UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 10-K

 

 

 

(Mark One)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

 

Or

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                  to

 

Commission File No. 001-40311

 

 

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands   98-1578154
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

357 Tehama Street, Floor 3 San Francisco, CA     94103
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(415) 966-0807
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange
on which registered
Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share   PANA   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  No 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes  No 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  No 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes  No 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company
    Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes  No 

 

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s Class A ordinary shares outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the Registrant, computed as of June 30, 2021 (the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), was approximately $178,224,043.

 

As of March 31, 2022, there were there were 17,795,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, and 3,450,000 Class F ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, of the Registrant issued and outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

 

FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

        Page
PART I.     2
  Item 1. Business.   2
  Item 1.A. Risk Factors.   7
  Item 1.B.  Unresolved Staff Comments.   37
  Item 2. Properties.   37
  Item 3. Legal Proceedings.   37
  Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.   37
PART II.     38
  Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.   38
  Item 6. [Reserved].   39
  Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.   39
  Item 7.A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.   42
  Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data   42
  Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.   42
  Item 9.A. Controls and Procedures.   42
  Item 9.B.  Other Information.   43
  Item 9.C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspection.   43
PART III.     44
  Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.   44
  Item 11. Executive Compensation.   53
  Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.   53
  Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.   56
  Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.   57
PART IV.     58
  Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.   58
  Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.   59

 

i

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “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.

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K 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, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:

 

our being a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no operating revenues;

 

our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

 

our ability to complete our initial Business Combination (as defined below);

 

our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;

 

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;

 

the proceeds of the forward purchase shares being available to us;

 

our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial Business Combination;

 

our pool of prospective target businesses and the biotechnology sector;

 

our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, global hostilities, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases);

 

the ability of our directors and officers to generate a number of potential Business Combination opportunities;

 

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 (as defined below) or available to us from interest income on the Trust Account balance;

 

the Trust Account not being subject to claims of third parties;

 

our financial performance; and

 

the other risk and uncertainties discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

 

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.

 

ii

 

PART I.

 

References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) to “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” are to Panacea Acquisition Corp. II, a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, and references to the “Sponsor” refer to EcoR1 Panacea Holdings II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. References to our “initial shareholders” refer to our Sponsor and each of our independent directors.

 

Item 1. Business.

 

Overview

 

Our Chief Executive Officer Oleg Nodelman has been the portfolio manager of EcoR1 Capital, LLC (“EcoR1”), a biotech-focused investment advisory firm that invests in companies at all stages of research and development, since he founded it in 2013. Our independent directors have extensive experience in drug discovery, preclinical research, clinical medicine, development and regulatory, operational and management leadership within the healthcare and financial industry, spanning a cumulative 100 years of experience in the biotech or pharma industry. We believe the experience of our team, strengthened by their industry network and our experienced board of directors, will enhance our management team’s ability to source viable prospective target businesses, capitalize them and ensure public-market readiness. Following the completion of our initial Business Combination, we believe our independent directors will fortify our ongoing operations by providing sound and experienced counsel on potential future acquisitions, divestitures, corporate strategy and human resources.

 

We are a blank check company incorporated in January 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). While we may pursue an initial Business Combination opportunity in any industry or geographical location, we intend to capitalize on our management team’s background and experience to identify innovative companies in the biotechnology sector that are domiciled in North America or Europe. Our Sponsor is EcoR1 Panacea Holdings II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an affiliate of EcoR1 and Oleg Nodelman.

 

The registration statement for our Initial Public Offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) became effective on April 6, 2021. On April 9, 2021, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares (the “Public Shares”), which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 2,250,000 Public Shares, at $10.00 per Public Share, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 545,000 shares (the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share in a private placement to our Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $5,450,000.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on April 9, 2021, an amount of $172,500,000 ($10.00 per Public Share) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), and will be 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 certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), as determined by us, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the our shareholders, as described below.

 

1

 

Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. The stock exchange listing rules require that the Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account). We will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

 

We intend to effectuate our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares and the forward purchase shares, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, shares and debt. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to the Initial Public Offering. 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. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.

 

We will provide the holders of the Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of the Business Combination, either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion. The Public Shareholders 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 us to pay our tax obligations).

 

We will have until April 9, 2023 (or July 9, 2023, if we have executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle, or definitive agreement for a Business Combination by April 9, 2023) to consummate a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if we have not completed a Business Combination within the Combination 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, 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 and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish the rights of the Public Shareholders as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the our remaining Public Shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

2

 

Effecting a Business Combination

 

Our Business Strategy

 

Our acquisition strategy is to identify and acquire an untapped opportunity within the biotechnology sector and build a public company. We believe our management team is well positioned to identify unique opportunities in our targeted sector based on their strong networks and experience and our core investment philosophy of identifying companies that are downside protected with outsized potential upside. Our selection process will leverage the relationships of our management team with industry captains, key opinion leaders, respected peers, and our management team’s network of investment banking executives, attorneys, and accountants. We also believe that EcoR1’s reputation, experience and track record of making investments in the biotechnology space will make us a preferred partner for these potential targets.

 

Business Combination Criteria

 

Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following criteria to evaluate prospective target businesses. We may however, decide to enter into our initial Business Combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe have the following characteristics:

 

Risk/reward profile that is skewed to the upside. As is core to our basic investment approach, we intend to identify businesses that have an asymmetric risk/reward profile, significant competitive advantages and underexploited expansion opportunities that can benefit from access to additional capital and provide the potential for exceptional returns for our shareholders.

 

Strong management team in place. We intend to identify businesses with strong and experienced public-ready management teams, either in the form of entrepreneurs with whom we have worked in the past or seasoned industry veterans who have the experience and track record of value creation for their stockholders.

 

3

 

Innovative and quality science. While science is not the first place we begin our diligence, an important element in our process is to evaluate the rigor of the underlying science and understand a business’s unique value and ability to address an unmet need in the marketplace.

 

Multiple avenues for growth opportunities. We intend to identify businesses that have multiple shots on goal. Outside of the lead asset that may hold the underwritten downside protection, we are looking for businesses that have other areas for potential growth in their pipeline that are not necessarily reflected in the value assigned to them at acquisition, but provide multiple “ways to win.”

 

Potential to provide significant benefits to patients. We intend to identify businesses that are developing therapies that have the potential to significantly enhance the treatment paradigm or represent first-in-class therapeutics for patients and physicians.

 

Unrecognized value or other characteristics that we believe have been misunderstood by the market. We seek to find value where others do not typically look. We will seek target businesses that are attractively valued due to being overlooked, misunderstood, or undercapitalized. Our diligence process to identify these opportunities may include, among other things, a review and analysis of the business’s capital structure, potential for future earnings, preclinical or clinical data, potential for operational improvements, corporate governance, customers, existing or potential partnerships with larger pharma companies, and the industry and trends. We intend to leverage the operational experience and disciplined investment approach of our team to identify opportunities to unlock value that our experience in complex situations allows us to pursue.

 

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial Business Combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant.

 

Additional Disclosures

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

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

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Management Team — Certain 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 should be presented.” In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors and if our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

 

Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our securities following the Initial Public Offering, and accordingly, they 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 was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial Business Combination.

 

Our officers and directors are from time to time 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 any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a Business Combination transaction with us.

 

4

 

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. 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, 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. For more information, see the section entitled “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Conflicts of Interest.”

 

We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

The Nasdaq Capital Market (“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 deferred underwriting commissions and 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. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial Business Combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial Business Combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

We anticipate structuring our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our Public Shareholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial Business Combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial Business Combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial Business Combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial Business Combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial Business Combination. If less than 100% of the issued and outstanding 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 by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial Business Combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

 

5

 

Competition

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire.

 

Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for Business Combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing Business Combinations. While we believe there will be numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. Our Sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us, although, other than the forward purchase agreement, our Sponsor and its affiliates has no obligation or other duty to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our Public Shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial Business Combination and our issued and outstanding alignment shares and the forward shares, and the dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial Business Combination.

 

Human Capital Management

 

We currently have five officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination. Members of our management team 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 that any such person will devote in any time period to our Company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial Business Combination and the current stage of the Business Combination process.

 

Item 1.A. 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 Annual Report, including our financial statements and related notes, before making a decision to invest in our securities. 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. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

 

Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination

 

Our Public Shareholders 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 Shareholders do not support such a combination.

 

We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial Business Combination unless the Business Combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a general meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares to a target business as consideration in any Business Combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a Business Combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such Business Combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or will allow shareholders 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. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial Business Combination even if holders of a majority of our issued and outstanding Public Shares do not approve of the Business Combination we consummate.

 

6

 

If we seek shareholder 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 Shareholders vote.

 

Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any Founder Shares, alignment shares, Private Placement Shares and Public Shares held by them in favor of our initial Business Combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ Founder Shares, alignment shares and Private Placement Shares, we would need 5,468,251, or 31.7% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted), or none (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 17,250,000 Public Shares sold in the Initial Public Offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial Business Combination approved. We expect that our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 26.8% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares at the time of any such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial Business Combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees agreed to vote their Founder Shares, alignment shares and Private Placement Shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our Public Shareholders.

 

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 shareholder approval of such Business Combination.

 

Since our board of directors may complete a Business Combination without seeking shareholder approval, Public Shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the Business Combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder 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 Shareholders in which we describe our initial Business Combination.

 

The ability of our Public Shareholders 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 a Business Combination with a target.

 

We may seek to enter into a Business Combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many Public Shareholders 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 Business Combination. In no event will we redeem our Public Shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, 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 (including, potentially, with the same target). Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a Business Combination transaction with us.

 

7

 

The ability of our Public Shareholders 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 shareholders 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. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions. 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 Shareholders 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 shares.

 

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 increases. 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 shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares 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 shares in the open market.

