The sponsor will pay a minimal amount (e.g., $25,000) for the founder shares. Copyright 2023 BDO USA LLP. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) are companies formed to raise capital in an initial public offering (IPO) with the purpose of using the proceeds to acquire one or more unspecified businesses or assets to be identified after the IPO. Chase has a personality much like his best friend Cash. The PIPE transaction is committed and announced publicly at the same time as the acquisition agreement with the target. In Calenture, LLC v. Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc., shareholders of a post-merger SPAC alleged that the SPAC sponsors had realized over $430,000 in short-swing profits from a series of trades that straddled the de-SPAC transaction. Most SPACs are formed as Delaware corporations, but several have been formed in foreign jurisdictions (most frequently the Cayman Islands, but occasionally the British Virgin Islands or the Marshall Islands). To this end, most SPAC IPO prospectuses contain disclosure that says that the SPAC will only complete [a] business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Occasionally, readers of SPAC IPO prospectuses interpret this as a maximum size for a target business of two times the size of the SPAC. There is no maximum size of transaction for the De-SPAC transaction. For federal income tax purposes, the warrants received are treated as investment warrants as long as the issuance of the warrants is not dependent on the sponsors employment status or in exchange for services provided as an employee of the SPAC. After the de-SPAC, the capital structure from the perspective of the target equity holders will oftentimes be similar to what it would have been had the target conducted an IPO. A sponsor creates a SPAC with a goal of $250 million in capital, investing roughly $6 million to $8 million to cover administrative costs that include underwriting, attorney, and due diligence. The offshore structure will introduce other tax issues, such as passive foreign investment company issues. The sponsor will pay a nominal amount (usually $25,000) for a number of founder shares that equals 25% of the number of shares being registered for offer to the public, inclusive of the traditional 15% green shoe. As described above, the purpose of the at-risk capital is to provide additional funding for the trust account and to pay IPO expenses and the operating capital needs of the SPAC. We may have further comment. (go back), 9The target business financial statements must be audited for the most recent year only to the extent practicable, and earlier years need not be audited if they were not previously audited. By electing to use a basis step-up adjustment mechanism and a tax receivable agreement, the partners are paid for a portion of the public companys tax benefits in the form of an earnout. Importantly, a SPAC cannot have identified a target for a business combination at the time of the IPO. SPACs are required to have a majority of independent board members under stock exchange listing requirements, subject to the same phase-in exceptions as are applicable to all newly public companies. focuses on legal issues of interest to M&A practitioners for private and closely held companies, providing explanation, analysis and practical application on timely topics. As described below, the De-SPAC transaction will require a proxy statement meeting the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or tender offer materials containing substantially the same information. In 2019, SPAC IPOs raised $13.6 billion. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Accordingly, SPACs expressly state in their registration statements that they have not identified a target. For example, the staff will ask about other SPACs that the sponsor has formed, particularly where they may compete for the selection of a target (see below), and about the percentage of shares in the SPAC that the sponsor controls and the influence the sponsor and other private investors will have on the vote to approve the business combination transaction with a target. 2023 In addition, if the SPAC hits the outside date for consummating the De-SPAC transaction or seeks to amend its charter documents to permit an extended period to consummate the De-SPAC transaction, it will be required to redeem the public shares (or offer to redeem, in the case of a charter amendment) for their pro rata portion of the amount held in the trust account. If the SPAC is affiliated with a private equity group, the IPO prospectus will typically include disclosure indicating that members of the SPAC management team are employed by the private equity group, which is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which the SPAC may desire to pursue for a business combination. Each is a sponsor or a member of the sponsor team of a SPAC. BDO professionals are dedicated to helping both sponsors and target companies navigate the complexities of SPAC transactions and can deliver expertise and support in any step of the process. Rule 144 provides a means by which persons who might otherwise be considered statutory underwriters (and therefore required to register their offer of equity under the Securities Act prior to their public sale) may sell their equity without registration, typically after a six-month holding period. We are now into the second year of the requirement for most partnerships to file Schedules K-2 and K-3, and the compliance challenges continue. 4. LLC, a global public speaking coaching company. Alternatively and/or in addition to the forward purchase arrangements, an investment bank, often another division of the IPO underwriter, acts as a placement agent in conducting a private placement of debt and/or equity securities of the SPAC in the form of a PIPE transaction. If there is unsolicited interest from potential targets, the SPAC and its officers and directors should refuse to engage and should respond that they will not consider the potential target until after the IPO is completed. The SPAC creates a transitory merger subsidiary that merges with and into the target, with the target surviving as a subsidiary of the public SPAC. SPAC SPONSOR, LLC is a Delaware Limited-Liability Company filed on June 13, 2016. In addition, stockholders of former SPACs are required to hold their equity for a period of twelve months, measured from the date of the filing of the Super 8-K, before they can rely on Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Google LLC (/ u l / ) is . BurTech and CleanBay Renewables announced In addition, SPACs generally have a window of approximately two years or less to find a suitable acquisition target, which can increase competition and drive up the values being offered to target companies. In essence, the IPO