (and underlying securities) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. 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 founder 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 warrants (and 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. Chardan and its related persons may not, with respect to the private warrants purchased by Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, (i) have more than one demand registration right at our expense, (ii) exercise their demand registration rights more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and (iii) exercise their “piggy-back” registration rights more than seven years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, as long as Chardan or any of its related persons are beneficial owners of private warrants.

 

Listing of Securities

 

We have applied to list our units, common stock and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “CNTQU,” “CNTQ” and “CNTQW,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq.

 

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U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, the components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying common stock and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering.

 

This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different consequences that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors, including but not limited to:

 

·our sponsor, officers or directors;

 

·financial institutions or financial services entities;

 

·broker-dealers;

 

·governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;

 

·regulated investment companies;

 

·real estate investment trusts;

 

·expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;

 

·persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our shares by vote or value;

 

·insurance companies;

 

·dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities;

 

·persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction;

 

·U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

 

·partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and

 

·tax-exempt entities.

 

If you are a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners will generally depend on the status of the partners and your activities.

 

This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).

 

We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.

 

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THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. WE URGE PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF ACQUIRING, OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.

 

Personal Holding Company Status

 

We would be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company (“PHC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).

 

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

 

Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit

 

No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of the unit or instruments similar to the unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our common stock and one-half of one warrant to acquire one share of our common stock. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of common stock and the one-half of one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make its own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of common stock and the one-half of one warrant should be the holder’s initial tax basis in such share or one-half of one warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of common stock and one-half of one warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the common stock and the one-half of one warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of shares of common stock and warrants comprising units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

The foregoing treatment of the units and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

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U.S. Holders

 

This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, shares of common stock or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

·an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

·a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

·an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

·a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

 

Taxation of Distributions

 

If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. holders of shares of our common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below.

 

Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder may constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the preferential tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.

 

Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants. 

 

Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock or warrants so disposed of. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the common stock is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders are currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

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Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the common stock or the warrants based upon the then fair market values of the common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of common stock or one-half of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

 

Redemption of Common Stock

 

In the event that a U.S. holder’s common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s common stock in an open market transaction (each of which we refer to as a “redemption”), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale or exchange of the common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale or exchange of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale or exchange of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions”. Whether a redemption qualifies for sale or exchange treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as owned by the U.S. holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

 

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any stock the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of common stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares of our stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption of the common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. holder if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.

 

If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed common stock will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.

 

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Exercise or Lapse of a Warrant

 

Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the acquisition of common stock upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the share of our common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.

 

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the common stock received generally should equal the holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event (and not a recapitalization), it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the common stock would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.

 

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the common stock received in respect of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such warrants. Such gain or loss would be long-term or short-term, depending on the U.S. holder’s holding period in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrants, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants.

 

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the common stock received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

 

If we redeem warrants for cash or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.” The tax consequences of an exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.01 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Public Warrants” are unclear under current law. In the case of a cashless exercise, the exercise may be treated either as if we redeemed such warrant for common stock or as an exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant for common stock is treated as a redemption, then such redemption generally should be treated as a tax-deferred recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case a U.S. holder should not recognize any gain or loss on such redemption, and accordingly, a U.S. holder’s basis in the common stock received should equal the U.S. holder’s basis in the warrant and the holding period of the shares of common stock would include the holding period of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant is treated as such, the tax consequences generally should be as described under the heading “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” In the case of an exercise of a warrant for cash, the tax treatment generally should be as described above under the heading “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” Due to the lack of clarity under current law regarding the treatment of an exercise of a warrant after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.01, there can be no assurance as to which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant as described above.

 

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Possible Constructive Distributions

 

The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Public Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as a distribution (as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above). Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. All U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

 

Non-U.S. Holders

 

This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, common stock or warrants who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. federal income tax as expatriates), a foreign corporation, or an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder, but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.

 

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Taxation of Distributions

 

In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and are not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment under an applicable treaty), we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, including a distribution in redemption of shares of our common stock. See also “Non-U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” for potential U.S. federal tax consequences with respect to constructive distributions.

 

The withholding tax does not apply to dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or, if an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder). Instead, the effectively connected dividends will generally be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. A Non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).

 

Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants

 

Subject to the discussion of FATCA and backup withholding below, a Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within the required period of time, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:

 

·the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder); or

 

·we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. holder held our common stock, and, in the case where shares of our common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. holder has owned, directly or constructively (including through ownership of warrants), more than 5% of our common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. holder’s holding period for the shares of our common stock. There can be no assurance that our common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.

