Attached files

file filename
EX-10.2 - FORM OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT BETWEEN CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex10-2_oxusacq.htm
EX-23.1 - CONSENT OF MARCUM LLP.** - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex23-1_oxusacq.htm
EX-10.7 - FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT FOR PRIVATE WARRANTS BETWEEN THE REGISTRANT AND S - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex10-7_oxusacq.htm
EX-10.6 - FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT FOR PRIVATE WARRANTS BETWEEN THE REGISTRANT AND E - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex10-6_oxusacq.htm
EX-10.5 - FORM OF SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT FOR PRIVATE WARRANTS BETWEEN THE REGISTRANT AND O - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex10-5_oxusacq.htm
EX-5.2 - OPINION OF MAPLES AND CALDER, CAYMAN ISLANDS COUNSEL TO THE REGISTRANT - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex5-2_oxusacq.htm
EX-4.4 - FORM OF WARRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY AND - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex4-4_oxusacq.htm
EX-1.1 - FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT - Oxus Acquisition Corp.fs12021a1ex1-1_oxusacq.htm

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 19, 2021

Registration No. 333-258183

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

_________________

Amendment No. 1 to

FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

_________________

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

_____________________________

Cayman Islands

 

6770

 

N/A

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

_____________________________

7F
77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue
Almaty
050040
Kazakhstan
+7 (727) 355-0151
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

_____________________________

Donald J. Puglisi
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19711
(302) 738-6680
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

_____________________________

Copies to:

Alan I. Annex, Esq.
Jason T. Simon, Esq.
Yuta N. Delarck, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
333 S.E. 2
nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33131
Tel: (305) 579
-0576
Fax: (305) 579
-0717

 

David Alan Miller, Esq.
Jeffrey M. Gallant, Esq.
Graubard Miller
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10174
Tel: (212) 818
-8800
Fax: (212) 818
-8881

_____________________________

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

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

 

Table of Contents

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of each Class of Security being registered

 

Amount
being
Registered

 

Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price Per
Security
(1)

 

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
(1)

 

Amount of
Registration
Fee

Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary
share, and one warrant(2)

 

17,250,000 Units

 

$

10.00

 

$

172,500,000

 

$

18,820

 

Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(2)(3)

 

17,250,000 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

Warrants included as part of the units(2)(3)

 

17,250,000 Warrants

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

Class A ordinary shares underlying warrants includes as part of the units(2)(3)

 

17,250,000 Shares

 

$

11.50

 

$

198,375,000

 

$

21,643

 

Total

     

 

   

$

370,875,000

 

$

40,463

 

____________

(1)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.

(2)      Includes 2,250,000 units, consisting of 2,250,000 Class A ordinary shares and 2,250,000 redeemable warrants underlying such units which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.

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

(4)      No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).

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

  

 

Table of Contents

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

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED AUGUST 19, 2021

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

$150,000,000

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

15,000,000 Units

________________

Oxus Acquisition Corp. is a newly formed blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, electric vehicle (“EV”) infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”), South and South-East Asia and Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) regions. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction with our company. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares for a pro rata portion of the trust account, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Each warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “sponsor,” and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited, the managing underwriters of this offering (and/or their respective designees), have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 warrants, or “private warrants,” at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital, Inc, and Sova Capital Limited and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering.

Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, own an aggregate of 4,312,500 of Class B ordinary shares (up to 562,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.

There is presently no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “OXUSU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUS” and “OXUSW,” respectively.

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

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 27 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

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

 

Per Unit

 

Total

Public offering price

 

$

10.00

 

$

150,000,000

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

 

$

0.20

 

$

3,000,000

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

 

$

9.80

 

$

147,000,000

____________

(1)        The underwriters have received and will receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discount, including 300,000 Class A ordinary shares, which we refer to as the “underwriter founder shares.” See “Underwriting” for further information relating to the underwriting compensation we will pay in this offering.

Upon consummation of the offering, an aggregate of $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering will be deposited in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our redemption of our public shares.

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to purchasers on or about               , 2021.

________________

Joint Book-Running Managers

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

Sova Capital Limited

            , 2021

 

Table of Contents

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

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

1

SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

26

RISK FACTORS

 

27

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

49

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

50

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

53

DILUTION

 

54

CAPITALIZATION

 

56

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

 

57

PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

61

MANAGEMENT

 

80

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

 

87

CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

 

90

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

93

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

107

TAXATION

 

109

UNDERWRITING

 

118

LEGAL MATTERS

 

128

EXPERTS

 

128

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

128

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

F-1

i

Table of Contents

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. References in this prospectus to “we,” “us” or “our company” refer to Oxus Acquisition Corp. References to “private warrants” are to the warrants that our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital will be purchasing from us in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with this offering. References in this prospectus to our “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares, sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and references to “public shareholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor (as defined below), officers and directors to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public shareholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares. References in this prospectus to “public warrants” are to (1) our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and (2) any private warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are sold to third parties that are not the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. References in this prospectus to our “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors, references to our “directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus, references to our “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares issued prior to this offering, and our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”), references to our “underwriter founder shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Sova Capital and their designees, references to our “initial shareholders” are to the holders of our founder shares, and references to our “sponsor” are to Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., a company affiliated with our officers and directors. References in this prospectus to our “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares, collectively. References in this prospectus to “EarlyBirdCapital” are to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., and to “Sova Capital” are to Sova Capital Limited, the managing underwriters of this offering. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities issued in a transaction, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt, that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our ordinary shares. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

General

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. None of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential business combination with us.

We intend to source our initial business combination opportunities through the networks of our management team who collectively have extensive experience in investing and operating businesses in our target regions. We believe that our strong ties in these regions will help to identify, structure, finance, acquire and support the operation of a business combination target and, therefore, drive value creation for all stakeholders. In addition, our management team has unique sector knowledge based on their experience, including with respect to existing businesses as well as prior investments, which range from mining battery metals to the development of the next-generation solid state batteries for electric vehicles. Our directors have significant experience with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures which we believe will be useful in the evaluation of potential targets and the structuring of the business combination as well as management of the company post-combination.

We believe, companies operating across energy transition verticals in emerging/frontier economies encounter difficulties in accessing capital from traditional sources. We believe that we have the opportunity to create an attractive business combination that will enable a target company to access the capital markets, thereby providing it with a growth capital.

1

Table of Contents

Market opportunity

We believe that new energy transition technologies are one of the great investment opportunities for the next three decades. Energy transition is a transformational force, with a technology-based shift from fossil fuels to renewables and low-carbon fuels at its core. Key technologies and services include battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling. Our team is focused on targeting sourcing materials and supply channels for advanced economies with an emphasis on rapid scaling opportunities in local markets of well understood technologies already in use in the US, Europe and China. We are seeking regional and national businesses that have adapted and optimized these technologies to local demographic trends and cultural habits.

The key energy transition technologies are hitting an inflection point across the value chain. Energy and natural resources consulting firm, Wood Mackenzie, estimates a minimum of $50 trillion in investment opportunities in low-carbon solutions over the next three decades.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (“BNEF”), $501.3 billion has been invested in 2020 to decarbonization, where the majority has been invested into renewable energy capacity (61%) and electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure (28%). The number of countries that pledge to achieve net-zero-emissions continue to grow. Many national regulatory bodies have already adopted legislation to incentivize a shift to lower-emission and zero emission vehicles. In the light of this, most every global automaker have announced plans or are already producing new battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, including Ford, GM, Daimler, BMW, Hyundai and Kia. The high priority granted to EV production in the last number of years has led to the emergence of a significant number of private companies that create state-of-art industrial technologies and solutions. We believe that these private companies could benefit from access to the public equity markets, our strong ties in the region and access to technologies to build up a scale, accelerate growth, and secure supply chains of raw materials. We intend to pursue companies across the whole energy transition value chain, covering the supply chain of battery raw materials (Li, Ni, Co, and various rare earth metals), energy storage solutions, development of EV infrastructure, and recycling of used batteries in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia, and MENA regions.

Our Founder and Management Team

We will seek to capitalize on the substantial deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise of our founder, non-executive Chairman and director, Kenges Rakishev, our Chief Executive Officer, Kanat Mynzhanov, and our Chief Financial Officer, Askar Mametov, as well as our independent directors, Shiv Vikram Khemka, Christophe Charlier and Sergei Ivashkovsky.

Mr. Rakishev is a global investor and entrepreneur who focuses on acquiring and investing in businesses that can benefit from his group’s operating expertise. Over the course of his career, Mr. Rakishev has acquired and directly or indirectly invested in more than 50 businesses in metals & mining, oil, petrochemical, banking, fintech, information technology, ecommerce, logistics and insurance industries, including a current portfolio of ten active companies worldwide. He is the sole shareholder and chief executive officer of Fincraft Group LLP (“Fincraft”)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2019), chairman of the board of Fincraft Resources JSC (formerly SAT & Company)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2008), chairman of the board of Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., director of Evoshare Limited, president of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, independent director of Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, co-founder of Saby Charitable Foundation, and was one of the early investors in StoreDot and Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE). Mr. Rakishev was ranked 12th on the Forbes list of the most influential persons in Kazakhstan in 2020.

Mr. Rakishev made a significant investment in Net Element in 2012. Net Element is a global technology-driven company specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services. Net Element owns and operates a global mobile payments and transactional processing provider, TOT Group, Inc. (“TOT Group”). TOT Group companies include Unified Payments, ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2018 Technology Fast 500™, Aptito, a next generation cloud-based point of sale payments platform and Payonline, fully-integrated, processor agnostic electronic commerce platform. In 2020, Net Element announced the execution of a definitive agreement to merge with privately-held Mullen Technologies, Inc. (“Mullen”), a Southern California-based electric vehicle company.