 

The requirement that we complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a Business Combination and may limit the time we have in which 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 shareholders.

 

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a Business Combination will be aware that we must complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a 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 end of 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 Shareholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances. Public Shareholders may also be forced to wait beyond the prescribed time frame before redemption from our Trust Account.

 

Our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering if we have executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering but have not completed the initial Business Combination within such 24-month period). 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 COVID-19 pandemic continues both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the pandemic 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 COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, global hostilities, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.

 

8

 

If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within such time period or during any Extension Period (as defined below), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Due to certain provisions of the Companies Act, investors may be forced to wait beyond the prescribed time frame before the redemption proceeds of our Trust Account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our Trust Account. In such case, our Public Shareholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than $10.00 per share, on the redemption of their shares. Please 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 shareholders 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 COVID-19 pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, global hostilities, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a Business Combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a Business Combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 or other events restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a Business Combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 variants and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, global hostilities, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for a prolonged period of time, our ability to consummate a Business Combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a Business Combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

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 (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, global hostilities, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility and decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

 

Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, global hostilities, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and crossborder transactions.

 

9

 

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into certain transactions, including purchasing shares from the public, which may influence the outcome of our proposed Business Combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.

 

If we seek shareholder 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 Public Shares 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 or other duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such public shareholder, 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 Public Shares in privately negotiated transactions from Public Shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling Public Shareholders 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 shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial Business Combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial Business Combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire Public Shares, vote their Public Shares in favor of our initial Business Combination or not redeem their Public Shares. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote such shares in favor of the initial Business Combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the initial Business Combination or (2) 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. Any such transactions may result in the completion of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

 

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

 

If a shareholder 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 shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, 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 Shareholders 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 or proxy materials documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled 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 shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.

 

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

 

We are exempt from certain rules promulgated by the SEC related to certain blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial Business Combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the Initial Public Offering was 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 our initial Business Combination.

 

10

 

If we seek shareholder 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 shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.

 

If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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 sold in the Initial Public Offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not restrict our shareholders’ 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 shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for Business Combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period, our Public Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for Business Combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing Business Combinations. While we believe there will be numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. Our Sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us, although, other than the forward purchase agreement, our Sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or other duty to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our Public Shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial Business Combination and our issued and outstanding alignment shares and the forward shares, and the dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our Public Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account. Please 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

11

 

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.

 

If the funds not being held in the Trust Account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable), we may be unable to complete our initial Business Combination.

 

The funds available to us outside of the Trust Account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable), assuming that our initial Business Combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in “Item 7. 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. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.

 

Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed Business Combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we enter into an 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 prospective target business. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our Public Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account. Please 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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.

 

Recently, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. 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. These trends may continue into the future.

 

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete 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 and/or accept less favorable terms. Furthermore, 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.

 

12

 

In addition, after completion of any initial Business Combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such 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 third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders 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 (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our Public Shareholders, 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 an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. 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. 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 we are 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 have not completed 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 Shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the Trust Account, due to claims of such creditors.

 

Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, 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: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our Sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our Company. Our Sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for our initial Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial Business Combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your Public Shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

13

 

Our independent 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 Shareholders.

 

In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of 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 may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may 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 Shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

 

The securities in which we invest the funds held in the Trust Account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by Public Shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

The proceeds held in the Trust Account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. While short-term U.S. government 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 that we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our Public Shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by Public Shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share. Negative interest rates could also reduce the amount of funds we have available to complete our initial Business Combination.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Shareholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Shareholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or insolvency laws as a voidable transaction. As a result, a liquidator or bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. 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 by paying Public Shareholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.

 

If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our Public Shareholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or 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 shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

 

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

 

14

 

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 with the SEC;

 

adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are currently not 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 of 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 a 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. The Initial Public Offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions 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 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (iii) absent a Business Combination, our return of the funds held in the Trust Account to our Public Shareholders 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 consummate our initial Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our Public Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account. In certain circumstances, our Public Shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. Please 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

15

 

Changes in laws or regulations or how such laws or regulations are interpreted or applied, or a failure to comply with any laws or regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, and results of operations.

 

We are and will be 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, our Business Combination may be contingent on our ability to comply with certain laws and regulations and any post-Business Combination company may be subject to additional laws and regulations. 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, including as a result of changes in economic, political, social and government policies, and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, 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.

 

If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the allotted time period, our Public Shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such allotted time period before redemption from our Trust Account.

 

If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable) or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months (or 27 months, as applicable) as a result of a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (an “Extension Period”), we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our Public Shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of Public Shareholders from the Trust Account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the Trust Account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our Public Shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “Companies Act”). In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the allotted time period before the redemption proceeds of our Trust Account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our Trust Account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial Business Combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and then only in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will Public Shareholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial Business Combination within the required time period and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior thereto.

 

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

 

If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing themselves and our Company to claims, by paying Public Shareholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offense and may be liable for a fine of up to approximately $18,300 and to imprisonment for up to five years in the Cayman Islands.

 

16

 

 

We may not hold an annual general meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial Business Combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, Public Shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, prior to our Business Combination (a) as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our Public Shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors and (b) holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees and the forward purchase investors 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 Class A ordinary shares.

 

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with the Initial Public Offering, at or after the time of our initial Business Combination, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their Founder Shares and alignment shares after those shares convert to our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, (1) our Sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the Private Placement Shares, (2) holders of Class A ordinary shares that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such shares and (3) the forward purchase investors can demand we register the resale of the forward purchase shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial Business Combination more costly or difficult to complete. This is because the shareholders 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 Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the securities described above are registered for resale.

 

Because we are neither limited to evaluating target businesses in a particular industry, sector or geographic area 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 may seek to complete a Business Combination with an operating company in any industry, sector or geographic area. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial Business Combination solely 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders who choose to remain a shareholder following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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We may seek acquisition opportunities in acquisition targets that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.

 

Although we expect to focus our search for a target business in the biotechnology sector, we will consider a Business Combination 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. 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 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 shareholders who choose to remain a shareholder following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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 shareholders 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder 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 Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account.

 

We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and 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. 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 regarding fairness. Consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Unless we complete our initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, we are not required to obtain an opinion that the price we are paying is fair to our Company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial Business Combination.

 

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We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial Business Combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial Business Combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class F ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 undesignated preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 482,205,000, 47,700,000 and 46,550,000 authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares available, respectively, for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares or issuance of any forward purchase shares. Our Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial Business Combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. The Class F ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one hundred-to-one basis on the business day following the fifth anniversary of our initial Business Combination; provided that the Class F ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one-to-one basis on or prior to the fifth anniversary of our initial Business Combination, subject to adjustment as set forth herein, upon the earlier of (1) our meeting certain share price performance thresholds following the completion of our initial Business Combination and (2) subsequent to the completion of our initial Business Combination, the date on which we complete a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in both a change of control and all of our Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. As of December 31, 2021, there were no preferred shares issued and outstanding.

 

We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares, and may issue preferred shares, in order to complete our initial Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial Business Combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial Business Combination, upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares or Class F ordinary shares, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein.

 

However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that prior to our initial Business Combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the Trust Account or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association on any initial Business Combination or any amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares, including pursuant to the forward purchase agreement:

 

may significantly dilute the equity interest of public investors, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares or Class F ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of such shares;

 

may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares;

 

could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares 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 share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and
  
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares.

 

19

 

Our initial Business Combination or reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.

 

We may, subject to requisite shareholder approval by special resolution under the Companies Act, effect a Business Combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or reincorporate in another jurisdiction. Such transactions may result in tax liability for a shareholder in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident (or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity), in which the target company is located, or in which we reincorporate. In the event of a reincorporation pursuant to our initial Business Combination, such tax liability may attach prior to any consummation of redemptions. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay such taxes.

 

Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions 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 Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account.

 

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial Business Combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to 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 Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account. Please 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

We may engage in a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors 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 with or competitive with our Sponsor, officers and directors, and their respective affiliates. Our directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for Business Combination opportunities. 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 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 entity that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our Company from a financial point of view of a Business Combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, if our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the business, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the Business Combination may not be as advantageous to our Public Shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

 

Moreover, we may, at our option, pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with our Sponsor or its affiliates or with other entities to which an officer or director has a fiduciary, contractual or other obligation or duty. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial Business Combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by making a future issuance of securities to any such parties, which may give rise to certain conflicts of interest.

 

20

 

We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after the Initial Public Offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial Business Combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial Business Combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the Initial Public Offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial Business Combination.

 

We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after the Initial Public Offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of the prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with the Initial Public Offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial Business Combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a Business Combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial Business Combination.

 

Since our initial shareholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial Business Combination is not completed (other than with respect to any Public Shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular Business Combination target is appropriate for our initial Business Combination.

 

Our initial shareholders hold 2,300,000 Founder Shares and 3,450,000 alignment shares, as of the date of this Annual Report, including 2,200,000 Founder Shares and 3,450,000 alignment shares held by our Sponsor. The Founder Shares and alignment shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial Business Combination. In addition, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 545,000 Private Placement Shares for a purchase price of $5,450,000, or $10.00 per share, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial Business Combination.

 

As a result, 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. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial Business Combination nears.

 

We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a Business Combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.

 

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 is payable on demand;

 

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

 

21

 

our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares;

 

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 ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

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

 

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

 

limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

We may only be able to complete one Business Combination with the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares and forward purchase shares, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may materially negatively impact our operations and profitability.