 

Unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower treaty rate).

 

If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a U.S. real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a U.S. real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “U.S. real property interests” equals or exceeds 50 percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

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Redemption of Common Stock

 

The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Common Stock” generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.

 

Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant

 

The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described above in “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.” The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for common stock will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment for a U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for common stock, as described above in “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for cash (or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction) would be similar to that described above in “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.”

 

Possible Constructive Distributions

 

The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Public Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. Nevertheless, the Non-U.S. holders of the warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case which is taxable to the holders of such shares as a distribution (as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above). Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same manner as if the Non-U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest resulting from the adjustment.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants. A Non-U.S. holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. All Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

 

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FATCA Withholding Taxes

 

Provisions commonly referred to as “FATCA” impose withholding of 30% on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) on our common stock or warrants to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). The IRS has issued proposed regulations (on which taxpayers may rely until final regulations are issued) that would generally not apply these withholding requirements to gross proceeds from sales or other disposition proceeds from our securities. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a Non-U.S. holder might be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the effects of FATCA on their investment in our securities.

 

THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE IS INCLUDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE DEPENDING UPON A HOLDER’S PARTICULAR SITUATION. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND WARRANTS, INCLUDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES UNDER STATE, LOCAL, ESTATE, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN U.S. OR OTHER TAX LAWS.

 

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UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)

 

We intend to offer our securities described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. Chardan is the representative for the underwriters. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the representative. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each of the underwriters has severally agreed to purchase from us the number of units listed next to its name in the following table:

 

Underwriter  Number of
Units
 
Chardan Capital Markets, LLC    
Total   10,000,000 

 

A copy of the underwriting agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

 

Listing of our Securities

 

We have applied to list our units, common stock and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “CNTQU,” “CNTQ” and “CNTQW,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq.

 

Over-allotment Option

 

We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to 1,500,000 additional units. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with this offering. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.

 

Commissions and Discounts

 

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $500,000. The aggregate amount of the fee paid to the underwriters will remain constant at $500,000, even if the over-allotment option is exercised. B. Riley Securities, Inc. will receive $100,000 from the total underwriting discount for acting as a qualified independent underwriter. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $                   per unit from the public offering price. Any of these securities dealers may resell any units purchased from the underwriters to other brokers or dealers at a discount of up to $                   per unit from the public offering price. If all of the units are not sold at the initial public offering price, the representative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the units at the prices and upon the terms stated therein, and, as a result, will thereafter bear any risk associated with changing the offering price to the public or other selling terms.

 

The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discounts and commissions we will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units.

 

   Per Unit   Without
Over-allotment
   With
Over-allotment
 
Public offering price  $10.00   $100,000,000   $115,000,000 
Discount and qualified independent underwriter fees  $0.005(1)  $500,000   $500,000 
Proceeds before expenses(2)  $9.995   $99,500,000   $114,500,000 

 

 

(1)The aggregate amount of the fee paid to the underwriters (including the amount payable to the qualified independent underwriter) remains constant at $500,000, even if the over-allotment option is exercised.
(2)The offering expenses are estimated at $950,000.

 

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Pricing of Securities

 

We have been advised by the representative that the underwriters propose to offer the units to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the representative. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the units, including the shares of common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

·the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;

 

·prior offerings of those companies;

 

·our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

 

·our capital structure;

 

·the per share amount of net proceeds being placed into the trust account;

 

·an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;

 

·general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering; and

 

·other factors as were deemed relevant.

 

However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since the underwriters are unable to compare our financial results and prospects with those of public companies operating in the same industry.

 

Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of Securities

 

Rules of the SEC may limit the ability of the underwriters to bid for or purchase our units before the distribution of the units is completed. However, the underwriters may engage in the following activities in accordance with the rules:

 

·Stabilizing Transactions. The underwriters may make bids or purchases for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the price of our units, as long as stabilizing bids do not exceed the offering price of $10.00 and the underwriters comply with all other applicable rules.