registration statement is mostly boilerplate language plus director and officer biographies. Stock exchange rules do not always require a vote by the SPAC shareholders, but the structure of the De-SPAC transaction (e.g., if the SPAC does not survive a merger or is re-domiciling in a different jurisdiction) may require a vote, and if more than 20% of the voting stock of the SPAC is being issued in the De-SPAC transaction (to the seller of the target business, to PIPE investors or to a combination), the stock exchange rules will require a shareholder vote. Many SPAC sponsors are serial SPAC sponsors, and their track record will include the success of their prior business combinations. Mallard Pointe 1951 LLC is the ownership entity of Mallard Pointe and is a partnership of local families. Sponsors may reduce their exposure by having institutional investors purchase a portion of the at-risk capital. The SEC often requires [8] disclosure in the IPO prospectus to the effect that the SPAC currently does not have any specific business combination under consideration and that the SPACs officers and directors have neither individually selected nor considered a target business for the business combination nor have they had any discussions regarding possible target businesses among themselves or with underwriters or other advisors. Each unit is customarily priced at $10.00 per unit, and the warrant is usually priced out of the money, with an exercise price greater than the per unit price offered in the IPO, typically $11.50 per share. If the SPAC may reasonably pursue a target outside the United States, a foreign SPAC may allow for a more efficient post De-SPAC structure if foreign assets are acquired, or the SPAC may redomicile into the United States if domestic assets are purchased. If no De-SPAC transaction occurs, the deferred 3.5% discount is never paid to the underwriters and is used with the rest of the trust account balance to redeem the public shares. Most private companies either do not have audited financial statements or have financial statements audited under the AICPA rules. However, if additional public shares or equity-linked securities (defined as securities of the SPAC or its subsidiaries that are convertible into or exchangeable for equity of the SPAC) are issued in connection with the closing of the de-SPAC transaction (excluding shares and equity-linked securities issued to the seller of the target business), the exchange ratio upon which the founder shares convert to public shares will be adjusted to gross the founder shares up to 20% of the total founder shares and public shares and equity-linked securities outstanding. This letter agreement (this "Agreement") by and among 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. II (the "Company") and 10X Capital SPAC Sponsor II LLC (the "Sponsor"), dated as of the date hereof, will confirm our agreement that, commencing on the date the securities of the Company are first listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (the . In a SPAC IPO, the underwriters will receive a discount of 5.5% of the gross proceeds, but only 2% of the discount will be paid at the closing of the IPO. Under stock exchange rules, the De-SPAC transaction must be with one or more target businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting discount and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement for the De-SPAC transaction. We have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate., We have not (nor have any of our agents or affiliates) been approached by any candidates (or representatives of any candidates) with respect to a possible acquisition transaction with us.. The SPAC enters into a registration rights agreement with the sponsor and any other holders of founder shares and founder warrants (typically the SPACs independent directors), giving the sponsor and such other holders broad registration rights for the founder shares, founder warrants and other equity the sponsor and such other holders own in the SPAC. January 14, 2022 - When a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) completes an IPO, the proceeds are held in a trust account until the SPAC identifies a target company to merge with,. There are certain advantages to pursuing a de-SPAC transaction as opposed to an IPO. The retail investor also holds warrants. The team then raises seed capital for a SPAC sponsor from various sources, including private equity or venture capital-backed funds. The common stock included in the units sold to the public is sometimes classified as Class A common stock, with the sponsor purchasing Class B or Class F common stock. The funds in the trust account are typically invested in short-term U.S. government securities [2] or held as cash and are released to fund (i) the business combination, (ii) redemption of common stock pursuant to a mandatory redemption offer (as described below in De-SPAC ProcessRedemption Offer), (iii) payment of the deferred underwriting discount and (iv) if any amounts remain, to cover transaction expenses and working capital of the company post-De-SPAC transaction. Read about the challenges and opportunities that could lie ahead. adjustments. For more information on the tax treatment of SPAC sponsors, see BDOs article BDO Knows SPACs: Tax Treatment of SPAC Founders Shares. The taxable amount is the FMV of the boot received. In determining to pursue a de-SPAC transaction, target equity holders will have to weigh these factors against the benefits of taking the de-SPAC route. If the target holders cash out a portion of their equity in the de-SPAC transaction, this would be the equivalent of a secondary offering in conjunction with an IPO. Alternatively, the types of assets the SPAC is designed to pursue may not be within the general investment mandate of an existing fund. As a result, the SEC comments are usually few and not particularly cumbersome. It is important to note that if the target is an S corporation, its S status will terminate in the de-SPAC transaction since a SPAC (which is taxed as a C corporation) is not an eligible S corporation shareholder. The time horizon for a typical de-SPAC transaction is three to four months, while a traditional IPO often requires six to nine months from commencement to completion. The SPAC also enters into an investment management trust agreement with a trustee, which governs the investment and release of the funds held in the trust account after the IPO. As the SPAC and target work towards a business combination agreement, share dilution becomes a key negotiation point of the SPAC. Additionally, the IPO prospectus will typically include a statement that the SPAC will not consider a business combination with any company that has already been identified to the private equity group as a suitable acquisition candidate.