 

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 financial, economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several Business Combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

 

solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, 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 financial, 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. 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 a Business Combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

 

In pursuing our acquisition 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 a Business Combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

 

22

 

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

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our Public Shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, 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 Shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder 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 Public Shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares, all ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate Business Combination (including, potentially, with the same target).

 

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. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial Business Combination that some of our shareholders 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. 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. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in order to effectuate our initial Business Combination. To the extent any such amendment would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through the registration statement of which the prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering forms a part, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.

 

Certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-Business Combination activity may be amended with the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, 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 memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial Business Combination that some of our shareholders may not support.

 

Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-Business Combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the Company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the Company’s Public Shares. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that any of its provisions related to pre-Business Combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares into the Trust Account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to Public Shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting (including, in the case of amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial Business Combination, the approval of holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares), and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will beneficially own 26.8% of our ordinary shares, may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 memorandum and articles of association which will govern our pre-Business Combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial Business Combination with which you do not agree.

 

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

 

If the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares and forward purchase shares available to us prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial Business Combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed Business Combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Neither our Sponsor nor its affiliates are obligated to provide, or seek, any such financing or, except as expressly set forth herein, to provide any other services to us. 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. 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. Other than in connection with the forward purchase agreement, none of our officers, directors or shareholders 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 Shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account.

 

Our initial shareholders will control the appointment of our board of directors until consummation of our initial Business Combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will appoint all of our directors prior to our initial Business Combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

 

Our initial shareholders own 26.8% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. In addition, prior to our initial Business Combination, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the right to appoint all of our directors and may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of our Public Shares will have no right to appoint directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by holders of at least two-thirds of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting, including holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment of directors prior to our initial Business Combination.

 

In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our Company, our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a shareholder vote. The forward purchase shares will not be issued until completion of our initial Business Combination and, accordingly, will not be included in any shareholder vote until such time.

 

Because we must furnish our shareholders 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 a 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 (“U.S. GAAP”) or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“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) (“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 acquisition.

 

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, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we 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 acquisition.

 

Global or regional conditions may adversely affect our business and our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination.

 

Adverse changes in global or regional economic conditions periodically occur, including recession or slowing growth, changes, or uncertainty in fiscal, monetary or trade policy, higher interest rates, tighter credit, inflation, lower capital expenditures by businesses, increases in unemployment and lower consumer confidence and spending. Adverse changes in economic conditions can harm global business and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination. Such adverse changes could result from geopolitical and security issues, such as armed conflict and civil or military unrest, political instability, human rights concerns and terrorist activity, catastrophic events such as natural disasters and public health issues (including the COVID-19 pandemic), supply chain interruptions, new or revised export, import or doing-business regulations, including trade sanctions and tariffs or other global or regional occurrences.

 

In particular, in response to Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and several other countries are imposing far-reaching sanctions and export control restrictions on Russian entities and individuals. This rising conflict and the resulting market volatility could adversely affect global economic, political and market conditions. Additionally, tensions between the United States and China have led to increased tariffs and trade restrictions. The United States has imposed economic sanctions on certain Chinese individuals and entities and restrictions on the export of U.S.-regulated products and technology to certain Chinese technology companies. These and other global and regional conditions may adversely impact our business and our ability to find an attractive target businesses with which to consummate our initial Business Combination.

 

If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial Business Combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial Business Combination, 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 market, 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 how relevant governments respond to such factors), including any of the following:

 

costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with 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;

 

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longer payment cycles;

 

changes in local regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

tax consequences, such as tax law changes, including termination or reduction of tax and other incentives that the applicable government provides to domestic companies, and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

 

currency fluctuations and exchange controls, including devaluations and other exchange rate movements;

 

rates of inflation, price instability and interest rate fluctuations;

 

liquidity of domestic capital and lending markets;

 

challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

cultural and language differences;

 

employment regulations;

 

energy shortages;

 

crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, wars and other forms of social instability;

 

deterioration of political relations with the United States;

 

obligatory military service by personnel; and

 

government appropriation of assets.

 

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 combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company

 

Subsequent to our completion of our initial Business Combination, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, 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 post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain a shareholder following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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After our initial Business Combination, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.

 

The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination and if we effect our initial Business Combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.

 

Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial Business Combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

 

We may structure our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our Public Shareholders own or acquire shares will own less than 100% of the issued and outstanding 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 issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business 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 or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our 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 our initial Business Combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new ordinary shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial Business Combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the Company’s shares 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 may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial Business Combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

 

When evaluating the desirability of effecting 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 shareholders who choose to remain a shareholder following our initial Business Combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial Business Combination. The departure of a Business Combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition 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 acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial Business Combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. As a result, we may need to reconstitute the management team of the post-transaction company in connection with our initial Business Combination, which may adversely impact our ability to complete an acquisition in a timely manner or at all.

 

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After our initial Business Combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all or substantially all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.

 

It is possible that after our initial Business Combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all or substantially all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.

 

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 post-Business Combination 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.

 

Risks Relating to Our Management Team

 

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. 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.

 

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, we do not currently expect that any of them will do so. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage 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 acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial Business Combination. The departure of a Business Combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition 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 acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial Business Combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular Business Combination, and a particular Business Combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may cause our key personnel to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular Business Combination. However, we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial Business Combination.

 

Our key personnel may be able to remain with our Company after the completion of our initial Business Combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the Business Combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the Business 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 Business Combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. 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, as we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial Business Combination. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial Business Combination.

 

Our officers and directors 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 a Business Combination and their other responsibilities. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our Business Combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors, for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and/or 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. Please see “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs.

 

Certain 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 determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction should be presented.

 

Until we consummate our initial Business Combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our Sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. We do not have employment contracts or other agreements with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses.

 

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As described in “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — 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. 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, 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 memorandum and articles of association provide will that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.

 

Please see “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance,” “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance — Conflicts of Interest” and “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Support Service Agreement” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and potential conflicts of interest.

 

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 a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, directors or officers. 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. Additionally, the forward purchase investors are affiliates of our Sponsor.

 

Certain agreements related to the Initial Public Offering may be amended without shareholder approval.

 

Certain agreements, including the letter agreement among us and our Sponsor, officers and directors, the registration rights agreement among us and our initial shareholders, and the forward purchase agreement, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions, including transfer restrictions on our Founder Shares, alignment shares and Private Placement Shares, that our Public Shareholders might deem to be material. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial Business Combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination. Any such amendments would not require approval from our shareholders, may result in the completion of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.

 

Risks Relating to Our Securities

 

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, potentially at a loss.

 

Our Public Shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial Business Combination, and then only in connection with those Public Shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions 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 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our Public Shares if we have not completed our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable), subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in or to the Trust Account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your Public Shares, potentially at a loss.

 

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

 

We cannot assure you that our Class A ordinary shares will continue to be listed on Nasdaq. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial Business Combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Additionally, in connection with our initial Business Combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the applicable exchange’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

 

If our Class A ordinary shares are delisted from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our Class A ordinary shares on another national securities exchange, we expect our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares;

 

reduced liquidity for our Class A ordinary shares;

 

a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares 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 pre-empts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Our Class A ordinary shares currently qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are pre-empted from regulating the sale of covered 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 shares would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our shares, which may negatively impact our ability to consummate our initial Business Combination.

 

Our initial shareholders, including our Sponsor own, in the aggregate, 26.8% of the ordinary shares issued and outstanding, which includes the Class F ordinary shares which are subject to share performance vesting conditions.

 

Most blank check companies issue Founder Shares representing 20% of the ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon the consummation of such blank check company’s Initial Public Offering. We have issued 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares, which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial Business Combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. We have also issued 3,450,000 Class F ordinary shares, which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one hundred-to-one basis on the business day following the fifth anniversary of our initial Business Combination; provided that the Class F ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one-to-one basis on or prior to the fifth anniversary of our initial Business Combination upon the earlier of (1) our meeting certain share price performance thresholds following the completion of our initial Business Combination and (2) subsequent to the completion of our initial Business Combination, the date on which we complete a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in both a change of control and all of our Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, in each case subject to adjustment as set forth herein. The Class B ordinary shares plus the Class F ordinary shares will represent 25% of the ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon the consummation of the Initial Public Offering (not including the Private Placement Shares). If all of our Class F ordinary shares vest, the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of all of our Class F ordinary shares would dilute the interest of our shareholders relative to shareholders of other blank check companies.

 

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Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.

 

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.

 

Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.

 

We have been advised by Maples and Calder, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (1) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (2) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

 

As a result of all of the above, Public Shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as Public Shareholders of a United States company.

 

Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include staggered board of directors, the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination only holders of our Class B ordinary shares and holders of our Class F ordinary shares, in each case, which are held by our initial shareholders, are entitled to appoint directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Since only holders of our Founder Shares and alignment shares will have the right to appoint directors prior to our initial Business Combination, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that would otherwise provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

 

Only holders of our Founder Shares and alignment shares will have the right to appoint directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:

 

we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under Nasdaq rules;

 

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we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

we have independent director oversight of our director nominations.

 

We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements.

 

General Risk Factors

 

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

 

We are a newly incorporated company with no operating results. 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 a 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 members of our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

 

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, members of our management team and their respective affiliates, including EcoR1, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance, including related to acquisitions, of members of our management team and their respective affiliates, including EcoR1, is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial Business Combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial Business Combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance, including that of EcoR1, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in EcoR1 or any of its funds.

 

We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.

 

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our taxable year ended December 31, 2021, our current taxable year, and our subsequent taxable years may depend upon the status of an acquired company pursuant to a Business Combination and whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. Depending on the particular circumstances, the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2021, our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, moreover, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. We urge U.S. Holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our ordinary shares.