 

·Over-Allotments and Syndicate Coverage Transactions. The underwriters may create a short position in our units by selling more of our units than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus up to the amount of the over-allotment option. This is known as a covered short position. The underwriters may also create a short position in our units by selling more of our units than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and the units allowed by the over-allotment option. This is known as a naked short position. If the underwriters create a short position during the offering, the representative may engage in syndicate covering transactions by purchasing our units in the open market. The representative may also elect to reduce any short position by exercising all or part of the over-allotment option. Determining what method to use in reducing the short position depends on how the units trade in the aftermarket following the offering. If the unit price drops following the offering, the short position is usually covered with shares purchased by the underwriters in the aftermarket. However, the underwriters may cover a short position by exercising the over-allotment option even if the unit price drops following the offering. If the unit price rises after the offering, then the over-allotment option is used to cover the short position. If the short position is more than the over-allotment option, the naked short must be covered by purchases in the aftermarket, which could be at prices above the offering price.

 

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·Penalty Bids. The representative may reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

 

Stabilization and syndicate covering transactions may cause the price of our securities to be higher than they would be in the absence of these transactions. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the prices of our securities if it discourages resales of our securities.

 

We have been advised by the representative of the underwriters that it does not intend to make a market in our public units.

 

Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our securities. These transactions may occur on the Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or on any trading market. If any of these transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.

 

Private Placement

 

Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants, at a price of $0.65 per private warrant ($2,405,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to the public warrants sold in this offering except as described under “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Private Warrants.” The private warrants will be considered underwriting compensation in connection with this offering. Such private warrants will be subject to lock-up restrictions, as required by FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1) and may not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the offering, except as provided in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). We have granted our sponsor the registration rights as described under the section “Description of our Securities — Registration Rights.” The demand and piggyback registration rights being granted to our sponsor are subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g) and will be in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110.05.

 

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

 

We have engaged Chardan as an advisor in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities, assist us in obtaining stockholder approval for the business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay Chardan a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. As a result, Chardan will not be entitled to such fee unless we consummate our initial business combination.

 

Right of First Refusal

 

We have agreed to provide Chardan Capital Markets, LLC with a right of first refusal to participate as lead book running manager for any public or private securities offerings for a period of 18 months (or up to 24 months, as applicable) following the consummation of our initial business combination, with at least 30% of the economics for any such offering. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(6), such right of first refusal shall not have a duration of more than three years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Our sponsor is an affiliate of Chardan, the representative of the underwriters in this offering, and certain of our officers and directors are affiliated with Chardan. As a result, Chardan is deemed to have a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121.

 

145

 

 

Accordingly, this offering is being made in compliance with the applicable requirements of Rule 5121. Rule 5121 requires that a “qualified independent underwriter,” as defined in Rule 5121, participate in the preparation of the registration statement and prospectus and exercise the usual standards of due diligence with respect thereto. B. Riley Securities, Inc. has agreed to act as a “qualified independent underwriter” for this offering. B. Riley Securities, Inc. will receive $100,000 from the total underwriting discount for acting as a qualified independent underwriter. We have agreed to indemnify B. Riley Securities, Inc. against certain liabilities incurred in connection with acting as a “qualified independent underwriter,” including liabilities under the Securities Act. In addition, no underwriter with a conflict of interest will confirm sales to any account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the specific prior written approval of the account holder.

 

Other Terms

 

Except as set forth above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may, among other things, introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital, as needs may arise in the future. If any underwriter provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date which is 90 days after the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.

 

Indemnification

 

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against some liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in this respect.

 

Resale Restrictions

 

We intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario, Canada (the “Canadian Offering Jurisdiction”) by way of a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Canadian resale restrictions in some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a “reporting issuer”, as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and there currently is no public market for any of the securities in Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory in Canada.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

 

Representations of Purchasers

 

A Canadian purchaser will be required to represent to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

 

·the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase our securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws;

 

·where required by law, that the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent;

 

·the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions; and

 

·the purchaser acknowledges and consents to the provision of specified information concerning its purchase of our securities to the regulatory authority that by law is entitled to collect the information.