2

Table of Contents

In 2013, Singulariteam Fund, a venture capital fund owned by one of Mr. Rakishev’s group’s companies, was an early investor in StoreDot. StoreDot is a pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries that overcome the critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption — range and charging anxiety. The company has revolutionized the conventional Li-ion battery by designing and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, making it possible to fully charge an EV in just five minutes. The company was named “the pioneer of 2020” by BNEF, as one of ten game-changing technology companies creating a more sustainable future.

Mr. Rakishev is a significant shareholder and Chairman of Fincraft Resources JSC, which has expertise building, investing and operating internationally in the natural resources and disruptive technology industries. Through its subsidiary Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., the company is targeting metals necessary for electrification (in particular, nickel, cobalt and lithium) and has a significant nickel opportunity project in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is strategically located, linking China and South Asia with Russia and Western Europe by road, rail and port, and therefore is of great importance to China’s “Belt and Road” strategy. Fincraft Resources JSC recognized the potential to produce nickel from laterite ores of the Gornostaevskoe deposit using in-situ leaching (ISL) techniques, which offers significant economic, environmental and ecological advantages over conventional mining by extracting metals from the ground without physically removing the rock in which they are found. As a result, little or no tailing or waste rock is generated. In addition, ISL allows for increasing and decreasing production output more cost effectively than conventional mining.

From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Rakishev was a non-executive director of Central Asia Metals Plc (AIM: CAML). In 2014, Mr Rakishev became a major shareholder of BTA Bank (“BTA”), which is currently a subsidiary of Fincraft. As of April 2021, Fincraft has over $1.2 billion in total assets. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Rakishev was a controlling shareholder and served as the chairman of Kazkommertsbank JSC, the largest Kazakh commercial bank. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Rakishev was a major shareholder of Petropavlovsk Plc., a member of London’s FTSE 250 index and is one of the five largest gold mining companies in Russia. In these positions, he offered support on strategic development, including helping to resolve management conflicts as well as short-term liquidity issues.

Mr. Rakishev is an active investor in start-ups that are developing some of the most disruptive and impressive technologies today, from EV battery technology, mobile payments, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to robotics and healthcare technology. He helps to establish an entrepreneurial environment as a foundation for growth, while offering support, resources, and advice.

In addition to Mr. Rakishev, we expect to benefit from the experience and networks of the following members of our management team:

Kanat Mynzhanov has served as our Chief Executive Officer and director since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mynzhanov co-founded Bellprescot Ltd. and Bellprescot Asset Management (“Bellprescot”) in September 2016. He served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot from 2016 to 2020 and operated Bellprescot’s fund, Bellprescot Prime Fund (“BP”). BP’s primary focus of investments is technology driven public companies with leading and disruptive products and service, including internet of things and cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, machine learning, semiconductors, cybersecurity and robotics. Mr. Mynzhanov founded D23 Consulting Ltd (“D23”) in June 2020 to manage private equity deals. Prior to founding BP and D23, Mr. Mynzhanov served as the head of investments at Kazatomprom-Damu, an investment subsidiary of NAC Kazatomprom JSC (LSE: KAP) (“NAC”), where he led and mentored a team of highly skilled investment managers responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business development across metals & mining, rare metals and alternative energy industries. Mr. Mynzhanov joined NAC in 2014 as an investment manager and during his time at NAC he oversaw numerous projects and established strong connections with some of the largest global firms. Over the years Mr. Mynzhanov consulted for various firms, including those in the metals and mining sector, on raising capital through initial public offerings, as well as restructuring and various business developments.

Askar Mametov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mametov has over 15 years of executive experience in mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and transportation industries with a thorough understanding of financial reporting (US GAAP and IFRS), taxation and accounting, financial planning and analysis. Previously, Mr. Mametov served as chief financial officer of KM Gold Inc., a public Kazakh gold mining company (KASE: KMGD) from August 2016 until October 2019. He led the public listing of the company on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Mametov served as financial controller of Sequa Petroleum Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Sequa Petroleum, an oil and gas company listed on Euronext Access (EPA: MLSEQ), from January 2014 to July 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Mametov served in multiple roles at Caspian Services

3

Table of Contents

Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSV), including management reporting, US GAAP financial reporting, as well as IFRS financial reporting. In 2007, Mr. Mametov worked at Beeline Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON). From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Mametov served as financial reporting specialist and consortium accountant for PetroKazakhstan Inc. (TSX: PKZ), a Canadian oil company. Mr. Mametov is a member of IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) and since 2014, has served as the President of Kazakhstan Chapter of IMA.

We have a highly accomplished team of independent directors who are experienced in executive leadership, company governance and operations oversight. Our board members have served as directors, partners, executives and advisors for a number of publicly-traded companies. We believe that our independent directors’ combination of relationships, experience and expertise in a number of sectors (natural resources, green infrastructure, high technology, solid state batteries, financial services, telecom) and markets (India, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, the CIS and other emerging markets) puts us in a strong position to complete a business combination:

Shiv Vikram Khemka will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Khemka has served as a vice-chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies, since 1990. SUN Group is active in asset management, natural resources, green infrastructure and high technology. SUN co-founded SUN Mobility, an energy tech company focused on becoming a leader in EV energy. SUN is also a significant investor in a leading EV solid state battery manufacturer. The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South-East Asia. Mr. Khemka is the chairman of the Entrepreneurship Sports Generation and executive chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation. He is currently a member of the board of governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a member of the Leadership Council at the Brooking Centre for Universal Education. The World Economic Forum elected Mr. Khemka a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” and he was also a member of the organization’s Global Agenda Council on Education. He has served on both the Brown University and Yale University’s President’s Councils. Mr. Khemka has also served as a board member on the Stanford Philanthropy and Civic Society (PACS) centre and was advisory board member of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University. He is currently a founding member of V20, a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with G20, and serves as the chairman of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India. Mr. Khemka was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, and the Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize and the India Alumni Award from the Wharton School of Business.

Christophe Charlier will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Charlier is an international financier with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and international management. Throughout his career he has acted as principal or advised on a number of landmark transactions in the telecom, financial services, natural resources and sports and entertainment industries across developed and emerging markets. He has served as an independent director of La Française de l’Energie, a French gas production company since April 2016, and chairman of Pure Grass Films, a UK-based film and TV series production company, since 2012.  Mr. Charlier served as chairman of the board of directors of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets, from April 2017 to March 2020. As chairman, Mr. Charlier coordinated the work of Renaissance Capital’s board of directors and oversaw strategic development, the global brand, and relationships with key clients and stakeholders globally, as well as compliance with listing requirements of the Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. Previously, Mr. Charlier served as deputy CEO of Onexim Group, a leading private equity fund based in Moscow from September 2008 to June 2014. In this capacity, he served on the boards of directors of several of Russia’s largest companies, including RusAl, Polyus Gold, Quadra-Power Generation, and RBC. He also acted as chairman of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that from February 2002 to March 2004, Mr. Charlier was director of strategic development of Norilsk Nickel, leading its acquisition of strategic stakes in Stillwater Mining Company and Gold Fields.  He started his investment banking career in 1995 at JPMorgan in the M&A Group in NY.

Sergei Ivashkovsky will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Ivashkovsky has over 16 years of experience in investment management in public and private equity markets in the CIS and other counties in Eastern Europe, in restructuring and turnaround projects for technology companies and in distressed assets in Russia, and participated in a significant number of deals in industrial, consumer and banking sector. In October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky founded an investment company Eurasia Investment Partners to advise private investors in LBO and private equity transactions. From May 2018 to October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky served

4

Table of Contents

as a managing director of the distressed assets bank TRUST, launched by the Central Bank of Russia along with McKinsey advisory to consolidate $40 billion of non-performing corporate loans. From 2013 until April 2018, he served as a managing director of Rusnano, a leading state-owned tech fund in Russia, and Gazprombank, a leading private bank in Russia, responsible for a number of turnaround projects in industrial technologies, fintech and artificial intelligence. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a senior analyst and co-portfolio manager of Prosperity Capital and East Capital, the leading Swedish asset management companies in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe with long-only and special situation funds. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an analyst and junior portfolio manager in Rosbank AM, an asset management start-up of INTERROS, one of the largest financial and industrial groups in Russia.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the past successes of Mr. Rakishev and our other officers and directors, and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or realize success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of such individuals’ or entity’s performance as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team may have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. In addition, our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such persons and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph in the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

Business Strategy

Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify and complete the initial business combination with a target in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our founder and management team. We believe our founder’s broad experience owning and operating private and public companies positions us for a successful business combination. We also believe the resources and experience of our management team will provide us with an in-depth understanding of targets located in the CIS and other countries in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, operating in energy transition technologies.

We expect to distinguish ourselves by leveraging our extensive internal and external network of relationships to create a significant pipeline of business combination opportunities. We have significant experience dealing with key stakeholders, including shareholders, administrators, governmental agencies as well as equity sponsors, lending institutions, family offices, investment banks, restructuring advisers, attorneys, brokers and employees built over many years of investing and operating businesses in different regions.

We believe our sponsor’s and management team’s deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise, as well as their extensive network of contacts in our focus regions will uniquely position us to take advantage of positive trends in our target industries. We believe this expertise and network of contacts will provide us access to a number of potential target businesses that could be attractive public companies in the United States.