 

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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.

 

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 or 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. 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 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.

 

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Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of 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.

 

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s accounting and reporting of complex financial instruments, including application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of Public Shares. As a result of this material weakness, our management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2021. We have taken a number of measures to remediate such material weakness; however, if we are unable to remediate our material weakness in a timely manner or we identify additional material weakness, we may be unable to provide required financial information in a timely and reliable manner and we may incorrectly report financial information. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. The existence of material weakness in internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of us, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our shares. We can give no assurance that the measures we have taken and plan to take in the future will remediate the material weakness identified or that any additional material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls. Even if we are successful in strengthening our controls and procedures, in the future those controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify irregularities or errors or to facilitate the fair presentation of our financial statements.

 

We may face litigation and other risks as a result of the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.

 

As a result of such material weakness described above and other matters raised or that may in the future be raised by the SEC, we face potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others, claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements. As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute. However, we can provide no assurance that such litigation or dispute will not arise in the future. Any such litigation or dispute, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or our ability to complete a Business Combination.

 

In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial Business Combination, our management will rely on the availability of all of the funds from the sale of the forward purchase shares to be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial Business Combination. If the sale of some or all of the forward purchase shares fails to close, for any reason, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial Business Combination.

 

We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which the forward purchase investors will agree to purchase forward purchase shares for $25,000,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement to close substantially concurrently with our initial Business Combination. The funds from the sale of forward purchase shares may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in our initial Business Combination, expenses in connection with our initial Business Combination or for working capital in the post-transaction company. The obligations under the forward purchase agreement will not depend on whether any Public Shareholders elect to redeem their shares and will provide us with a minimum funding level for the initial Business Combination.

 

If the sale of some or all of the forward purchase shares does not close for any reason, including by reason of the failure by the forward purchase investors to fund the purchase price for their forward purchase shares, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial Business Combination. Additionally, the forward purchase investors’ obligations to purchase the forward purchase shares will be subject to termination prior to the closing of the sale of the forward purchase shares by mutual written consent of the Company and the forward purchase investors. The forward purchase investors’ obligations to purchase its forward purchase shares will be subject to fulfillment of customary closing conditions. In the event of any such failure to fund by the forward purchase investors, any obligation is so terminated or any such closing condition is not satisfied and not waived by the forward purchase investors, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial Business Combination.

 

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Item 1.B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

 

None.

 

Item 2. Properties.

 

We currently maintain our executive offices at 357 Tehama Street, Floor 3, San Francisco, CA 94103. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee that we will pay an affiliate of our Sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

 

We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any material legal proceeding threatened against us or any of our officers or directors in their corporate capacity.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

 

None.

 

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PART II.

 

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

 

(a) Market Information

 

Our Class A ordinary shares began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “PANA” on April 7, 2021.

 

(b) Holders

 

As of March 26, 2022, there were two holders of record of our Class A ordinary shares.

 

(c) Dividends

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our Class A ordinary shares 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. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial Business Combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

(d) Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

None.

 

(e) Performance Graph

 

The performance graph has been omitted as permitted under rules applicable to smaller reporting companies.

 

(f) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings 

 

Unregistered Sales

 

On January 14, 2021, our Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) and 3,450,000 Class F ordinary shares (the “alignment shares”). On January 15, 2021, our Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of the Company’s independent directors at their original purchase price. Up to 300,000 Founder Shares and 450,000 alignment shares were subject to forfeiture by our Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part so that the Founder Shares and alignment shares would represent 10% and 15%, respectively, of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming our Sponsor did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering and excluding the Private Placement Shares). As a result of the underwriter’s election to fully exercise their over-allotment option, the Founder Shares and alignment shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 545,000 Private Placement Shares at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,450,000, in a private placement. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Shares were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Shares will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Shares.

 

These issuance was made pursuant to 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.

 

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Use of Proceeds

 

On April 9, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 17,250,000 Class A Ordinary shares at $10.00 per share, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000. Cowen served as the sole book-running manager. The securities sold in the Initial Public Offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-254056). The SEC declared the registration statements effective on April 6, 2021.

 

In connection with the Initial Public Offering, we incurred offering costs of approximately $10,017,468 (including deferred underwriting commissions of approximately $6,037,500). Other incurred offering costs consisted principally of preparation fees related to the Initial Public Offering. After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions (excluding the deferred portion, which amount will be payable upon consummation of the initial Business Combination, if consummated) and the Initial Public Offering expenses, $172,500,000 million of the net proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds from the private placement of the private placement shares (or $10.00 per Unit sold in the Initial Public Offering) was placed in the Trust Account. The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement shares are held in the Trust Account and invested as described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

There has been no material change in the planned use of the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement as is described in the Company’s final prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering. For a description of the use of the proceeds generated from the Initial Public Offering, see “Item 1. Business.”

 

Item 6. [Reserved].

 

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Panacea Acquisition Corp. II. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Overview

 

We are a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on January 14, 2021 formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar Business Combination with one or more businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash derived from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, shares and debt.

 

We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.

 

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Results of Operations

 

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for the Initial Public Offering, described below, and identifying a target company for a Business Combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account. We will incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.

 

For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had net loss $736,297, which consisted of operating and formation costs of $745,878 offset by interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of $9,581.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

On April 9, 2021, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares, which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 2,250,000 Public Shares, at $10.00 per Public Share, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 545,000 Private Placement Shares at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share in a private placement to Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $5,450,000.

 

Following the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares, a total of $172,500,000 was placed in the Trust Account. We incurred $10,017,468 in Initial Public Offering related costs, including $3,450,000 of underwriting fees, net of reimbursement, $6,037,500 of deferred underwriting fees and $529,968 of other costs.

 

For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $1,227,372. Net loss of $736,297 was affected by interest earned on investments held in the Trust Account of $9,581, and payment of formation costs through promissory note by sponsor of $5,000. Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $486,494 of cash for operating activities.

 

As of December 31, 2021, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $172,509,581 (including approximately $9,581 of interest income and unrealized gains) consisting of money market funds which are invested primarily in U.S. Treasury Securities. We may withdraw interest from the Trust Account to pay taxes, if any. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our share capital or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

 

As of December 31, 2021, we had cash held outside the Trust Account of $353,114. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination.

 

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares at a price of $10.00 per share, at the option of the lender. The shares would be identical to the Class A ordinary shares.

 

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We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon consummation of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements

 

We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2021. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, administrative and support services. We began incurring these fees on April 6, 2021 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination and our liquidation.

 

The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per share, or $6,037,500 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

We entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which the funds affiliated with EcoR1 Capital, LLC (the “forward purchase investors”) have agreed to purchase an aggregate of up to 2,500,000 shares (the “forward purchase shares”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per share, or an aggregate of $25,000,000, in a private placement to close concurrently with the closing of a Business Combination. The obligations under the forward purchase agreements will not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares are redeemed by the public shareholders. The forward purchase shares will be identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Public Shares being sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that they will be subject to certain registration rights.

 

The proceeds from the sale of the forward purchase shares may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in a Business Combination, expenses in connection with a Business Combination or for working capital. This purchase will be required to be made regardless of whether any Public Shares are redeemed by the Public Shareholders and are intended to provide the Company with a minimum funding level for a Business Combination.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have not identified any critical accounting policies.

 

Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

 

We account for our Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480. Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of our balance sheet.

 

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Net Loss Per Ordinary Share

 

Net loss per common stock is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the period. The Company has three classes of ordinary shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares, and Class F ordinary shares. Losses are shared pro rata between the three classes of common stock. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, “Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)” (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. We adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 14, 2021 (inception). The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have an impact on our financial statements.

 

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.

 

Item 7.A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.

 

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.

 

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.

 

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

None.

 

Item 9.A. Controls and Procedures.

 

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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 3, 2021. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, due solely to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s accounting for complex financial instruments. As a result, we performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Form 10-K present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the period presented.

 

Management intends to implement remediation steps to improve our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, we intend to expand and improve our review process for complex securities and related accounting standards. We have improved this process by enhancing access to accounting literature, identification of third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications and consideration of additional staff with the requisite experience and training to supplement existing accounting professionals.

 

Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. In light of the material weakness, we have enhanced our processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements to better evaluate and understand the nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.

 

Item 9.B. Other Information.

 

None.

 

Item 9.C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspection.

 

Not Applicable.

 

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PART III.

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

 

Our current directors and executive officer are as follows:

 

Name   Age   Title
Oleg Nodelman   44   Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Scott Perlen   46   Chief Financial Officer
Scott Platshon   30   Chief Operating Officer
Caroline Stout   31   Chief Investment Officer
Sarah Marriott   44   Secretary and Director
Douglas Giordano   59   Director
Nina Kjellson   47   Director
Praveen Tipirneni, M.D.   53   Director
Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D.   63   Director

 

Oleg Nodelman has been our Chief Executive Officer since January 2021 and is our Chairman. Mr. Nodelman has been the Portfolio Manager of EcoR1, a biotech-focused investment advisory firm that invests in companies at all stages of research and development, since he founded it in 2013. With over 20 years of experience in biotech investing, Mr. Nodelman has expertise in all aspects of investment management and deep roots in the biotech and scientific communities. Before founding EcoR1, Mr. Nodelman was an analyst and portfolio manager from 2001 to 2012 at Biotechnology Value Fund. He currently serves as a Board Member for Prothena (Nasdaq: PRTA), a clinical-stage neuroscience company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies, AnaptysBio (NASDAQ: ANAB), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on emerging immune control mechanisms applicable to inflammation and immuno-oncology indications, and Nuvation Bio (NYSE: NUVB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company tackling unmet needs in oncology. He was the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Panacea Acquisition Corp. Mr. Nodelman has a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service with a concentration in Science and Technology from Georgetown University. Mr. Nodelman is well qualified to serve as the Chairperson of our board of directors because of his experience serving on the boards of directors of public and private companies in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector, as well as his role as Founder and Portfolio Manager of EcoR1.