 

146

 

Rights of Action — Ontario Purchasers Only

 

Under Ontario securities legislation, certain purchasers who purchase a security offered by this prospectus during the period of distribution will have a statutory right of action for damages, or while still the owner of our securities, for rescission against us in the event that this prospectus contains a misrepresentation without regard to whether the purchaser relied on the misrepresentation. The right of action for damages is exercisable not later than the earlier of 180 days from the date the purchaser first had knowledge of the facts giving rise to the cause of action and three years from the date on which payment is made for our securities. The right of action for rescission is exercisable not later than 180 days from the date on which payment is made for our securities. If a purchaser elects to exercise the right of action for rescission, the purchaser will have no right of action for damages against us. In no case will the amount recoverable in any action exceed the price at which our securities were offered to the purchaser and if the purchaser is shown to have purchased the securities with knowledge of the misrepresentation, we will have no liability. In the case of an action for damages, we will not be liable for all or any portion of the damages that are proven to not represent the depreciation in value of our securities as a result of the misrepresentation relied upon. These rights are in addition to, and without derogation from, any other rights or remedies available at law to an Ontario purchaser. The foregoing is a summary of the rights available to an Ontario purchaser. Ontario purchasers should refer to the complete text of the relevant statutory provisions.

 

Enforcement of Legal Rights

 

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All of our assets and the assets of those persons are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

 

Collection of Personal Information

 

If a Canadian purchaser is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the Province of Ontario, the Purchaser authorizes the indirect collection of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser by the Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”) and each Canadian purchaser will be required to acknowledge and agree that the Canadian purchaser has been notified by us (i) of the delivery to the OSC of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser, including, without limitation, the full name, residential address and telephone number of the Canadian purchaser, the number and type of securities purchased and the total purchase price paid in respect of the securities, (ii) that this information is being collected indirectly by the OSC under the authority granted to it in securities legislation, (iii) that this information is being collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of the securities legislation of Ontario, and (iv) that the title, business address and business telephone number of the public official in Ontario who can answer questions about the OSC’s indirect collection of the information is the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Corporate Finance, the Ontario Securities Commission, Suite 1903, Box 5520, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-8086, Facsimile: (416) 593-8252.

 

147

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Reed Smith LLP, is acting as United States counsel in connection with the registration of the offer and sale of our securities under the Securities Act and will pass on the validity of the securities offered in the prospectus. Greenberg Traurig, LLP, is acting as counsel for the underwriters in this offering.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements of Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. as of December 31, 2020, and for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, appearing in this prospectus have been audited by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given on the authority of such firm as an experts in auditing and accounting.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1, which includes exhibits, schedules and amendments, under the Securities Act, with respect to this offering of our securities. Although this prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement, contains all material information included in the registration statement, parts of the registration statement have been omitted as permitted by rules and regulations of the SEC. We refer you to the registration statement and its exhibits for further information about us, our securities and this offering. The registration statement and its exhibits, as well as our other reports filed with the SEC, can be inspected and copied at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information about the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a web site at http://www.sec.gov which contains the Form S-1 and other reports, proxy and information statements and information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

 

148

 

  

CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2
Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and December 31, 2020   F-3
Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020   F-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity for the three months ended March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020   F-5
Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020   F-6
Notes to Financial Statements   F-7 – F[●] 

 

F-1

 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Stockholder and the Board of Directors of

Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, 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, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, 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 audit. 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 audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit 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 audit 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 audit 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 audit 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 audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC

 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2021.

 

New York, New York

June 4, 2021

 

F-2

 

  CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

BALANCE SHEETS

 

    March 31, 2021
(unaudited)
    December 31,
2020
 
ASSETS                
Current assets – cash   $ 72,882     $ 25,000  
    Deferred offering costs     77,118        
TOTAL ASSETS   $ 150,000     $ 25,000  
                 
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY                
Liabilities                
Current liabilities:                
Accrued expenses   $ 1,000     $ 1,000  
       Promissory note – related party     125,000        
Total Liabilities     126,000       1,000  
                 
Commitments                
                 
Stockholder’s Equity                
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 issued and outstanding (1)     288       288  
Additional paid-in capital     24,712       24,712  
Accumulated deficit     (1,000 )     (1,000 )
Total Stockholder’s Equity     24,000       24,000  
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY   $ 150,000     $ 25,000  

  

(F) Includes up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). On March 4, 2021, the Company effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock outstanding (see Note 5). All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-3

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

  

      For the three
months ended
March 31, 2021
(unaudited)
        For the
Period from
June 23, 2020
(inception) Through
December 31, 2020
 
                   
Formation and operating costs   $       $ 1,000  
Net loss   $       $ (1,000 )
                   
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1)     2,500,000         2,500,000  
Basic and diluted net loss per common share   $ 0.00       $ (0.00 )

   

(F) Excludes up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). On March 4, 2021, the Company effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock outstanding (see Note 5). All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-4

 

  CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2021 (UNAUDITED) AND FOR THE PERIOD FROM JUNE 23, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020

 

    Common Stock    Additional
Paid-in
   Accumulated    Total
Stockholder’s
 
    Shares    Amount    Capital    Deficit    Equity  
Balance at June 23, 2020 (inception)         $     $     $     $  
                                         
Issuance of common stock to Sponsor (1)     2,875,000       288       24,712             25,000  
                                         
Net loss                       (1,000 )     (1,000 )
                                         
Balance at December 31, 2020     2,875,000     $ 288     $ 24,712     $ (1,000 )   $ 24,000  
                                         
Net loss                              
                                         
Balance at March 31, 2021 (unaudited)     2,875,000     $ 288     $ 24,712     $ (1,000 )   $ 24,000  

  

(F) Includes up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). On March 4, 2021, the Company effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock outstanding (see Note 5). All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-5

 

  CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    For the three months ended March 31, 2021 (unaudited)     For the Period from June 23, 2020 (inception) Through December 31, 2020  
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:                
Net loss   $     $ (1,000 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
Deferred offering costs     (77,118 )     1,000  
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities     (77,118 )      
                 
Cash Flows from Financing Activities                
Proceeds from promissory note     125,000        
Proceeds from issuance of common stock to Sponsor           25,000  
Net cash provided by financing activities     125,000       25,000  
                 
Net Change in Cash     47,882       25,000  
Cash - Beginning of period     25,000        
Cash - End of period   $ 72,882     $ 25,000  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-6

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

 

Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on June 23, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.

 

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”). 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 Proposed Public Offering.

 

The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 10,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 11,500,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 3,700,000 warrants (the “Private Warrants”), at a price of $0.65 per Private Warrant, in a private placement to Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Chardan NexTech Investments 2 LLC (the “Sponsor”), that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.

 

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. Nasdaq rules provide that the Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing of a definitive agreement to enter a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination 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 of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 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 consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below.

 

F-7

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  

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 anticipated to be $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 tax obligations). The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.

 

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, 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 reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its 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 other 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 Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving 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.

 

Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

 

The Company will have 18 months from the closing of the initial public offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of the initial public offering if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of the initial public offering) to consummate an initial business combination. In addition, if the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months and the Company has not entered into a definitive agreement or filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination by such date (or 21 months if we have executed a definitive agreement and filed a proxy statement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering), the Company’s insiders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination). If the Company is unable to consummate an initial business combination within the above time period, the Company will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, pro rata to the Company’s public stockholders, by way of the redemption of their shares and thereafter cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of the Company’s affairs. In such event, the warrants will expire and be worthless.

 

F-8

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  

The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares they own in connection with the consummation of the initial business combination, including their founder shares and public shares that they purchase during or after the offering, if any. In addition, the initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions with respect to their founder shares if the Company fails to consummate an initial business combination within 24 months (assuming both of the three-month extensions were executed) from the closing of this offering. However, if the initial stockholders acquire public shares in or after the initial public offering, they will be entitled to receive liquidating distributions with respect to such public shares if the Company fails to consummate an initial business combination within the required time 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 (other than the Company’s independent registered accounting firm) 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 (1) $10.00 per Public Share or (2) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay the Company’s taxes, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), 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-9

 

  CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

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.

 

The Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its anticipated obligations over the next year from the issuance of these financial statements. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, management has determined that the Company has access to funds from the Sponsor, and the Sponsor has the financial wherewithal to fund the Company, that are sufficient to fund the working capital needs of the Company until the earlier of the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering or one year from the issuance of these financial statements.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of 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.

 

F-10

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

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 expenses during the reporting periods.

 

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 confirming 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 March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

 

Deferred Offering Costs

 

Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering. The offering costs directly attributable to the issuance of an equity contract to be classified in equity are recorded as a reduction in equity at the time of the Proposed Public Offering. Offering costs for equity contracts that are classified as assets and liabilities are expensed at the time of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, all deferred costs, as well as additional expenses incurred, will be charged to operations. The Company had $77,118 and $0 of deferred offering costs at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Deferred tax assets were deemed to be de minimis as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

 

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 March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020. 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.

 

F-11

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from June 23, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, and for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

 

Net Loss Per Common Share

 

Net loss per share of common stock is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 375,000 shares of common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 5). At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per common share is the same as basic loss per common share for the periods presented.