We will evaluate a wide-range of organic and strategic growth opportunities to identify synergies, bolster a target’s competitive position and develop new areas of growth for it. We also intend to leverage our management team’s vision and substantial expertise in building vertically-integrated businesses when possible.

Acquisition Criteria

We intend to acquire a company that we believe can offer an attractive risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. Fundamental analysis, including historical and projected financial and operating data, extensive financial modelling and in-depth market risks reviews are the core to our investment strategy, as well as extensive legal and intellectual properties due diligence to evaluate a target company and to complete a thorough analysis of the potential impact of a business combination.

5

Table of Contents

We intend to acquire companies or assets that we believe have some or all of the following attributes:

•        The potential to benefit from being publicly traded with access to the public capital markets and reduced cost of equity and debt capital to pursue further growth opportunities;

•        A professional management team whose interests are aligned with our investors (we may enhance the capabilities of the target’s business team by recruiting talent through our network of contacts);

•        The potential to grow organically as well as through acquisitions;

•        A defensible position within a target market as a result of a differentiated technology or other competitive advantages;

•        A proven business model;

•        The collective capabilities of our management can be leveraged to tangibly improve the operations and market position of the target; and

•        A history of strong operating and financial results with proven track records.

Given our management team’s extensive experience investing in a target’s industries, we expect that we may be familiar with the prospective target’s end-market, competitive landscape and business model. We intend to construct an operating and financial plan designed to significantly increase shareholder value. When necessary, we intend to assemble a team of industry and financial experts to supplement the management teams’ efforts. We expect to demonstrate to the target and its shareholders that we have the resources and expertise to provide the strategic and operational direction necessary to grow the business and improve the overall strategic prospects for the combined companies.

These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of an initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, guidelines, and criteria that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

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 and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private warrants following this offering and, accordingly, 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 is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to 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 an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or

6

Table of Contents

directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Effecting a Business Combination

We will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of our proposed business combination or 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 and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we decide to allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company.

We will have up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.20 per Class A ordinary share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.

Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Although our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able independently to 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 currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,

7

Table of Contents

or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

Potential Conflicts

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares, or other instruments, such as warrants, linked to our Class A ordinary shares, following this offering and, accordingly, 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.

As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he may be required to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such initial business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Certain of our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers or directors would materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the income accrued in the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject (to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law) to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. For more information on the relevant pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our management team, see the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services in an aggregate amount equal to up to 3.0% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering only if we consummate our initial business combination. This financial interest may result in EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.

Private Placements

On March 22, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as the “founder shares,” for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to our sponsor. In addition, we issued 200,000 Class A ordinary shares, at a price of $0.0001 per share, which we refer to as the underwriter founder shares, to each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their respective designees for an aggregate of 400,000 Class A ordinary shares in a private placement in March 2021. The underwriter founder shares are identical to the public shares sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions (including an agreement by the holders to waive their conversion rights) as described in this prospectus. Subsequently, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In addition, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. Except as otherwise described herein, this prospectus, and its disclosure, gives effect to the June 2021 forfeiture by our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. The founder shares held by our initial shareholders include an aggregate of up to 562,500 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment

8

Table of Contents

option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our initial shareholders will continue to own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding underwriter founder shares and assuming the initial shareholders do not purchase units in this offering).

In addition, our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The proceeds from the private placement of the warrants will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed into a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be included in the liquidating distribution to our public shareholders and the private warrants will be worthless.

Corporate Information

Our executive offices are located at 7F 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan and our telephone number is +7 (727) 355-0151.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act (As Revised). As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.

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

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

We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years. However, if our annual gross revenue is $1.07 billion or more, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period exceeds $1 billion or the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year.

9

Table of Contents

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 exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

10

Table of Contents

The Offering

Securities offered

 

15,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share.

Listing of our securities and symbols

 

We anticipate that the units, and the Class A ordinary shares and warrants once they begin separate trading, will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUSU,” ‘OXUS” and “OXUSW,” respectively.

Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants

 


The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin.

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

In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

11

Table of Contents

Units:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 

0 units

Number outstanding after this offering

 

15,000,000 units(1)

Ordinary shares:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 

4,612,500 ordinary shares(2)

Number to be outstanding after this
offering

 


19,050,000 ordinary shares(1) (3)

Warrants:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 

0 warrants

Number to be sold in private placement

 

8,400,000 warrants(1)

Number to be outstanding after this offering and private placement

 


23,400,000 warrants(1)

Exercisability

 

Each warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share.

The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.

____________

(1)      Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial shareholders of 562,500 founder shares. Private warrants consist of 7,650,000 warrants to be purchased by our sponsor, 375,000 warrants to be purchased by EarlyBirdCapital and 375,000 warrants to be purchased by Sova Capital.

(2)      Represents 4,312,500 founder shares and 300,000 underwriter founder shares. The 4,312,500 founder shares include up to 562,500 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”

(3)      Comprised of 15,000,000 public shares, 3,750,000 founder shares and 300,000 underwriter founder shares.

12

Table of Contents

Exercise price

 

$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of Warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price.

No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such Class A ordinary shares. Although we are registering our Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants on the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we have agreed that as soon as practicable after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within 60 business days following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

Redemption of Warrants

 

We may redeem the outstanding warrants in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant at any time after the warrants become exercisable, upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, if, and only if, the last sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption; and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants.

13

Table of Contents

 

If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 trigger price as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the five trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.

Securities purchased, or being purchased, by insiders in connection with this offering

 


In March 2021, our sponsor purchased 8,625,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Subsequently, our sponsor forfeited 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Our initial shareholders will be required to forfeit only a number of founder shares necessary to continue to maintain the 20.0% ownership interest in our ordinary shares after giving effect to the offering and exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (excluding the underwriter founder shares and any shares included in units purchased in this offering).

   

The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

•   only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination;

•   the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein;

•   the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

•   our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in

14

Table of Contents

 

this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Permitted transferees of the founder shares held by our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors would be subject to the same restrictions;

•   pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination; and

•   the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.

Simultaneously with the consummation of this offering, our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering. Our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to convert any private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any private shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private warrants will likely be worthless.

15

Table of Contents

Restrictions on transfer of founder shares and private warrants

 


On the date of this prospectus, the founder shares will be placed into an escrow account maintained in New York, New York by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow for: (i) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, a period ending on the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, a period ending on the one-year anniversary of the consummation of our initial business combination, or, in each case, earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. The limited exceptions include transfers, assignments or sales (i) to our or our sponsor’s officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to an entity’s members upon its liquidation, (iii) to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions.

Our initial shareholders and underwriters also agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their private warrants (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above), until after the completion of our initial business combination.

Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights

 


The Class B ordinary shares 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 for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller

16

Table of Contents

 

in the initial business combination and any additional warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

Election of directors and voting rights

 

Holders of record of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as required by the Companies Act or stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company is generally required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, meaning, following our initial business combination, the holders of more than 50% of our ordinary shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to appoint directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to the rights of holders of Class B ordinary shares to appoint directors may be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our shares voting in a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of the founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares (as described below) have agreed to vote their shares in favour of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and underwriter founder shares, we would need only 5,475,001, or approximately 36.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised, or 712,501, or 4.8% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in the offering in order to have our initial business combination approved.

17

Table of Contents

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term.

Underwriter founder shares

 

In March 2021, we issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and/or its designees and Sova Capital and/or its designees 200,000 Class A ordinary shares each for a total of 400,000 of Class A ordinary shares. Subsequently, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. The holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares without our prior written consent until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed (i) to vote such shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) to waive their conversion rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. These underwriter founder shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110, these securities may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated or the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners.

Offering proceeds to be held in trust

 

An aggregate of $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering (regardless of whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination and our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, except as set forth below, unless and until an initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business.

18

Table of Contents

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to pay our income or other tax obligations. With this exception, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account (initially estimated to be $1,750,000). Additionally, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering if the funds available to us are insufficient, our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us on a non-interest bearing basis funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. These warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no other proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

None of the warrants may be exercised until 30 days after the consummation of our business combination and, thus, after the proceeds of the trust account have been disbursed. Accordingly, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

Limited payments to insiders

 

There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates for any services they render prior to, or in order to effectuate the consummation of, an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

•   repayment at the closing of this offering of up to an aggregate of $300,000 of non-interest-bearing loans made by our sponsor;

•   payment of a $10,000 per month fee to our sponsor for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, which we refer to as the “administrative fee”; and

•   reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible target businesses and business combinations.

There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

19

Table of Contents

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

 



In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek shareholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. 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 and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we determine to allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each shareholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares and we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company.

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.

   

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (i) to vote any ordinary shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) not to convert any ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (iii) not to sell any ordinary shares to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination.

20

Table of Contents

 

None of our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or Class A ordinary shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of shareholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence any vote held to approve a proposed initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor and their affiliates will not make purchases of Class A ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to prevent potential manipulation of a company’s shares.

Conversion rights

 

In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public shareholder will have the right, regardless of whether such shareholder is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we convert its public shares into a pro rata share of the trust account.

We may require public shareholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) physically tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a nominal amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder.

Limitation on conversion rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote

 




Notwithstanding the foregoing conversion rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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 converting its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its conversion rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to convert to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination,

21

Table of Contents

 

particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.

Liquidation if no business combination

 

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we are required to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.20 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. The agreement entered into by our sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so.

22

Table of Contents

 

The holders of the founder shares and private shares will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to such shares.

If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering not deposited in the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.20 (which is equal to the anticipated aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account excluding interest earned on the funds held in the trust account). The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of our shareholders. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption price will not be less than approximately $10.20.