 

Scott Perlen has been our Chief Financial Officer since January 2021. Mr. Perlen was the Chief Financial Officer of Panacea Acquisition Corp. and has been the Chief Financial Officer of EcoR1 since joining the firm in 2019. He oversees accounting and finance for EcoR1 and its investment funds as well as the funds’ day to day trade operations. Prior to joining EcoR1 in 2019, Mr. Perlen served as Chief Financial Officer for seven years at Sheffield Asset Management, LLC, a Chicago-based investment firm. Prior to Sheffield, Mr. Perlen was a Vice President at Grosvenor Capital Management, LP, a global leader in the alternative asset industry. During his seven years at Grosvenor, Mr. Perlen managed a group dedicated to providing outsourced CFO functionality to a number of investment firm managers and also assisted in performing operational due diligence reviews on underlying investment firms. Prior to joining Grosvenor in 2005, Mr. Perlen was an Assistant Vice President at Bank of America, focusing on operational risk and accounting for the bank’s derivatives business. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Perlen managed the operations and fund accounting at Sunrise Capital Partners, LLC, a San Diego-based investment firm. Mr. Perlen received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1997.

 

Scott Platshon has been our Chief Operating Officer since January 2021. Mr. Platshon also served as Chief Operating Officer of Panacea Acquisition Corp. and joined EcoR1 in 2015 where he currently serves as a Partner and is responsible for due diligence and analysis of biotechnology companies for value-oriented investment opportunities. Mr. Platshon previously worked at Aquilo Partners, a boutique life sciences investment bank. Mr. Platshon holds a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from Stanford University.

 

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Caroline Stout has been our Chief Investment Officer since January 2021. Ms. Stout also served as Chief Investment Officer of Panacea Acquisition Corp. and joined EcoR1 in 2014 where she currently serves as a Partner. At EcoR1, she has led several of the firm’s investments in the biotechnology sector. Ms. Stout previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse in New York. She has experience working on a range of transactions in the healthcare and biotechnology sectors, including leveraged buyouts, Initial Public Offerings and follow-on equity raises. Ms. Stout graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a Pre-Medical concentration, and Cognitive Science minor.

 

Sarah Marriott has served as our Secretary and on our board of directors since January 2021. Ms. Marriott also served as Secretary and on the board of directors of Panacea Acquisition Corp. Ms. Marriott joined EcoR1 in 2014 and is the firm’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, where she is responsible for operational, regulatory and compliance issues. Ms. Marriott has experience working across the diverse areas of civil and criminal litigation. Prior to EcoR1, she served as a Deputy District Attorney in Solano County, California. Prior to serving as a prosecutor, Ms. Marriott practiced at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in San Francisco, where she handled commercial litigation matters. Ms. Marriott previously completed a clerkship on the federal Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Ms. Marriott holds a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College. Ms. Marriott is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her deep knowledge and experience in operational, regulatory and compliance matters.

 

Douglas Giordano serves on our board of directors. Mr. Giordano is currently a Managing Director at Perceptive Advisors. Prior to joining Perceptive, Mr. Giordano served as the Senior Vice President/Global Leader, Pfizer Worldwide Business Development Group, from 2007 through 1st Quarter 2021. Mr. Giordano was responsible for leading Pfizer’s evaluation, negotiation and execution of product licensing, partnerships and M&A transactions. Under Mr. Giordano’s leadership Pfizer deployed over $125B of capital to business development across a wide range of transaction types from venture investing, biotech licensing through large scale M&A. Mr. Giordano also led Pfizer’s IPO/split-off of Zoetis, Pfizer’s consumer JV with GSK, Pfizer’s carve out and stand up of companies like Cerevel, Spring Works and Allogene; and the recently closed spin/merger of Viatris. Before leading Pfizer’s Worldwide Business Development group, Mr. Giordano held positions of increasing responsibility within Pfizer’s U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group including roles in finance, manufacturing and commercial strategy. Prior to joining Pfizer, Mr. Giordano was a consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton. Mr. Giordano earned a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Giordano served on the board of directors of ICU Medical, Inc. He currently serves on the Board of Cerevel Therapeutics and is a member of the Duke University School of Medicine Board of Visitors. Mr. Giordano is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his deep knowledge of the biotechnology industry as well as his experience serving on the boards of directors of companies in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector.

 

Nina Kjellson serves on our board of directors. Ms. Kjellson joined Canaan Partners (“Canaan”) in 2015 and is a General Partner, investing in health care companies that aim to transform care for patients. She focuses on therapeutics for serious and underserved conditions such as cancer, autoimmune, orphan and rare diseases and life-threatening infections. As a leader of Canaan’s Women of Venture program, Ms. Kjellson is a vocal advocate for women entrepreneurs and investors. She is a member of the advisory board for the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Center and is a 2018 Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. She serves on the boards of PACT Pharma, Tizona Therapeutics, Trishula Therapeutics, Tyra Biosciences, Vineti Inc., Rondo Therapeutics and Sardona Therapeutics. Prior to Canaan, Ms. Kjellson was a General Partner at InterWest Partners (“InterWest”) where she had invested in healthcare start-ups since 2002. Before InterWest, she was an investment manager at Bay City Capital, a life sciences merchant bank, and a research associate at Oracle Partners, a healthcare-focused hedge fund. Ms. Kjellson began her career conducting health policy and survey research with the Kaiser Family Foundation. Her previous investments include Alt12 (acquired by Honest Company), Aspreva (ASPV; acquired by Galenica), CNS Therapeutics (acquired by Covidien), Cidara (CDTX), Eiger Biopharmaceuticals (EIGR), Labrys Biologics (acquired by Teva), NovaCardia (acquired by Merck), Ocera (OCRX; acquired by Mallinckrodt), Trius Therapeutics (TSRX; acquired by Cubist), Paratek (PRTK) and Tesaro (TSRO). Ms. Kjellson was born in Scandinavia and grew up in the Northeast.

 

Ms. Kjellson received a B.A. in human biology from Stanford University (1997). She chairs the board of Essential Access Health and serves on the boards of Girl Effect and Life Science Cares. She has co-developed an immersive curriculum for diversity and inclusion in healthcare with Impact Experience, called Impact Experience: HealthEquity. Ms. Kjellson is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her deep knowledge of the biotechnology industry as well as her experience serving on the boards of directors of companies in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector.

 

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Praveen Tipirneni, M.D. serves on our board of directors. Praveen Tipirneni, M.D. is President and CEO of Morphic Therapeutic Inc. (“Morphic Therapeutic”). Before joining Morphic Therapeutic in 2015, he was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Global Strategy at Cubist Pharmaceuticals (“Cubist”), a position in which he served from 2002 until the Company’s acquisition by Merck in 2015. In his time at Cubist, he was a member of the clinical group working on the Cubicin NDA (skin and skin structure infections) and sNDA (Staph. Bacteremia and Endocarditis) teams. At Cubist, he was head of business development since January 2006. Prior to joining Cubist, Dr. Tipirneni worked at Sun Microsystems in corporate strategy, Covad Communications in Corporate Strategy, and Deltagen in business development. He also served time as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Dr. Tipirneni received a bachelor’s degree from MIT in mechanical engineering and an M.D. from McGill University. After completing his post-graduate residency in Internal Medicine at University of Illinois, Chicago, he received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in healthcare finance. Dr. Tipirneni is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his deep knowledge of the pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector.

 

Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D. serves on our board of directors. Dr. Williams is currently the resident, CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Codiak BioSciences. Before joining Codiak BioSciences in 2015, Dr. Williams was previously Biogen’s Executive Vice President, Research and Development, serving in this role from January 2011 to July 2015. He joined Biogen from ZymoGenetics, where he was most recently CEO and member of the board of directors. ZymoGenetics was purchased for $985 million by Bristol Myers Squibb during Dr. Williams’s tenure. Previously, he held leadership positions within the biotechnology industry, including Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Seattle Genetics, and Senior Vice President and Washington Site Leader at Amgen. Dr. Williams served in a series of scientific and senior leadership positions over a decade at Immunex, including Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and as a member of the board of directors. From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Williams served on the board of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. From 2012 to 2017, Dr. Williams served on the board of Regulus Therapeutics Inc. During his more than 30-year career in the biotechnology industry, he has played a role in the development of several novel drugs including Enbrel, Tecfidera, and Spinraza. He has served on the board of numerous biotechnology companies and is currently Chairman of the board of AC Immune.  Dr. Williams is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his deep knowledge of the pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector.

 

Director Independence

 

Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. 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 with the Company which in the opinion of the Company’s board of directors, could interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq’s listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our board of directors has determined that each of Douglas Giordano, Nina Kjellson, Praveen Tipirneni and Douglas E. Williams is an independent director as defined in Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Number, Terms of Office and Election of Officers and Directors

 

Our board of directors consists of six members. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Nina Kjellson and Douglas E. Williams, will expire at our first annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Douglas Giordano and Praveen Tipirneni, will expire at our second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Oleg Nodelman and Sarah Marriott, will expire at our third annual meeting of shareholders.

 

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Prior to consummation of our initial Business Combination, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and holders of our Class F ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, will have the right to appoint all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of our Public Shares will not have the right to appoint directors during such time. These particular provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting, which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of our Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares. Approval of our initial Business Combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, prior to our initial Business Combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors or by holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares, voting together as a single class.

 

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 amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, a President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries, and a Treasurer) as our board of directors from time to time may determine.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating committee, each of which is composed solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter that was approved by our board of directors and has the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website.