 

Risks and Uncertainties

  

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, close of the Proposed Public Offering, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company had 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 FASB ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement ("ASC 820"), approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

The Company applies ASC 820, which establishes a framework for measuring fair value and clarifies the definition of fair value within that framework. ASC 820 defines fair value as an exit price, which is the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the Company’s principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy established in ASC 820 generally requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the entity’s own assumptions based on market data and the entity’s judgments about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are to be developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

 

Level 1 — Assets and liabilities with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges. Inputs to the fair value measurement are observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are determined using prices for recently traded assets and liabilities with similar underlying terms, as well as direct or indirect observable inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals.

 

Level 3 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are unobservable inputs, such as estimates, assumptions, and valuation techniques when little or no market data exists for the assets or liabilities.

 

Warrant Liabilities

 

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own common stock, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.

 

For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants will be recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations.

 

The Company will account for the Private Placement Warrants issued concurrently in connection with the Initial Public Offering in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (“ASC 815”), under which the Private Placement Warrants will not meet the criteria for equity classification and must be recorded as liabilities. As the Private Placement Warrants meet the definition of a derivative as contemplated in ASC 815, the Private Placement Warrants will be measured at fair value at inception and at each reporting date in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, with changes in fair value recognized in the statements of operations in the period of change.

 

The Public Warrants are not precluded from equity classification, and will be accounted for as such on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

  

NOTE 3. PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING

 

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 10,000,000 Units (or 11,500,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 7).

 

F-12

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 3,700,000 Private Warrants at a price of $0.65 per Private Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,405,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each of the Private Warrants is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be 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 Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Warrants will expire worthless. The Company classifies the outstanding Private Placement Warrants as warrant liabilities on the Balance Sheet in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40.

 

The warrant liability will be initially measured at fair value upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and subsequently re-measured at each reporting period using a Monte Carlo Simulation Pricing model.

  

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Founder Shares

 

On June 23, 2020, the Company issued 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate price of $25,000 (the “Founder Shares”). On March 4, 2021, the Company effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, resulting in an aggregate of 2,875,000 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding (see Note 8). Shares and the associated amounts have been retroactively restated in these financial statements to reflect the stock split. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial stockholders will collectively own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

 

With certain limited exceptions, the Founder Shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to the Company officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the Sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of an initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to an initial Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Company's common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after an initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company's stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Promissory Note – Related Party

 

On July 23, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $250,000 to cover expenses related to the Proposed Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Promissory Note”). The Promissory note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) June 30, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there were $125,000 and $0 of borrowings outstanding under the Promissory Note, respectively.

 

F-13

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Administrative Support Agreement

 

The Company intends to enter into an agreement to the Sponsor, a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative, and shared personnel support services. Upon the completion of an initial Business Combination, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Company’s initial stockholders, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required 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 be paid upon consummation of an initial Business Combination, without interest. Loans made by Chardan Capital Markets, LLC or any of its related persons will not be convertible into any of the Company’s securities and Chardan Capital Markets, LLC and its related persons will have no recourse with respect to their ability to convert their loans into any of the Company’s securities. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company had no working capital loans outstanding.

 

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS

 

Registration and Stockholder Rights Agreement

 

The holders of the Founder Shares and Private Warrants (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Warrants) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. The holders of a 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 these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Private Warrants (and underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the Proposed Public Offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount and qualified independent underwriter fees in the aggregate of $500,000.

 

F-14

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

 

The Company has engaged Chardan Capital Markets, LLC as an advisor in connection with the Company's Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with the stockholders 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, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay Chardan Capital Markets, LLC a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of the Company's initial Business Combination in an amount equal to, in the aggregate, 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering. As a result, Chardan Capital Markets, LLC will not be entitled to such fee unless the Company consummates the initial Business Combination.

  

NOTE 7. WARRANTS

 

As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there are no warrants outstanding. Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share. The Sponsor, Chardan NexTech Investments 2 LLC, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 3,700,000 Private Warrants at a price of $0.65 per Private Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,405,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each of the Private Warrants is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be 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 Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (and the Private Warrants will expire worthless). The Warrants provide for a cashless exercise which the Company’s management determined to be a net settlement feature with no obligation to settle in cash. The net shares issued in a cashless exercise are based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock at the time the Warrants are exercised.

 

Each Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, entitle the Registered Holder to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock at $11.50 per share. The Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of Warrant Shares by a Registered Holder. No fractional shares will be issued.