We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon the 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 not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person.

Summary of Risk Factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

•        Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

•        We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, and we would redeem our public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account, and we would liquidate. In such event, our warrants would expire worthless.

•        Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to convert your shares to cash.

23

Table of Contents

•        Our initial shareholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote.

•        We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

•        Our outstanding warrants and unit purchase options may have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

•        We may issue additional shares or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our shareholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

•        We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business.

•        Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

•        Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

•        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.

•        If we consummate a business combination with a target company with assets located in the CIS or other country in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, our results of operations and prospects could be subject to the economic, political, and legal policies, developments, and conditions in the country in which we operate. Further, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

•        There may be tax consequences to our business combination that may adversely affect us.

•        Our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

•        Our officers and directors may have interests in a potential business combination that are different than yours, which may create conflicts of interest.

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

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

•        The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry.

•        You will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of Class A ordinary shares.

•        We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by a majority of the then outstanding public warrants.

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

24

Table of Contents

•        If third parties bring claims against us, and if our directors decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, or if our sponsor does not have the funds to indemnify us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.

•        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 ordinary shares and could entrench management.

•        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.

•        We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.

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

•        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.

•        We are an emerging growth company and 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, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

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

•        This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.

25

Table of Contents

SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

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

 

June 30,
2021

   

Actual

 

As Adjusted

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working capital (deficiency)(1)

 

$

(224,212

)

 

$

154,756,332

Total assets(1)

 

 

318,318

 

 

 

154,756,332

Total liabilities

 

 

311,986

 

 

 

Value of Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.20 per share)(2)

 

 

 

 

 

149,756,331

Shareholders’ equity(3)

 

 

6,332

 

 

 

5,000,001

____________

(1)      The “as adjusted” calculation includes $153,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering, plus $1,750,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $6,332 of actual shareholders’ equity as of June 30, 2021.

(2)      The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” shareholders’ equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001.

(3)      Excludes 14,975,633 Class A ordinary shares which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The actual number of shares that may be redeemed may exceed this amount provided that we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of the business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.20 per share).

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering and the sale of the private warrants, including the payment of the estimated costs of the offering from such sales and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.

The “as adjusted” working capital and total assets amounts include the $153,000,000 to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. If a business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw from interest earned on the funds in the trust account as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public shareholders (subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors).

We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company.

26

Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below, which we believe represent the material risks related to the offering, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.

Risks Associated with Our Business

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are a newly formed company with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire an operating business. We have not conducted any substantive discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.

Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

As of June 30, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $224,212. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our finance and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public shareholders may be forced to wait more than 18 months before receiving distributions from the trust account.

We have 18 months from the closing of this offering in which to complete a business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate a business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to convert or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination.

We will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus. Accordingly, it is possible that we will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. The decision as to whether we will seek 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 and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a shareholder meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to

27

Table of Contents

issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

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

Since the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete a business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules which would, for example, completely restrict the transferability of our securities and restrict the use of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable and we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of a business combination.

If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines, many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus would not be applicable and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.

We could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines disclosed in this prospectus although we have no current intention to do so. Accordingly, investors may be making an investment in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire. Regardless of whether or not we deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines in connection with any proposed business combination, investors will always be given the opportunity to convert their shares or sell them to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination as described in this prospectus.

We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred shares or debt securities 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 at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize 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, and 5,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 484,700,000 and 46,250,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preferred shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Class B ordinary shares are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.

We may issue a substantial number of 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 (although our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with ordinary shareholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue Class A ordinary shares to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities — Warrants” or upon conversion of the Class B 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 contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional

28

Table of Contents

shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with the approval of our shareholders. However, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

The issuance of additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred shares:

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

•        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 are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

•        may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

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

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

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

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

If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share conversion amount in the trust account.

If the net proceeds of this offering not being held in trust are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, we may be unable to complete a business combination.

Of the net proceeds of this offering, only approximately $1,750,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, such funds will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Accordingly, if we use all of the funds held outside of the trust account, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close an initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers or directors or their affiliates to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us on a non-interest bearing basis funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount that they deem reasonable in their sole discretion for our working capital needs. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant.

29

Table of Contents

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.20.

Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public shareholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public shareholders, our sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this prospectus) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.20 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. As a result, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.20, plus interest, due to such claims.

Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our public shareholders at least $10.20.

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

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will continue in existence only until 18 months from the closing of this offering. If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our shareholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our shareholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our shareholders amounts owed to them by us.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public shareholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public shareholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public 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.

30

Table of Contents

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 $10.20 per share.

The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. 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 proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes payable. 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 $10.20 per share.

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

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.20 per public share and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce such indemnification obligations. It is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.

If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”

If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of Class A ordinary shares that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.

An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares unless the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.

31

Table of Contents

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision, or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

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

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

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

This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

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

If:

•        we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A ordinary shares,

32

Table of Contents

•        the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and

•        the Market Value is below $9.20 per share,

then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete a business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.

We may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business industry or sector we choose. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers is required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.

The role of our key personnel after a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers or directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

33

Table of Contents

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

Our key personnel will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.

Our officers and directors will not commit their full time to our affairs. We presently expect each of our officers and directors to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The foregoing could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

Our initial shareholders waived their right to convert founder shares or any other shares purchased in this offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to its founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to this offering, as well as the private warrants and any warrants purchased by our officers or directors in the aftermarket, will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination and in determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest.

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations and may in the future become affiliated with other entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business. Additionally, our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. For a more detailed description of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see the sections titled “Management — Directors and Executive Officers” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital may have a conflict of interest in rendering services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services in an aggregate amount equal to up to 3.0% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering only if we consummate our initial business combination. This financial interest may result in EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.

34

Table of Contents

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

We anticipate that our securities will be listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, upon consummation of this offering. Although, after giving effect to this offering, we expect to meet on a pro forma basis Nasdaq’s minimum initial listing standards, which generally only require that we meet certain requirements relating to shareholders’ equity, market capitalization, aggregate market value of publicly held shares and distribution requirements, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. Nasdaq will also have discretionary authority to not approve our listing if it determines that the listing of the company to be acquired is against public policy at that time.

If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, or we are not listed in connection with our initial business combination, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

•        a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

•        reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

•        a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Class A ordinary shares;

•        a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and

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

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions 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 conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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 seeking conversion rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to convert 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 conversion distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. 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.

35

Table of Contents

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth 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 aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

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

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.

It is likely we will consummate a business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously acquire several target businesses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

•        solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, or

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

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

Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

36

Table of Contents

The ability of our shareholders to exercise their conversion rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many shareholders may exercise conversion rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such conversion, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our share as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our share to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares results in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our business combination. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public shareholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek conversion of his, her or its shares.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public shareholder (but not our sponsor, initial shareholders, representatives, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its Class A ordinary shares converted to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such shareholder votes for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all. The ability to seek conversion while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.

In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require shareholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public shareholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we convert his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public shareholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical share certificate, a shareholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that shareholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical share certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for shareholders to deliver their shares, shareholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.

If, in connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public shareholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion, such converting shareholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

If we require public shareholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public shareholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to convert their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our Class A ordinary shares may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other shareholders that did not seek conversion may be able to sell their securities.

37

Table of Contents

Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.

We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking shareholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination.

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

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering, together with interest earned on the funds held in the trust account available to us, will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business, we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of the business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, or the obligation to convert into cash a significant number of shares from dissenting shareholders, we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our sponsor, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.

Our initial shareholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote.

Upon consummation of our offering, our initial shareholders will own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of ordinary shares (without taking into account underwriter founder shares and assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering). None of our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or ordinary shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of shareholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our initial shareholders, including our sponsor, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the ordinary shares owned by them immediately before this offering as well as any Class A ordinary shares acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.

Our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law for up to 18 months. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our sponsor, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of a business combination.

38

Table of Contents

Our initial shareholders paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.006 per founder share. As a result of this low initial price, our initial shareholders stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public shareholders.

As a result of the low acquisition cost of our founder shares, our initial shareholders could make a substantial profit even if we select and consummate an initial business combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public shareholders. Thus, our sponsor, directors and officers may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if our initial shareholders had paid the full offering price for their founder shares.

Our initial shareholders paid a nominal price for the founder shares and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary shares and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to the investors in this offering. Our initial shareholders acquired the founder shares and at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering (assuming over-allotment option is not exercised), and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 88.3% or $8.83 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share $1.23, and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit). This is because investors in this offering will be contributing approximately 99.98% of the total amount paid to us for our outstanding securities after this offering but will only own approximately 78.74% of our outstanding securities and this becomes exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek to convert their shares into a pro rata share of the trust proceeds. Accordingly, the per-share purchase price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net tangible book value. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.

Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered by this prospectus and private warrants to purchase 8,400,000 Class A ordinary shares, $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. We may also issue other warrants to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us as described in this prospectus. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding ordinary shares and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

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

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time we redeem the warrants, we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your

39

Table of Contents

warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.

If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrant (including any private warrants) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.

If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

The holders of the majority of the founder shares are entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the founder shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the founder shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of the private warrants and any warrants our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private warrants and any other warrants we issue to them (and the underlying securities) commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional securities trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the shareholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our Class A ordinary shares.

If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be invested by the trustee only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 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. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.

If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:

•        restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

•        restrictions on the issuance of securities.

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

•        registration as an investment company;

•        adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

•        reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

40

Table of Contents

Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.

The determination for the offering price of our units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry.