 

Audit Committee

 

We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee are Douglas Giordano, Praveen Tipirneni and Douglas E. Williams. Douglas Giordano serves as chair of the audit committee. Each member of the audit committee meets the financial literacy requirements of Nasdaq and our board of directors has determined that Douglas Giordano qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.

 

We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:

 

assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm;

 

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

 

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

 

  reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;

 

  setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

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

 

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

 

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  obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) 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;

 

  meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”;

 

  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

 

We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee are Nina Kjellson, Praveen Tipirneni and Douglas E. Williams. Nina Kjellson serves as chair of the compensation committee.

 

We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities 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, 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 making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;

 

  reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

  implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

 

  assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

  approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;

 

  producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

  reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and is 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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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

The members of our nominating committee are Nina Kjellson, Praveen Tipirneni and Douglas E. Williams. Praveen Tipirneni serves as chair of the nominating committee.

 

We have adopted a nominating committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating committee, including:

 

  identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board of directors, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual stockholder meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;

 

  developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;

 

  coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the Company; and

 

  reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.

 

The charter also provides that the nominating committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.

 

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 shareholders. 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.

 

Code of Ethics

 

We have adopted a code of ethics and business conduct (our “Code of Ethics”) applicable to our directors, officers and employees. You are 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.

 

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. 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, 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.

 

We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.

 

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Our Sponsor, officers and directors may become involved with subsequent special purpose acquisition companies similar to our Company. Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:

 

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

 

  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 us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

 

  New will enter into a forward purchase agreement with the forward purchase investors, who are affiliates of our Sponsor.

 

  Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares, alignment shares, Private Placement Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination. Additionally, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares, alignment shares and Private Placement Shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial Business Combination within 24 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 27 months, as applicable) or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial shareholders or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public 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 prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial Business Combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Shares held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of our Public Shares, and the Private Placement Shares will be worthless.

 

  With certain limited exceptions, the Founder Shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial shareholders until the earlier of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial Business Combination, (x) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property and (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, rights issuances, consolidations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial Business Combination.

 

  With certain limited exceptions, the alignment shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable until the earlier to occur of: (1) their conversion into Class A ordinary shares; and (2) subsequent to the completion of our initial Business Combination, the date on which we complete a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in both a change of control and all of our Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

  With certain limited exceptions, the Private Placement Shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial Business Combination. Each of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities.

 

  Since our Sponsor, officers and directors may directly or indirectly own our securities following the Initial Public 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 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 to proceed with a particular Business Combination.

 

  Our key personnel may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such key personnel was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial Business Combination

 

The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.

 

49

 

Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors have similar legal obligations and duties relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:

 

Individual   Entity   Entity’s Business   Affiliation
             
Oleg Nodelman   EcoR1 Capital, LLC(1)   Investment Firm   Portfolio Manager
    Prothena   Neuroscience Company   Board Member
    AnaptysBio Immunology Company Board Member
    Nuvation Bio Oncology Company Board Member
Scott Perlen   EcoR1 Capital, LLC(1)   Investment Firm   Chief Financial Officer
Scott Platshon   EcoR1 Capital, LLC(1)   Investment Firm   Principal
Caroline Stout   EcoR1 Capital, LLC(1)   Investment Firm   Principal
Sarah Marriott   EcoR1 Capital, LLC(1)   Investment Firm
Special Purpose
  Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer
Douglas Giordano   Perceptive Advisors   Investment Firm   Managing Director
    Cerevel Therapeutics  

Biopharmaceutical

Company

  Board Member
    Duke University School of
Medicine Board of Visitors
  Medical School   Member

 

50

 

Nina Kjellson   Canaan Partners   Venture Capital Firm   General Partner
    PACT Pharma  

Biotechnology

Company

  Board Member
    Tizona Therapeutics  

Biotechnology

Company

  Board Member
    Trishula Therapeutics   Biotechnology
Company
  Board Member
    Tyra Biosciences   Biotechnology
Company
  Board Member
    Vineti Inc.   Cloud-Based
Platform
  Board Member
    Sardona Therapeutics   Biotechnology
Company
  Board Member
    Rondo Therapeutics   Biotechnology
Company
  Board Member
    Essential Access Health   Nonprofit
Organization
  Chairperson of the
Board
    Girl Effect  

Nonprofit

Organization

  Board Member
    Life Science Cares   Life Sciences
Collective
  Board Member
Praveen Tipirneni, M.D.   Morphic Therapeutics, Inc   Biotechnology
Company
  Chief Executive Officer
    Tectonic Therapeutic, Inc.  

Biotechnology

Company

  Board Member
Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D.   Codiak BioSciences  

Biopharmaceutical

Company

  President, Chief
Executive Officer
and Board Member
    AC Immune  

Biopharmaceutical

Company

  Chairman of the Board

 

 

(1) Includes EcoR1 Capital, LLC and its affiliates.

 

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, 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.

 

We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — We may engage in a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.” In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors and if our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

 

51

 

In addition, our Sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in the Company in connection with the initial Business Combination, although, other than the forward purchase agreement, our Sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our Sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our Sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial Business Combination.

 

In the event that we submit our initial Business Combination to our Public Shareholders for a vote, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any Founder Shares, alignment shares, Private Placement Shares and Public Shares held by them in favor of our initial Business Combination, and our officers and directors have also agreed to vote Public Shares purchased by them (if any) during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of our initial Business Combination.

 

Item 11. Executive Compensation.

 

None of our officers or directors have received any compensation for services rendered to us. Our Sponsor, officers, directors and 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 by us to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates. In January 2021, our Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of our independent directors, each of whom purchased the Founder Shares at their original purchase price.

 

After the completion of our initial Business Combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed Business Combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial Business Combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.

 

We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial Business Combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential Business Combination.

 

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

The following table sets forth information available to us at March 31, 2022 with respect to our common stock held by:

 

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

 

each of our executive officers and directors; and

 

all our executive officers and directors as a group.

 

52

 

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 placement shares as these are not exercisable within 60 days of March 31, 2022.

 

    Class A Ordinary Shares     Class B Ordinary Shares(4)     Class F Ordinary Shares(4)  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)   Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
(2)
    Approximate
Percentage
of Class
Issued and
Outstanding
Ordinary
Shares
(3)
    Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
    Approximate
Percentage
of Class
Issued and
Outstanding
Ordinary
Shares
    Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
    Approximate
Percentage
of Class
Issued and
Outstanding
Ordinary
Shares
 
EcoR1 Panacea Holdings II, LLC (our Sponsor) (5)     545,000       3.1 %     2,200,000       95.7 %     3,450,000       100 %
RIT Capital Partners plc(6)     900,000       5.1 %                                
Adage Capital Partners, L.P. (7)     950,000       5.3 %                                
683 Capital Partners, LP (8)     1,480,000       8.3 %                                
Citadel Advisors LLC (9)     1,211,777       6.8 %                                
Citadel Securities LLC(9)     15,929       *                                  
Maverick Capital, Ltd. (10)     1,385,250       7.8 %                                
Highbridge Capital Management, LLC (11)     918,682       5.2 %                                
Victory Capital Management Inc.(12)     969,193       5.5 %                                
Oleg Nodelman (5)     545,000       3.1 %     2,200,000       95.7 %     3,450,000       100 %
Scott Perlen                                                
Scott Platshon                                                
Caroline Stout                                                
Sarah Marriott                                                
Douglas Giordano                     25,000       1.1 %                
Nina Kjellson                     25,000       1.1 %                
Praveen Tipirneni, M.D.                     25,000       1.1 %                
Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D.                     25,000       1.1 %                
All directors and officers as a group (9 individuals)     545,000       3.1 %     2,300,000       100 %     3,450,000       100 %

 

 

*Less than one percent.

 

(1)Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Panacea Acquisition Corp. II, 357 Tehama Street, Floor 3, San Francisco, CA 94103.

 

(2)Interests shown exclude forward purchase shares that will only be issued, if at all, at the time of our initial Business Combination.

 

(3)Includes 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption.

 

53

 

(4)Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities” in our prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) (File No. 333-254056).

 

(5)EcoR1 Panacea Holdings II, LLC, our Sponsor, is the record holder of the Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares reported herein. The managing members of our Sponsor are certain funds of EcoR1 that are limited partnerships, the general partners of which are controlled by Mr. Nodelman. As such, Mr. Nodelman may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the ordinary shares held directly by our Sponsor. Each of our independent directors is, directly or indirectly, a non-managing member of our Sponsor.

 

(6)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on April 19, 2021, the business address of RIT Capital Partners plc, an English public limited company, is 27 St. James’s Place, London SW1A 1NR, England.

 

(7)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on April 19, 2021, Adage Capital Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ACP”) is the is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Adage Capital Partners GP, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“ACPGP”), is the general partner of ACP. Adage Capital Advisors, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“ACA”), is the managing member of ACPGP. Robert Atchinson and Phillip Gross are the managing members of ACA. The business address of each of ACP, ACPGP, ACA, Robert Atchinson and Phillip Gross is 200 Clarendon Street, 52nd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.

 

 

(8)According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, 683 Capital Partners, LP, a Delaware limited partnership, is the record holder of the shares reported herein. 683 Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is the investment manager of 683 Capital Partners, LP. Ari Zweiman is the Managing Member of 683 Capital Management, LLC. The business address of each of 683 Capital Partners, LP, 683 Capital Management, LLC and Ari Zweiman is 3 Columbus Circle, Suite 2205, New York, NY 10019.