 

A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (“Exercise Period”) commencing 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial business combination and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the earlier to occur of (i) (A) five years following the completion of the Company’s initial business combination with respect to the Public Warrants, and (B) five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement with respect to the Private Warrants purchased by Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, provided that once the Private Warrants are not beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by Chardan Capital Markets, LLC or any of its related persons anymore, the Private Warrants may not be exercised five years following the completion of the Company’s initial business combination, and (ii) the date fixed for redemption of the Warrants as provided in Section 6 of this Warrant Agreement (“Expiration Date”). Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price, each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights shall cease at the close of business on the Expiration Date. The Company may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company (i) may not extend the duration of the Private Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date and (ii) will provide written notice of not less than 10 days to Registered Holders of such extension and that such extension shall be identical in duration among all of the then outstanding Warrants.

 

F-15

 

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The Company is not required to issue any fraction of a Warrant Share in connection with the exercise of Warrants, and in any case where the Registered Holder would be entitled under the terms of the Warrants to receive a fraction of a Warrant Share upon the exercise of such Registered Holder’s Warrants, issue or cause to be issued only the largest whole number of Warrant Shares issuable on such exercise (and such fraction of a Warrant Share will be disregarded); provided, that if more than one Warrant certificate is presented for exercise at the same time by the same Registered Holder, the number of whole Warrant Shares which shall be issuable upon the exercise thereof shall be computed on the basis of the aggregate number of Warrant Shares issuable on exercise of all such Warrants.

 

The Private Warrants: (i) will be exercisable either for cash or on a cashless basis at the holders option and (ii) will not be redeemable by the Company, in either case as long as the Private Warrants are held by the initial purchasers or any of their permitted transferees (as prescribed in the Subscription Agreement). The Private Warrants may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of, the Private Warrants (or any securities underlying the Private Warrants) for a period of three hundred sixty (360) days following the effective date of the Registration Statement to anyone other than any member participating in the Public Offering and the officers or partners thereof, if all securities so transferred remain subject to the lock-up restriction for the remainder of the time period.

 

All (and not less than all) of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed, in whole and not in part, at the option of the Company, at any time from and after the Warrants become exercisable, and prior to their expiration, at the office of the Warrant Agent, at the price of $.01 per Warrant (“Redemption Price”); provided that the last sales price of the Common Stock has been equal to or greater than $16.00 per share (subject to adjustment for splits, dividends, recapitalizations and other similar events) (the “Redemption Trigger Price”), for any ten (10) trading days within a thirty (30) trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given and provided further that there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants for each day in the aforementioned 30-day trading period and continuing each day thereafter until the Redemption Date. For avoidance of doubt, if and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right, even if it is unable to register or qualify the Warrant Shares for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

 

The Company will account for the 3,700,000 private placement warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the private placement warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each private placement warrant must be recorded as a liability.

 

The Public Warrants are not precluded from equity classification. Equity-classified contracts are initially measured at fair value (or allocated value). Subsequent changes in fair value are not recognized as long as the contracts continue to be classified in equity. 

 

The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record the private placement warrants as derivative liabilities at fair value upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to its current fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.

 

F-16

 

 

 CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 8. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

 

Common stock — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there were 2,875,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Of the 2,875,000 shares of common stock outstanding, up to 375,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after a planned public offering.

 

The Company intends to file an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to the closing date of the Proposed Public Offering such that the Company will be authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001.

 

Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Unless specified in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the Company’s shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by the Company’s stockholders (other than the election of directors).

 

NOTE 9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet dates up to June 4, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based on this review, other than as described below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

On March 4, 2021, the Company effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock outstanding (see Note 5). All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.

 

On April 12, 2021, the Staff of the SEC issued a statement with respect to the accounting for warrants issued by special purchase acquisition companies. In light of this statement, the Company has determined that the fair value of the private placement warrants should be classified as a warrant liability on the Company’s balance sheet as of the closing of the Proposed Offering that will be filed on Form 8-K. Subsequent changes to the fair value of the warrants will be recorded in the Company’s statement of operations.

 

In May and June 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 Founder Shares to each of Messrs. Biele, Boyle, Hardamon, Thakrar and Thomson and Ms. Jardins, for an aggregate of 120,000 Founder Shares transferred.

 

Subsequent to December 31, 2020, the Company borrowed $125,000 under the Promissory Note.