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:

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

•        prior offerings of those companies;

•        our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

•        our capital structure;

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

•        general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering.

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

If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post- combination debt financing.

The requirement that we complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination.

We have 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.

We may not 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 only receive $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. 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

41

Table of Contents

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 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 or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.

If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time 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 the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.20 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.20 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.20” and other risk factors.

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted, and other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner, or if COVID-19 causes a prolonged economic downturn. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic 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 cross-border transactions.

We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

It is anticipated that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If a decision is made not to complete a specific

42

Table of Contents

business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.

In recent years and especially in the last several months, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially, especially in the past year. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate 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 targets 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 and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.

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

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

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

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity will likely 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.

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require substantial financial and management resources and may increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls and may require that we have such system of internal controls audited beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or shareholder litigation. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our business. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that our independent registered public accounting firm report on management’s evaluation of our system of internal controls. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any

43

Table of Contents

failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares.

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 will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our shareholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited shareholder proposals that may be in the best interests of shareholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares.

Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our shareholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, such financial statements will need to be audited in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the business combination. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.

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

There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

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

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.20. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

44

Table of Contents

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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.

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

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A ordinary shares and the redeemable warrant to purchase one share of our Class A ordinary shares included in each unit could be challenged by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or “IRS,” or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering are unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States

If we effect a business combination with a company located in CIS or another foreign jurisdiction in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we are successful in consummating a business combination with a target business in CIS, or if we effect a business combination with a company located in another foreign region, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

•        rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

•        tariffs and trade barriers;

•        regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

•        longer payment cycles;

•        tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

45

Table of Contents

•        currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

•        challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

•        cultural and language differences;

•        employment regulations;

•        public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including those caused by outbreaks of infectious disease, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic;

•        crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and

•        deterioration of political relations with the United States, which could result in uncertainty and/or changes in or to existing trade treaties.

In particular, if we acquire a target business in CIS or another foreign jurisdiction in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, we would be subject to the risk of changes in economic conditions, social conditions and political conditions inherent in such jurisdiction, including changes in laws and policies that govern foreign investment, as well as changes in United States laws and regulations relating to foreign trade and investment. We cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

Emerging markets are subject to different risks as compared to more developed markets.

Operating a business in CIS or another emerging country in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions involves a greater degree of risk than operating a business in more developed markets, including, in some cases, increased political, economic and legal risks. Emerging market governments and judiciaries often exercise broad, unchecked discretion and are susceptible to abuse and corruption. Moreover, financial turmoil in any emerging market country tends to adversely affect the value of investments in all emerging market countries as investors move their money to more stable, developed markets. As has happened in the past, financial problems or an increase in the perceived risks associated with investing in companies in emerging economies could dampen foreign investment in such countries and regions and adversely affect their economies. Generally, investment in emerging markets is only suitable for sophisticated investors who fully appreciate the significance of the risks involved in, and are familiar with, investing in emerging markets.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, our results of operations may be negatively impacted.

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

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

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

46

Table of Contents

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will likely govern many of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will likely govern many of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be certain in implementation and interpretation. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights against or to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities against our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

We may re-incorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction would likely govern all of our material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Any such reincorporation may subject us to foreign regulations that could materially and adversely affect our business.

After our initial business combination, it is likely that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and 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 likely that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases impossible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights against or to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities under United States laws.

We may migrate to another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such migration may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.

As a Cayman Islands entity, we do not have access to a network of income tax treaties to protect us from withholding taxes or gains taxes that may be imposed by other jurisdictions. As a result, it may not be possible to effect repatriation of earnings or the receipt of income from our investments in a tax efficient manner. Accordingly, we may, in connection with our initial business combination or earlier, and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Cayman Islands law, transfer by way of continuation (migrate) to a different jurisdiction, including, for example, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. Such a transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident and/or the jurisdictions in which its owners are resident if it is a tax transparent entity under the tax laws of such jurisdictions (including under any anti-deferral regime). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay such taxes. Shareholders may also be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes imposed by the jurisdiction where we are migrated to with respect to their ownership of us. Moreover, tax consequences of owning and disposing of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants may be significantly different from those described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation.”

There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.

While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the acquired business and/or assets and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transfer of shares or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes.

47

Table of Contents

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 (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation — General”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, 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 current and 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 (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). The application of the start-up exception is uncertain, and there can be no 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 current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide 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, and such election would likely be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

48

Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements contained in this prospectus that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipates,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

•        our ability to complete our initial business combination;

•        future economic or political conditions in CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions;

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

•        our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements and other benefits;

•        our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete a business combination;

•        our pool of prospective target businesses;

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

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

•        potential changes in control of us if we acquire one or more target businesses for shares;

•        our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

•        the lack of a market for our securities;

•        our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act;

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

•        our financial performance following this offering or following our initial business combination.

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

49

Table of Contents

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, in addition to the funds we will receive from the sale of the private warrants (all of which will be deposited into the trust account), will be as set forth in the following table:

 

Without
Over-Allotment
Option

 

Over-Allotment
Option
Exercised

Gross proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From offering

 

$

150,000,000

 

 

$

172,500,000

 

From private placement

 

 

8,400,000

 

 

 

9,300,000

 

Total gross proceeds

 

 

158,400,000

 

 

$

181,800,000

 

Offering expenses(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underwriting discount (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public)

 

 

3,000,000

(2)

 

 

3,450,000

(2)

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

300,000

 

Nasdaq listing fees (including deferred amount)

 

 

75,000

 

 

 

75,000

 

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

40,000

 

 

 

40,000

 

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

Road show

 

 

20,000

 

 

 

20,000

 

FINRA filing fee

 

 

26,375

 

 

 

26,375

 

SEC registration fee

 

 

40,463

 

 

 

40,463

 

Miscellaneous expenses

 

 

98,162

 

 

 

98,162

 

Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions)

 

 

650,000

 

 

 

650,000

 

Net proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Held in trust

 

 

153,000,000

 

 

 

175,950,000

 

Not held in trust

 

 

1,750,000

 

 

 

1,750,000

 

Total net proceeds

 

$

154,750,000

 

 

$

177,700,000

 

 

Amount

 

Percentage

Use of net proceeds not held in trust(3)(4)

 

 

     

 

Legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of a business combination

 

$

200,000

 

11.4

%

D&O insurance

 

 

600,000

 

34.3

%

Consulting, travel and misc.

 

 

100,000

 

5.7

%

Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations

 

 

100,000

 

5.7

%

Nasdaq continued listing fees

 

 

75,000

 

4.3

%

Administrative fees

 

 

180,000

 

10.3

%

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses

 

 

495,000

 

28.3

%

Total

 

$

1,750,000

 

100.0

%

____________

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

(2)      No discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the private warrants.

(3)      The amount of proceeds not held in trust will remain constant at approximately $1,750,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the pre-tax interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $306,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.2% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.

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

50

Table of Contents

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units sold in this offering. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.

$153,000,000, or $175,950,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants, will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, New York, New York, acting as trustee. The funds held in trust will be invested only 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, so that we are not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income or other tax obligations, the proceeds will not be released from the trust account until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. The proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete a business combination. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business.

The payment to our sponsor of a monthly administrative fee of $10,000 is for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support. This arrangement is being agreed to by our sponsor for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors with compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that this administrative fee is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. The monthly administrative fee will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public shareholders. Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee and the repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor (none of which payments will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination), no compensation of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such entity and individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. There is no limit on the amount of such expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Since the role of present management after a business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after a business combination.

Regardless of whether the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the net proceeds from this offering available to us out of trust for our working capital requirements in searching for a business combination will be approximately $1,750,000. We intend to use the proceeds for miscellaneous expenses such as paying for director and officer liability insurance premiums, for due diligence, legal, accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating business combinations, as well as for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our sponsor, initial shareholders,

51

Table of Contents

officers and directors in connection with activities on our behalf as described above. The allocation of the net proceeds available to us outside of the trust account represents our best estimate of the intended uses of these funds. In the event that our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described categories.

We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination, as described under the section titled “Underwriting — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” The fee that is payable to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement, however, is not required to be paid from the funds held in the trust account and may be paid from other sources. To the extent that our shares are used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the proceeds held in the trust account which are not used to consummate a business combination will be disbursed to the combined company and will, along with any other net proceeds not expended, be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products.

To the extent we are unable to consummate a business combination, we will pay the costs of liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than $15,000) and has agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, we had $279,935 outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. The loan is due on the earlier of December 31, 2021, the consummation of this offering or the abandonment of this offering. The loan will be payable without interest. The loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering available to us for payment of offering expenses.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have sufficient available funds to operate for the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. However, if necessary, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account other than the interest earned thereon would be used for such repayment.

A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of the trust account to the extent not previously released to us) only in the event of (i) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period, (ii) if that public shareholder converts such shares, or sells such shares to us in a tender offer, in connection with a business combination which we consummate or (iii) we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

52

Table of Contents

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an 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 a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. However, if we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital, or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.

53

Table of Contents

DILUTION

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

At June 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $224,212, or approximately $(0.06) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 15,000,000 ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at June 30, 2021 would have been $5,000,001 or $1.17 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 14,975,633 ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $1.23 per share to our sponsor and an immediate dilution of $8.83 per share or 88.3% to our public shareholders not exercising their redemption rights. The decrease attributable to public shares subject to redemption is included in the calculation below at $10.20 per share, as all public shareholders have the right to redeem. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $8.96 per share or 89.6%.