 

(9)According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, Citadel Advisors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Citadel Advisors”), is the portfolio manager for Citadel Multi-Strategy Equities Master Fund Ltd., a Cayman Islands company (“CM”) that is the record holder of its shares reported herein. Citadel Advisors Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“CAH”), is the sole member of Citadel Advisors. Citadel GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“CGP”), is the general partner of CAH. Citadel Securities LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Citadel Securities”), is the record holder of its shares reported herein. Citadel Securities Group LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“CALC4”), is the non-member manager of Citadel Securities. Citadel Securities GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“CSGP”), is the general partner of CALC4. Mr. Kenneth Griffin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CGP, and owns a controlling interest in CGP and CSGP. The business address of each of Citadel Advisors, CM, CAH, CGP, Citadel Securities, CALC4, CSGP and Mr. Griffin is 131 S. Dearborn Street, 32nd Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60603.

 

(10)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, Maverick Capital, Ltd., a Texas limited partnership, is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Maverick Capital Management, LLC, a Texas limited liability company, is the General Partner of Maverick Capital, Ltd. Lee S. Ainslie III is the manager of Maverick Capital Management, LLC. The business address of (i) Maverick Capital, Ltd. and Maverick Capital Management, LLC is 1900 N. Pearl Street, 20th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75201, and (ii) Mr. Ainslie is 222 Lakeview Avenue, Suite 520, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401.

 

(11)According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 3, 2022, Highbridge Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is the investment adviser to certain funds and accounts that hold the shares reported herein. The business address of Highbridge Capital Management, LLC is 277 Park Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10172.

 

(12)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 2, 2022, the business address of Victory Capital Management Inc., a New York corporation, is 4900 Tiedeman Rd. 4th Floor Brooklyn, OH 44144.

 

Our initial shareholders beneficially own approximately 26.8% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares and have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial Business Combination as a result of holding all of the Founder Shares. Holders of our Public Shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial Business Combination. In addition, because of their ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions.

 

54

 

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

 

Founder Shares

 

On January 14, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) and 3,450,000 Class F ordinary shares (the “alignment shares”). On January 15, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of the Company’s independent directors at their original purchase price. Up to 300,000 Founder Shares and 450,000 alignment shares were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part so that the Founder Shares and alignment shares would represent 10% and 15%, respectively, of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering and excluding the Private Placement Shares). As a result of the underwriter’s election to fully exercise their over-allotment option, the Founder Shares and alignment shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.

 

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the alignment shares until the earlier of: (A) their conversion into Class A ordinary shares; and (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, the date on which the Company completes a merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in both a change of control and all of the Company’s Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

Private Placement Shares

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 545,000 Private Placement Shares at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,450,000, in a private placement. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Shares were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Shares will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Shares.

 

If we do not complete an Initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Shares will be used to fund the redemption of our Public Shares, subject to the requirements of applicable law, and the Private Placement Shares will expire worthless.

 

55

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of the Founder Shares, alignment shares, Private Placement Shares, forward purchase shares and Class A ordinary shares that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares and alignment shares, only after conversion to Class A ordinary shares). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidating damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Related Party Notes

 

On January 14, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021 and the completion of the Initial Public Offering. As of December 31, 2021, there was no outstanding under the Promissory Note. The outstanding balance under the Promissory Note of $100,108 was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on April 9, 2021. The promissory note is no longer available to the Company.

 

Administrative Services Agreement

 

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on April 6, 2021 through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the Company incurred $90,000, in fees for these services, of which such amounts are included in accrued expenses in the accompanying condensed balance sheet as at December 31, 2021.

 

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

 

The firm of WithumSmith+Brown, PC, or Withum, acts as our independent registered public accounting firm. The following is a summary of fees paid to Withum for services rendered.

 

Audit Fees. For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were $80,340 for the services Withum performed in connection with our Initial Public Offering, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and the audit of our December 31, 2021 financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Audit-Related Fees. For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render assurance and related services related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements.

 

Tax Fees. For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render services to us for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.

 

All Other Fees. For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, there were no fees billed for products and services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm other than those set forth above.

 

Pre-Approval Policy

 

Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).

 

56

 

PART IV.

 

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

 

  (a) The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K:

 

  (1) Financial Statements:

 

  Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Balance Sheet F-3
Statement of Operations F-4
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Deficit F-5
Statement of Cash Flows F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7

 

  (2) Financial Statement Schedules:

 

None.

 

  (3) Exhibits

 

We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

 

No.   Description of Exhibit
3.1(1)   Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.
4.2*   Description of the Company’s securities.
10.1(1)   Letter Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, among the Company, the Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors.
10.2(1)   Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee.
10.3(1)   Registration Rights Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, among the Company, the Sponsor and certain other security holders party thereto.
10.4(1)   Private Placement Shares Purchase Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and the Sponsor.
10.5(1)   Administrative Services Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and EcoR1 Capital, LLC.
10.6(1)   Forward Purchase Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, among the Company, the Sponsor, EcoR1 Capital Fund, L.P. and EcoR1 Capital Fund Qualified, L.P.
10.7(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Oleg Nodelman.
10.8(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Scott Perlen.
10.9(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Sarah Marriott.
10.10(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Caroline Stout.
10.11(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Scott Platshon.
10.12(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and  Praveen Tipirneni.
10.13(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Douglas E. Williams.
10.14(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Nina Kjellson.
10.15(1)   An Indemnity Agreement, dated April 6, 2021, between the Company and Douglas Giordano.

 

57

 

No.   Description of Exhibit
31.1**   Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2**   Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1**   Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2**   Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS*   Inline XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
104*   Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

 

 

*Filed herewith.

 

**Furnished herewith.

 

(1)Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 6, 2021.

 

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

 

None.

 

58

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Financial Statements:  
Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2021 F-3
Statement of Operations for the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 F-4
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Deficit for the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 F-5
Statement of Cash Flows for the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7 to F-16

 

F-1

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of

Panacea Acquisition Corp. II

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Panacea Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, 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, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, 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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our 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

March 31, 2022

 

PCAOB Firm ID number 100

 

F-2

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

BALANCE SHEET

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

ASSETS    
Current Assets    
Cash  $353,114 
Prepaid expenses   692,222 
Total Current Assets   1,045,336 
      
Investments held in Trust Account   172,509,581 
TOTAL ASSETS  $173,554,917 
      
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT     
Current liabilities     
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  $205,728 
Accrued offering costs   90,454 
Total Current Liabilities   296,182 
      
Deferred underwriting fee payable   6,037,500 
Total Liabilities   6,333,682 
      
Commitments and Contingencies   
 
 
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption 17,250,000 shares at $10.00 per share redemption value   172,500,000 
      
Shareholders’ Deficit     
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding   
 
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 545,000 issued and outstanding (excluding 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption)   55 
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,300,000 shares issued and outstanding   230 
Class F ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 3,450,000 shares issued and outstanding   345 
Additional paid-in capital   
 
Accumulated deficit   (5,279,395)
Total Shareholders’ Deficit   (5,278,765)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT  $173,554,917 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-3

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 14, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

Operating and formation costs  $745,878 
Loss from operations   (745,878)
      
Other income:     
Interest earned on investments held in Trust Account   9,581 
Other income   9,581 
      
Net loss  $(736,297)
      
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A ordinary shares   13,485,670 
      
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share, Class A ordinary shares  $(0.04)
      
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class B ordinary shares   2,227,350 
      
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share, Class B ordinary shares  $(0.04)
      
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class F ordinary shares   3,341,026 
      
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share, Class F ordinary shares  $(0.04)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-4

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 14, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

   Class A
Ordinary Shares
   Class B
Ordinary Shares
   Class F
Ordinary Shares
   Additional
Paid-in
   Accumulated   Total
Shareholders’
 
   Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Capital   Deficit   Deficit 
Balance — January 14, 2021 (Inception)   
   $
    
   $
    
   $
   $
   $
   $
 
                                              
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares to Sponsor       
    2,300,000    230    3,450,000    345    24,425    
    25,000 
                                              
Sale of 545,000 Private Placement Shares   545,000    55    
    
    
    
    5,449,945    
    5,450,000 
                                              

Accretion for Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption amount

     
        
        
    (5,474,370)   (4,543,098)   (10,017,468)
                                              
Net loss       
        
        
    
    (736,297)   (736,297)
Balance – December 31, 2021   545,000   $55    2,300,000   $230    3,450,000   $345   $
   $(5,279,395)  $(5,278,765)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-5

 

PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 14, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:    
Net loss  $(736,297)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:     
Interest earned on investments held in Trust Account   (9,581)
Payment of formation costs through promissory note by Sponsor   5,000 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:     
Prepaid expenses   (692,222)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses   205,728 
Net cash used in operating activities   (1,227,372)
      
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:     
Investment of cash in Trust Account   (172,500,000)
Net cash used in investing activities   (172,500,000)
      
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:     
Proceeds from sale of Public Shares, net of underwriting discounts paid   169,050,000 
Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Shares   5,450,000 
Repayment of promissory note – related party   (100,108)
Payment of offering costs   (319,406)
Net cash provided by financing activities   174,080,486 
      
Net Change in Cash   353,114 
Cash – Beginning of period   
 
Cash – End of period  $353,114 
      
Non-cash investing and financing activities:     
Offering costs included in accrued offering costs  $90,454 
Offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of founder shares  $20,000 
Offering costs paid through promissory note  $100,108 
Deferred underwriting fee payable  $6,037,500 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-6

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

 

Panacea Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on January 14, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”). 

 

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

 

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation, initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.

 

The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering became effective on April 6, 2021. On April 9, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares (the “Public Shares”), which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 2,250,000 Public Shares, at $10.00 per Public Share, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000 which is described in Note 4.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 545,000 Class A ordinary shares (the “Private Placement Shares”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share in a private placement to EcoR1 Panacea Holdings II, LLC (an affiliate of EcoR1 Capital, LLC) (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $5,450,000, which is described in Note 5.

 

Transaction costs amounted to $10,017,468, consisting of $3,450,000 of underwriting fees, net of reimbursement, $6,037,500 of deferred underwriting fees and $529,968 of other offering costs.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on April 9, 2021, an amount of $172,500,000 ($10.00 per Public Share) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), and is invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholders, as described below.