 

F-17

 

 

$100,000,000

 

Chardan NexTech Acquisition 2 Corp.

 

10,000,000 Units

 

 

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

Chardan

 

, 2021

 

 

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:

 

Initial Trustees’ fee   $ 11,000  
SEC Registration Fee     19,761  
FINRA filing fee     24,362  
Accounting fees and expenses     40,000  
Nasdaq listing and filing fees (excluding deferred fees)     75,000  
Printing and engraving expenses     20,000  
Legal fees and expenses     250,000  
Transfer agent     35,000  
Director and officer liability insurance premiums     375,000  
Miscellaneous     99,877  
Total   $ 950,000  

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that all directors, officers, employees and agents of the registrant shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

 

Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

 

(a)A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

 

 

(b)A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

(c)To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

 

(d)Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

 

(e)Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

 

(f)The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.

 

(g)A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

 

 

 

(h)For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 

(i)For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

 

(j)The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

(k)The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL unless they violated their duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from their actions as directors. The effect of this provision of our certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.

 

If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.

 

 

 

Our certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.

 

The right to indemnification conferred by our certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our certificate of incorporation or otherwise.

 

The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.

 

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our certificate of incorporation.

 

Our bylaws, which we intend to adopt immediately prior to the closing of this offering, include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those set forth in our certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

 

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.

 

 

 

We will enter into indemnity agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.5 to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the Underwriters and the Underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

 

On July 23, 2020, our sponsor purchased 1,000,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 4, 2021, we effected a 2.875-for-1 stock split, resulting in 2,875,000 shares of common stock being held by our sponsor. Such shares include an aggregate of up to 375,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. Because these offers and sales were made to a single purchaser in a transaction not involving a public offering, the shares were issued in reliance on the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

In addition, Chardan NexTech 2 Warrant Holdings LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,700,000 private warrants at $0.65 per private warrant (for a total purchase price of $2,405,000), with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Because this offer and sale is being made to a single purchaser, the sale does not involve a public offering and is being made in reliance on the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

 

 

 

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a)Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement:

 

Exhibit No.    Description
1.1**   Form of Underwriting Agreement.
1.2*   Form of Business Combination Marketing Agreement by and between the Registrant and Chardan Capital Markets LLC.
3.1*   Certificate of Incorporation.
3.2*   Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation.
3.3*   Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
3.4*   Bylaws.
4.1*   Specimen Unit Certificate.
4.2*   Specimen Common Stock Certificate.
4.3*   Specimen Warrant Certificate.
4.4 **   Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.
5.1 **   Form of Opinion of Reed Smith LLP.
10.1*   Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant and the Company’s officers, directors and securityholders.
10.2*   Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.
10.3*   Form of Escrow Agreement between the Registrant, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Initial Stockholders.
10.4*   Form of Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and the Initial Stockholders.
10.5*   Form of Indemnity Agreement.
10.6*   Subscription Agreement dated July 23, 2020, by and between the Registrant and Sponsor.
10.7*   Promissory Note, dated July 23, 2020, issued to Sponsor.
10.8*   Administrative Services Agreement.
10.9*   Form of Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement.
14*   Form of Code of Ethics.
23.1**   Consent of WithumSmith+Brown, PC.
23.2**   Consent of Reed Smith LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24*   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of the original filing hereof).
99.1*   Audit Committee Charter.
99.2*   Compensation Committee Charter.
99.3*   Consent of Jonathan Biele.
99.4*   Consent of Perry Boyle.
99.5*   Consent of Roderick Hardamon.
99.6*   Consent of Jory Des Jardins.
99.7**   Consent of Todd Thomson.
99.8**   Consent of Hitesh Thakrar.

  

 

 

*Previously filed.

 

**

Filed herewith.

 

 

 

(b)Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement.

 

Item 17. Undertakings.

 

(a)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

 

(b)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

(c)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

(1)For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

(2)For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

 

(4)For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i)Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii)Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;

 

 

 

(iii)The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv)Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 4th of June, 2021.

 

  CHARDAN NEXTECH ACQUISITION 2 CORP.
   
  By: /s/ Jonas Grossman
  Name: Jonas Grossman
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Name   Position   Date
/s/ Jonas Grossman  

Chief Executive Officer, President,

Secretary, Treasurer and Director

(Principal executive officer)

  June 4, 2021
Jonas Grossman        
/s/ Alex Weil  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal financial and accounting officer)

  June 4, 2021
Alex Weil