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

 

No exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

 

Exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

Public offering price

   

 

 

$

10.00

 

   

 

 

$

10.00

 

Net tangible book value before this offering

 

(0.06

)

 

 

 

 

 

(0.05

)

 

 

 

 

Increase attributable to public shareholders and private sales

 

1.23

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.09

 

 

 

 

 

Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering

 

1.17

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.04

 

 

 

 

 

Dilution to public shareholders

   

 

 

$

8.83

 

   

 

 

$

8.96

 

Percentage of dilution to public shareholders

   

 

 

 

88.3

%

   

 

 

 

89.6

%

The following table sets forth information with respect to our existing shareholders and the public shareholders:

 

Shares

 

Total Consideration

 

Average Price
per Share

Number

 

Purchased

 

Percentage

 

Amount

 

Percentage

 

Initial shareholders

 

3,750,000

(1)

 

19.69

%

 

$

25,000

 

0.02

%

 

$

0.007

Underwriters

 

300,000

 

 

1.57

%

 

$

40

 

0.00

%

 

$

0.000

Public shareholders

 

15,000,000

 

 

78.74

%

 

$

150,000,000

 

99.98

%

 

$

10.000

Total

 

19,050,000

 

 

100.00

%

 

$

150,025,040

 

100.00

%

 

 

 

____________

(1)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

54

Table of Contents

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

 

No exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

 

Exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net tangible book value before the offering

 

$

(224,212

)

 

$

(224,212

)

Net proceeds from this offering and private placement

 

 

154,750,000

 

 

 

177,700,000

 

Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering

 

 

230,544

 

 

 

230,544

 

Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to conversion/tender

 

 

(149,756,331

)

 

 

(172,706,331

)

   

$

5,000,001

 

 

$

5,000,001

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering

 

 

3,750,000

(1)

 

 

4,312,500

 

Underwriter founder shares

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

300,000

 

Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered

 

 

15,000,000

 

 

 

17,250,000

 

Less: Shares subject to conversion/tender

 

 

(14,975,633

)

 

 

(17,270,633

)

   

 

4,074,367

 

 

 

4,591,867

 

____________

(1)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

55

Table of Contents

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option:

 

June 30, 2021

   

Actual

 

As Adjusted(1)

Notes payable to related party(1)

 

$

279,935

 

 

$

 

Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 14,975,633 shares subject to possible conversion, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2)

 

 

 

 

 

149,756,331

 

Preferred share, $0.0001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 300,000 and 324,367 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 14,975,633 shares subject to possible conversion), actual and as adjusted, respectively

 

 

30

 

 

 

32

 

Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 4,312,500 and 3,750,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)

 

 

431

 

 

 

375

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

24,579

 

 

 

5,018,302

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(18,708

)

 

 

(18,708

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

6,332

 

 

 

5,000,001

 

Total capitalization

 

$

286,267

 

 

$

154,756,332

 

____________

(1)      Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of any loans made under this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering.

(2)      Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination.

(3)      Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

56

Table of Contents

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

We were formed on February 3, 2021 for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting a business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares:

•        may significantly reduce the equity interest of our shareholders, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;

•        may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if we issue preferred shares with rights senior to those afforded to our ordinary shares;

•        will likely cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and most likely will also result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

•        may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

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

•        acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

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

•        our inability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while such security is outstanding.

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity securities.

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at June 30, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $224,212. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this uncertainty through this offering. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through the payment of certain of our deferred offering costs with the $25,000 purchase price of the founder shares. Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was

57

Table of Contents

outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. We estimate that that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $650,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $3,000,000 (or $3,450,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (ii) the sale of the private warrants for a purchase price of $8,400,000 (or $9,300,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be $154,750,000 (or $177,700,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $153,000,000 (or $175,950,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining $1,750,000 will not be held in trust.

We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination, as described under the section titled “Underwriting — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” The fee that is payable to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital pursuant to the Business Combination Marketing Agreement, however, is not required to be paid from the funds held in the trust account and may be paid from other sources. To the extent that our shares are used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximate $1,750,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account, together with the interest earned on the trust account that is available to us, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:

•        $200,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business combination;

•        $600,000 of expenses for D&O insurance;

•        $100,000 of expenses for consulting and miscellaneous expenses incurred during the search for a business combination target;

•        $100,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations;

•        $75,000 for Nasdaq continued listing fees;

•        $180,000 for the payment of the administrative fee ($10,000 per month for up to 18 months); and

•        $495,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses.

If our estimates of the above costs are less than the actual costs, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. We do not have a maximum debt leverage ratio or a policy with respect to how much debt we may incur. The amount of debt we will be willing to incur will depend on the facts and circumstances of the proposed business combination and market conditions at the time of the potential business combination. At this time, we are not party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising additional funds through the sale of our securities or the incurrence of debt. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation

58

Table of Contents

of our initial business combination. In the current economic environment, it has become especially difficult to obtain acquisition financing. Additionally, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

Related Party Transactions

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. The loan will be payable without interest on the earlier to occur of December 31, 2021, the consummation of this offering, or the abandonment of this offering. If the offering is consummated, the loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust.

We are obligated, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay our sponsor a monthly administrative fee of $10,000 for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support.

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts; provided that up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

Controls and Procedures

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Target businesses we may consider for a business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

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

•        reconciliation of accounts;

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

•        evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

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

•        documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

59

Table of Contents

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

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

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The net proceeds of this offering, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States “government 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. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

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

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

60

Table of Contents

PROPOSED BUSINESS

Introduction

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. None of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential business combination with us.

We intend to source our initial business combination opportunities through the networks of our management team who collectively have extensive experience in investing and operating businesses in our target regions. We believe that our strong ties in these regions will help to identify, structure, finance, acquire and support the operation of a business combination target and, therefore, drive value creation for all stakeholders. In addition, our management team has unique sector knowledge based on their experience, including with respect to existing businesses as well as prior investments, which range from mining battery metals to the development of the next-generation solid state batteries for electric vehicles. Our directors have significant experience with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures which we believe will be useful in the evaluation of potential targets and the structuring of the business combination as well as management of the company post-combination.

We believe, companies operating across energy transition verticals in emerging/frontier economies encounter difficulties in accessing capital from traditional sources. We believe that we have the opportunity to create an attractive business combination that will enable a target company to access the capital markets, thereby providing it with a growth capital.

Market opportunity

We believe that new energy transition technologies are one of the great investment opportunities for the next three decades. Energy transition is a transformational force, with a technology-based shift from fossil fuels to renewables and low-carbon fuels at its core. Key technologies and services include battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling. Our team is focused on targeting sourcing materials and supply channels for advanced economies with an emphasis on rapid scaling opportunities in local markets of well understood technologies already in use in the US, Europe and China. We are seeking regional and national businesses that have adapted and optimized these technologies to local demographic trends and cultural habits.

The key energy transition technologies are hitting an inflection point across the value chain. Energy and natural resources consulting firm, Wood Mackenzie, estimates a minimum of $50 trillion in investment opportunities in low-carbon solutions over the next three decades.

According to BNEF, $501.3 billion has been invested in 2020 to decarbonization, where the majority has been invested into renewable energy capacity (61%) and electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure (28%). The number of countries that pledge to achieve net-zero-emissions continue to grow. Many national regulatory bodies have already adopted legislation to incentivize a shift to lower-emission and zero emission vehicles. In the light of this, most every global automaker have announced plans or are already producing new battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, including Ford, GM, Daimler, BMW, Hyundai and Kia. The high priority granted to EV production in the last number of years has led to the emergence of a significant number of private companies that create state-of-art industrial technologies and solutions. We believe that these private companies could benefit from access to the public equity markets, our strong ties in the region and access to technologies to build up a scale, accelerate growth, and secure supply chains of raw materials. We intend to pursue companies across the whole energy transition value chain, covering the supply chain of battery raw materials (Li, Ni, Co, and various rare earth metals), energy storage solutions, development of EV infrastructure, and recycling of used batteries in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia, and MENA regions.

61

Table of Contents

Our Founder and Management Team

We will seek to capitalize on the substantial deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise of our founder, non-executive Chairman and director, Kenges Rakishev, our Chief Executive Officer, Kanat Mynzhanov, and our Chief Financial Officer, Askar Mametov, as well as our independent directors, Shiv Vikram Khemka, Christophe Charlier and Sergei Ivashkovsky.

Mr. Rakishev is a global investor and entrepreneur who focuses on acquiring and investing in businesses that can benefit from his group’s operating expertise. Over the course of his career, Mr. Rakishev has acquired and directly or indirectly invested in more than 50 businesses in metals & mining, oil, petrochemical, banking, fintech, information technology, ecommerce, logistics and insurance industries, including a current portfolio of ten active companies worldwide. He is the sole shareholder and chief executive officer of Fincraft (listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2019), chairman of the board of Fincraft Resources JSC (formerly SAT & Company)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2008), chairman of the board of Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., director of Evoshare Limited, president of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, independent director of Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, co-founder of Saby Charitable Foundation, and was one of the early investors in StoreDot and Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE). Mr. Rakishev was ranked 12th on the Forbes list of the most influential persons in Kazakhstan in 2020.

Mr. Rakishev made a significant investment in Net Element in 2012. Net Element is a global technology-driven company specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services. Net Element owns and operates a global mobile payments and transactional processing provider, TOT Group. TOT Group companies include Unified Payments, ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2018 Technology Fast 500™, Aptito, a next generation cloud-based point of sale payments platform and Payonline, fully-integrated, processor agnostic electronic commerce platform. In 2020, Net Element announced the execution of a definitive agreement to merge with privately-held Mullen, a Southern California-based electric vehicle company.