 

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Shares, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. The stock exchange listing rules require that the Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

 

The Company will provide the holders of the Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of the Business Combination, either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders 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).

 

F-7

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, it receives an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law approving a Business Combination, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company. If a shareholder vote is not required and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), alignment shares (as defined in Note 5), Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares, without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against a proposed Business Combination.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of the Business Combination and the Company does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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% of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent.

 

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares, alignment shares, Private Placement Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the Trust Account and not previously released to pay taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares.

 

The Company will have until April 9, 2023 (or until July 9, 2023, if the Company has executed a letter of intent, agreement in principle, or definitive agreement for a Business Combination by April 9, 2023) to consummate a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if the Company has not completed a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 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 and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes, if any (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish the rights of the Public Shareholders as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining Public Shareholders and its Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

The Sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares, alignment shares and Private Placement Shares it will receive if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates acquire Public Shares, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Public Share ($10.00).

 

F-8

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than the Company’s independent registered public 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 the lesser of (1) $10.00 per Public Share and (2) 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 Public Share, due to reductions in the value of trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than 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.

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the accounting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

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 shareholder 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-9

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

 

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future 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 December 31, 2021.

 

Investments Held in Trust Account

 

The Company’s portfolio of investments held in trust is comprised solely of investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities, or a combination thereof. The Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are classified as trading securities. Trading securities are presented on the balance sheet at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these investments are included in interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account in the accompanying statement of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which 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’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2021, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. 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 considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

 

The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet.

 

Under ASC 480-10-S99, the Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. This method would view the end of the reporting period as if it were also the redemption date for the security. 

 

Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount value. The change in the carrying value of redeemable Class A ordinary shares resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit.

 

F-10

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

At December 31, 2021, the Class A ordinary shares reflected in the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:

 

Gross proceeds  $172,500,000 
Less:     
Class A ordinary shares issuance costs  $(10,017,468)
Plus:     
Accretion of carrying value to redemption value  $10,017,468 
      
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption  $172,500,000 

 

Offering Costs

 

Offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the Initial Public Offering that are directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares issued were initially charged to temporary equity. Offering costs amounted to $10,017,468, which was charged against the ordinary shares subject to redemption upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering.

 

Net Loss per Ordinary Share

 

The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share”. Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the period. The Company has three classes of ordinary shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares, and Class F ordinary shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the three classes of ordinary shares. This presentation assumes a business combination as the most likely outcome. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A ordinary shares is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value. 

 

As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted net loss per ordinary share is the same as basic net loss per ordinary share for the period presented.

 

The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):

 

   For the period from
January 14, 2021
(Inception) through
December 31, 2021
 
    Class A    Class B    Class F 
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share               
Numerator:               
Allocation of net loss, as adjusted  $(521,121)  $(86,070)  $(129,106)
Denominator:               
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding   13,485,670    2,227,350    3,341,026 
                
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share  $(0.04)  $(0.04)  $(0.04)

 

F-11

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the Company’s balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, “Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)” (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 14, 2021 (inception). The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

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 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

 

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering on April 9, 2021, the Company sold 17,250,000 Public Shares, which includes a full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 2,250,000 Public Shares, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Public Share.

 

NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 545,000 Private Placement Shares at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,450,000, in a private placement. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Shares were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Shares will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Shares. The private placement shares are not reflected in temporary equity as they have no redemption rights.

 

NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Founder Shares and Alignment Shares

 

On January 14, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) and 3,450,000 Class F ordinary shares (the “alignment shares”). On January 15, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of the Company’s independent directors at their original purchase price. Up to 300,000 Founder Shares and 450,000 alignment shares were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part so that the Founder Shares and alignment shares would represent 10% and 15%, respectively, of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering and excluding the Private Placement Shares). As a result of the underwriter’s election to fully exercise their over-allotment option, the Founder Shares and alignment shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.

 

F-12

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the alignment shares until the earlier of (A) their conversion into Class A ordinary shares; and (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, the date on which the Company completes a merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in both a change of control and all of the Company’s public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

The sale or transfers of the Founders Shares to members of the Company’s the board of directors, as described above, is within the scope of FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation-Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”). Under ASC 718, stock-based compensation associated with equity-classified awards is measured at fair value upon the grant date. The Founders Shares were effectively sold or transferred subject to a performance condition (i.e., the occurrence of a Business Combination). Compensation expense related to the Founders Shares is recognized only when the performance condition is probable of occurrence under the applicable accounting literature in this circumstance. A business combination is not probable until it is completed. Stock-based compensation would be recognized at the date a Business Combination is considered probable in an amount equal to the number of Founders Shares times the grant date fair value per share (unless subsequently modified) less the amount initially received for the purchase of the Founders Shares. As of December 31, 2021, the Company determined that a Business Combination is not considered probable until the business combination is completed, and therefore, no stock-based compensation expense has been recognized.

 

Administrative Services Agreement

 

The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on April 6, 2021 through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. For the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the Company incurred $90,000 in fees for these services, of which such amounts are included in accrued expenses within the accompanying balance sheet as at December 31, 2021.

 

Promissory Note — Related Party

 

On January 14, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021 and the completion of the Initial Public Offering. As of December 31, 2021, there were no outstanding amounts under the Promissory Note. The outstanding balance under the Promissory Note of $100,108 was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on April 9, 2021. The promissory note is no longer available to the Company.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds on a non-interest basis as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares at a price of $10.00 per share. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.

 

F-13

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic 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 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.

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of the Founder Shares, alignment shares, Private Placement Shares, forward purchase shares and Class A ordinary shares that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares and alignment shares, only after conversion to Class A ordinary shares). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidating damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Public Share, or $3,450,000 in the aggregate, at the closing of the Initial Public Offering.

 

The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $6,037,500 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

Forward Purchase Agreement

 

On April 6, 2021, the Company entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which the funds affiliated with EcoR1 Capital, LLC (the “forward purchase investors”) have agreed to purchase an aggregate of up to 2,500,000 shares (the “forward purchase shares”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per share, or an aggregate of $25,000,000, in a private placement to close concurrently with the closing of a Business Combination. The obligations under the forward purchase agreements will not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares are redeemed by the public shareholders. The forward purchase shares will be identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Public Shares sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that they will be subject to certain registration rights.

 

The proceeds from the sale of the forward purchase shares may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in a Business Combination, expenses in connection with a Business Combination or for working capital. This purchase will be required to be made regardless of whether any Public Shares are redeemed by the Public Shareholders and are intended to provide the Company with a minimum funding level for a Business Combination.

 

F-14

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

 

Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.

 

Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2021, there were 545,000 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, excluding 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption which are presented as temporary equity.

 

Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2021, there were 2,300,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

 

Class F Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class F ordinary shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Class F ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2021, there were 3,450,000 Class F ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

 

The Class F ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon the earlier of (1) the date following a Business Combination on which (a) one-third of the alignment shares issued and outstanding following the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $15.00 (b) one-third of the alignment shares issued and outstanding following the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $20.00 and (c) one-third of the alignment shares issued and outstanding following the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the closing price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $25.00 and (2) subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination, the date on which the Company completes a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in both a change of control and all of its public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, in each case subject to adjustment.

 

Holders of Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, except as required by law.

 

The Class B ordinary shares automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of a Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. The Class F ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one hundred-to-one basis on the business day following the fifth anniversary of a Business Combination, subject to adjustment, provided that alignment shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one-to-one basis on or prior to the fifth anniversary of a Business Combination. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination (other than with respect to the Founder Shares, alignment shares or forward purchase shares), the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares and Class F ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the total number of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public offering (not including the Private Placement Shares) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (net of the number of Class A ordinary shares redeemed in connection with a Business Combination), excluding the forward purchase shares, any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion of any Founder Shares, alignment shares or Working Capital Loans, and any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination.

 

F-15

 

PANACEA ACQUISITON CORP. II

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021

 

NOTE 8 — FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:

 

  Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

 

  Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.

 

  Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on the Company’s assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

 

At December 31, 2021, assets held in the Trust Account were comprised of $172,509,581 in money market funds which are invested primarily in U.S. Treasury Securities. During the period from January 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the Company did not withdraw any interest income from the Trust Account.

 

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:

 

Description  Level   December 31,
2021
 
Assets:          
Investments held in Trust Account – U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market Fund   1   $172,509,581 

 

NOTE 9 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

F-16

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  PANACEA ACQUISITION CORP. II
   

Date: March 31, 2022

/s/ Oleg Nodelman
  By: Oleg Nodelman
  Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

/s/ Oleg Nodelman  
Name:  Oleg Nodelman  
Title: Chief Executive Officer and  
Chairman of the Board of Directors
(Principal Executive Officer)
 
Date: March 31, 2022  
     
/s/ Scott Perlen  
Name: Scott Perlen  
Title: Chief Financial Officer (Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
 
Date: March 31, 2022  
     
/s/ Scott Platshon  
Name: Scott Platshon  
Title: Chief Operating Officer  
Date: March 31, 2022  
     
/s/ Caroline Stout  
Name: Caroline Stout  
Title: Chief Investment Officer  
Date: March 31, 2022  
     
/s/ Sarah Marriott  
Name: Sarah Marriott  
Title: Secretary and Director  
Date: March 31, 2022  
     
/s/ Douglas Giordano  
Name: Douglas Giordano  
Title: Director  
Date: March 31, 2022  
   
/s/ Nina Kjellson  
Name: Nina Kjellson  
Title: Director  
Date: March 31, 2022  
   
/s/ Praveen Tipirneni  
Name: Praveen Tipirneni, M.D.  
Title: Director  
Date: March 31, 2022  
   
/s/ Douglas E. Williams  
Name: Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D.  
Title: Director  
Date: March 31, 2022  

 

 

 

59

 

 

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