In 2013, Singulariteam Fund, a venture capital fund owned by one of Mr. Rakishev’s group’s companies, was an early investor in StoreDot. StoreDot is a pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries that overcome the critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption — range and charging anxiety. The company has revolutionized the conventional Li-ion battery by designing and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, making it possible to fully charge an EV in just five minutes. The company was named “the pioneer of 2020” by BNEF, as one of ten game-changing technology companies creating a more sustainable future.

Mr. Rakishev is a significant shareholder and Chairman of Fincraft Resources JSC, which has expertise building, investing and operating internationally in the natural resources and disruptive technology industries. Through its subsidiary Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., the company is targeting metals necessary for electrification (in particular, nickel, cobalt and lithium) and has a significant nickel opportunity project in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is strategically located, linking China and South Asia with Russia and Western Europe by road, rail and port, and therefore is of great importance to China’s “Belt and Road” strategy. Fincraft Resources JSC recognized the potential to produce nickel from laterite ores of the Gornostaevskoe deposit using in-situ leaching (ISL) techniques, which offers significant economic, environmental and ecological advantages over conventional mining by extracting metals from the ground without physically removing the rock in which they are found. As a result, little or no tailing or waste rock is generated. In addition, ISL allows for increasing and decreasing production output more cost effectively than conventional mining.

From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Rakishev was a non-executive director of Central Asia Metals Plc (AIM: CAML). In 2014, Mr Rakishev became a major shareholder of BTA, which is currently a subsidiary of Fincraft. As of April 2021, Fincraft has over $1.2 billion in total assets. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Rakishev was a controlling shareholder and served as the chairman of Kazkommertsbank JSC, the largest Kazakh commercial bank. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Rakishev was a major shareholder of Petropavlovsk Plc., a member of London’s FTSE 250 index and is one of the five largest gold mining companies in Russia. In these positions, he offered support on strategic development, including helping to resolve management conflicts as well as short-term liquidity issues.

62

Table of Contents

Mr. Rakishev is an active investor in start-ups that are developing some of the most disruptive and impressive technologies today, from EV battery technology, mobile payments, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to robotics and healthcare technology. He helps to establish an entrepreneurial environment as a foundation for growth, while offering support, resources, and advice.

In addition to Mr. Rakishev, we expect to benefit from the experience and networks of the following members of our management team:

Kanat Mynzhanov has served as our Chief Executive Officer and director since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mynzhanov co-founded Bellprescot Ltd. and Bellprescot in September 2016. He served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot from 2016 to 2020 and operated Bellprescot’s fund, BP. BP’s primary focus of investments is technology driven public companies with leading and disruptive products and service, including internet of things and cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, machine learning, semiconductors, cybersecurity and robotics. Mr. Mynzhanov founded D23 in June 2020 to manage private equity deals. Prior to founding BP and D23, Mr. Mynzhanov served as the head of investments at Kazatomprom-Damu, an investment subsidiary of NAC, where he led and mentored a team of highly skilled investment managers responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business development across metals & mining, rare metals and alternative energy industries. Mr. Mynzhanov joined NAC in 2014 as an investment manager and during his time at NAC he oversaw numerous projects and established strong connections with some of the largest global firms. Over the years Mr. Mynzhanov consulted for various firms, including those in the metals and mining sector, on raising capital through initial public offerings, as well as restructuring and various business developments.

Askar Mametov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mametov has over 15 years of executive experience in mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and transportation industries with a thorough understanding of financial reporting (US GAAP and IFRS), taxation and accounting, financial planning and analysis. Previously, Mr. Mametov served as chief financial officer of KM Gold Inc., a public Kazakh gold mining company (KASE: KMGD) from August 2016 until October 2019. He led the public listing of the company on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Mametov served as financial controller of Sequa Petroleum Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Sequa Petroleum, an oil and gas company listed on Euronext Access (EPA: MLSEQ), from January 2014 to July 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Mametov served in multiple roles at Caspian Services Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSV), including management reporting, US GAAP financial reporting, as well as IFRS financial reporting. In 2007, Mr. Mametov worked at Beeline Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON). From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Mametov served as financial reporting specialist and consortium accountant for PetroKazakhstan Inc. (TSX: PKZ), a Canadian oil company. Mr. Mametov is a member of IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) and since 2014, has served as the President of Kazakhstan Chapter of IMA.

We have a highly accomplished team of independent directors who are experienced in executive leadership, company governance and operations oversight. Our board members have served as directors, partners, executives and advisors for a number of publicly-traded companies. We believe that our independent directors’ combination of relationships, experience and expertise in a number of sectors (natural resources, green infrastructure, high technology, solid state batteries, financial services, telecom) and markets (India, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, the CIS and other emerging markets) puts us in a strong position to complete a business combination:

Shiv Vikram Khemka will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Khemka has served as a vice-chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies, since 1990. SUN Group is active in asset management, natural resources, green infrastructure and high technology. SUN co-founded SUN Mobility, an energy tech company focused on becoming a leader in EV energy. SUN is also a significant investor in a leading EV solid state battery manufacturer. The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South-East Asia. Mr. Khemka is the chairman of the Entrepreneurship Sports Generation and executive chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation. He is currently a member of the board of governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a member of the Leadership Council at the Brooking Centre for Universal Education. The World

63

Table of Contents

Economic Forum elected Mr. Khemka a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” and he was also a member of the organization’s Global Agenda Council on Education. He has served on both the Brown University and Yale University’s President’s Councils. Mr. Khemka has also served as a board member on the Stanford Philanthropy and Civic Society (PACS) centre and was advisory board member of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University. He is currently a founding member of V20, a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with G20, and serves as the chairman of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India. Mr. Khemka was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, and the Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize and the India Alumni Award from the Wharton School of Business.

Christophe Charlier will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Charlier is an international financier with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and international management. Throughout his career he has acted as principal or advised on a number of landmark transactions in the telecom, financial services, natural resources and sports and entertainment industries across developed and emerging markets. He has served as an independent director of La Française de l’Energie, a French gas production company since April 2016, and chairman of Pure Grass Films, a UK-based film and TV series production company, since 2012. Mr. Charlier served as chairman of the board of directors of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets, from April 2017 to March 2020. As chairman, Mr. Charlier coordinated the work of Renaissance Capital’s board of directors and oversaw strategic development, the global brand, and relationships with key clients and stakeholders globally, as well as compliance with listing requirements of the Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. Previously, Mr. Charlier served as deputy CEO of Onexim Group, a leading private equity fund based in Moscow from September 2008 to June 2014. In this capacity, he served on the boards of directors of several of Russia’s largest companies, including RusAl, Polyus Gold, Quadra-Power Generation, and RBC. He also acted as chairman of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that from February 2002 to March 2004, Mr. Charlier was director of strategic development of Norilsk Nickel, leading its acquisition of strategic stakes in Stillwater Mining Company and Gold Fields.  He started his investment banking career in 1995 at JPMorgan in the M&A Group in NY.

Sergei Ivashkovsky will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Ivashkovsky has over 16 years of experience in investment management in public and private equity markets in the CIS and other counties in Eastern Europe, in restructuring and turnaround projects for technology companies and in distressed assets in Russia, and participated in a significant number of deals in industrial, consumer and banking sector. In October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky founded an investment company Eurasia Investment Partners to advise private investors in LBO and private equity transactions. From May 2018 to October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a managing director of the distressed assets bank TRUST, launched by the Central Bank of Russia along with McKinsey advisory to consolidate $40 billion of non-performing corporate loans. From 2013 until April 2018, he served as a managing director of Rusnano, a leading state-owned tech fund in Russia, and Gazprombank, a leading private bank in Russia, responsible for a number of turnaround projects in industrial technologies, fintech and artificial intelligence. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a senior analyst and co-portfolio manager of Prosperity Capital and East Capital, the leading Swedish asset management companies in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe with long-only and special situation funds. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an analyst and junior portfolio manager in Rosbank AM, an asset management start-up of INTERROS, one of the largest financial and industrial groups in Russia.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the past successes of Mr. Rakishev and our other officers and directors, and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or realize success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of such individuals’ or entity’s performance as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team may have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. In addition, our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such persons and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph in the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

64

Table of Contents

Business Strategy

Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify and complete the initial business combination with a target in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our founder and management team. We believe our founder’s broad experience owning and operating private and public companies positions us for a successful business combination. We also believe the resources and experience of our management team will provide us with an in-depth understanding of targets located in the CIS and other countries in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, operating in energy transition technologies.

We expect to distinguish ourselves by leveraging our extensive internal and external network of relationships to create a significant pipeline of business combination opportunities. We have significant experience dealing with key stakeholders, including shareholders, administrators, governmental agencies as well as equity sponsors, lending institutions, family offices, investment banks, restructuring advisers, attorneys, brokers and employees built over many years of investing and operating businesses in different regions.

We believe our sponsor’s and management team’s deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise, as well as their extensive network of contacts in our focus regions will uniquely position us to take advantage of positive trends in our target industries. We believe this expertise and network of contacts will provide us access to a number of potential target businesses that could be attractive public companies in the United States.

We will evaluate a wide-range of organic and strategic growth opportunities to identify synergies, bolster a target’s competitive position and develop new areas of growth for it. We also intend to leverage our management team’s vision and substantial expertise in building vertically-integrated businesses when possible.

Acquisition Criteria

We intend to acquire a company that we believe can offer an attractive risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. Fundamental analysis, including historical and projected financial and operating data, extensive financial modelling and in-depth market risks reviews are the core to our investment strategy, as well as extensive legal and intellectual properties due diligence to evaluate a target company and to complete a thorough analysis of the potential impact of a business combination.

We intend to acquire companies or assets that we believe have some or all of the following attributes:

•        The potential to benefit from being publicly traded with access to the public capital markets and reduced cost of equity and debt capital to pursue further growth opportunities;

•        A professional management team whose interests are aligned with our investors (we may enhance the capabilities of the target’s business team by recruiting talent through our network of contacts);

•        The potential to grow organically as well as through acquisitions;

•        A defensible position within a target market as a result of a differentiated technology or other competitive advantages;

•        A proven business model;

•        The collective capabilities of our management can be leveraged to tangibly improve the operations and market position of the target; and

•        A history of strong operating and financial results with proven track records.

Given our management team’s extensive experience investing in a target’s industries, we expect that we may be familiar with the prospective target’s end-market, competitive landscape and business model. We intend to construct an operating and financial plan designed to significantly increase shareholder value. When necessary, we intend to assemble a team of industry and financial experts to supplement the management teams’ efforts. We expect to demonstrate to the target and its shareholders that we have the resources and expertise to provide the strategic and operational direction necessary to grow the business and improve the overall strategic prospects for the combined companies.

65

Table of Contents

These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of an initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, guidelines, and criteria that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.

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 and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private warrants following this offering and, accordingly, 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 is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to 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 an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Effecting a Business Combination

General

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of private warrants, our ordinary shares, debt or a combination of these in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital, but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.

66

Table of Contents

We Have Not Identified a Target Business

To date, we have not selected any target business on which to concentrate our search for a business combination. None of our sponsor, officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with us. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate such companies. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a target business or that we will be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.

Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the fair market value requirement described below, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses other than as described above. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

Sources of Target Businesses

While we have not yet selected a target business with which to consummate our initial business combination, we believe based on our management’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous potential candidates. We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors. While our officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to our sponsor’s contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting.

Our officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis (other than EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital as described elsewhere in this prospectus), we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view.

67

Table of Contents

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination

Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses other than as described above under the caption “Investment Criteria.” In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:

•        financial condition and results of operation;

•        growth potential;

•        brand recognition and potential;

•        experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel;

•        capital requirements;

•        competitive position;

•        barriers to entry;

•        stage of development of the products, processes or services;

•        existing distribution and potential for expansion;

•        degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services;

•        proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas;

•        impact of regulation on the business;

•        regulatory environment of the industry;

•        costs associated with effecting the business combination;

•        industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and

•        macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes.

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.

The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.

68

Table of Contents

Fair Market Value of Target Business

The Nasdaq listing rules require that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post- transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test.

The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.

Lack of Business Diversification

We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, although we expect to complete our business combination with just one business. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

•        subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination, and

•        result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs

69

Table of Contents

with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’ Management

Although we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’ management will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full-time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that any such additional managers we do recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. 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 and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each shareholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. Whether we seek shareholder approval or engage in a tender offer, we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing

70

Table of Contents

which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public shareholders may therefore have to wait 18 months from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any ordinary shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to convert any ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any ordinary shares in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

None of our officers, directors, sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or Class A ordinary shares in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of shareholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination or that they wish to convert their shares, our officers, directors, sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote and reduce the number of conversions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor, initial shareholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s shares.

Conversion Rights

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Alternatively, we may provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their Class A ordinary shares to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders and our officers and directors will not have conversion rights with respect to any ordinary shares owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to the underwriter founder shares they hold.

We may require public shareholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a nominal amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require shareholders seeking to exercise conversion rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to shareholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to shareholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring shareholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a shareholder would have from the time the shareholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the shareholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial

71

Table of Contents

business combination, we may require shareholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.

Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of public shares delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

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

Limitation on Conversion upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Shareholder Approval

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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 seeking conversion rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their conversion rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its conversion rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to convert no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

Liquidation if No Business Combination

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of taxes

72

Table of Contents

payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person.

We are required to seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public shareholders. Nevertheless, Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that other vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.20 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement our sponsor entered into specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.20 due to claims or potential claims of creditors.

We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after our 18th month and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate such distribution. The holders of the founder shares and private shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to such shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.20.

Our public shareholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period, if the shareholders seek to have us convert or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to consummating an initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

If we are forced to file a winding-up petition bankruptcy case or a winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public shareholders at least $10.20 per share.

If we are forced to file a winding-up petition bankruptcy case or a winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As

73

Table of Contents

a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public shareholders promptly after 18 months from the closing of this offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public shareholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public 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.

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our shareholders. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon the 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 not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive any conversion rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:

•        we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;

•        we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares are voted in favor of the business combination;

•        if our initial business combination is not consummated within 18 months from the closing of this offering, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve our company;

•        upon the consummation of this offering, $153 million, or approximately $176 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account;

•        we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and

•        prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that participate in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the ordinary shares sold in this offering on an initial business combination.

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when

74

Table of Contents

contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.

The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:

•        our obligation to seek shareholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction;

•        our obligation to convert or repurchase Class A ordinary shares held by our public shareholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and

•        our outstanding warrants and unit purchase options, and the potential future dilution they represent.

Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Facilities

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 7F 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month administrative fee our sponsor will charge us for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, commencing on the date of this prospectus, pursuant to a letter agreement between us and our sponsor. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that the administrative fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.

Employees

We have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management may spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full- time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

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

We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards as promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.

75

Table of Contents

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

Legal Proceedings

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

Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

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

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Escrow of offering proceeds

 

$153,000,000 of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee

 

$132,300,000 of the offering proceeds would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker- dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.

Investment of net proceeds

 

The $153,000,000 of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants held in trust will only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with 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.

 

Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.

Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business

 

Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

 

We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.

76

Table of Contents

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Trading of securities issued

 

The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering, and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.

Exercise of the warrants

 

The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our business combination and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed.

 

The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.

Election to remain an investor

 

We will either (1) give our shareholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their Class A ordinary shares to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each shareholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy statement.

 

A prospectus containing information required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company, in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his or her investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account would automatically be returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.

77

Table of Contents

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Business combination deadline

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.

Limitation on conversion rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote

 

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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 seeking conversion rights with respect to Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public shareholders’ inability to convert Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell any Excess Shares in open market transactions.

 

Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination.

78

Table of Contents

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Interest earned on the funds in the trust account

 

There can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our tax obligations. The remaining interest earned on the funds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

All interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in trust for the benefit of public shareholders until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

Release of funds

 

Except for any interest earned on the funds in the trust account released to us for our tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released to the company until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

79

Table of Contents

MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

Our current directors and executive officers are as follows

Name

 

Age

 

Title

Kenges Rakishev

 

42

 

Non-executive Chairman and Director

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

37

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Askar Mametov

 

38

 

Chief Financial Officer

Christophe Charlier

 

49

 

Director Nominee

Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

38

 

Director Nominee

Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

59

 

Director Nominee

Kenges Rakishev has served as our non-executive Chairman since our inception in February 2021 and as our director since July 2021. Mr. Rakishev is a global investor and entrepreneur who focuses on acquiring and investing in businesses that can benefit from his group’s operating expertise. Over the course of his career, Mr. Rakishev has acquired and directly or indirectly invested in more than 50 businesses in metals & mining, oil, petrochemical, banking, fintech, information technology, ecommerce, logistics and insurance industries, including a current portfolio of ten active companies worldwide. Mr. Rakishev is the sole shareholder and has served as the chief executive officer of Fincraft Group LLP (listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2019), a diversified holding company, since March 2021 and as the chairman of the board of Fincraft Resources JSC (formerly SAT & Company)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2008) a diversified holding company with a focus on building, investing and operating internationally in the natural resources and disruptive technology industries, since September 2008. In addition, he has served as the chairman of the board of Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., an electric vehicle battery metals company, since December 2020 and as the director of Evoshare Limited, an international fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, since July 2013. Mr. Rakishev served as a director and chairman of the board of NetElement, global technology-driven group specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services, from October 2012 until November 2018. He served as a non-executive director of Central Asia Metals Plc (AIM: CAML) from 2013 to May 2018. Mr. Rakishev was a controlling shareholder and served as the chairman of Kazkommertsbank JSC, the largest Kazakh commercial bank from March 2015 to June 2017. From December 2017 to July 2019, Mr. Rakishev was a major shareholder of Petropavlovsk Plc., a member of the London’s FTSE 250 index and one of the five largest gold mining companies in Russia. In these positions, he offered support on strategic development, including helping to resolve management conflicts as well as short-term liquidity issues. Throughout his career, Mr. Rakishev has served in several notable positions in the public sector including independent director of Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, co-founder of Saby Charitable Foundation, vice-president of the Union of Chambers of Commerce of the Republic of Kazakhstan, president of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, vice-president of The Boxing Association of Republic of Kazakhstan and vice-president of the Asian Boxing Confederation. Mr. Rakishev holds a B.A. (Law) from the Kazakh State Law Academy and a B.A. (International Economics) from the Kazakh Economic University. Mr. Rakishev also has an AMP Diploma from Oxford University.

Kanat Mynzhanov has served as our Chief Executive Officer and director since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mynzhanov co-founded Bellprescot Ltd. and Bellprescot Asset Management (“Bellprescot”) in September 2016 and has served as the director of Bellprescot Ltd. from September 2016 until April 2021. He served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot from September 2016 to June 2020 and has operated and served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot’s fund, Bellprescot Prime Fund, since June 2020. BP’s primary focus of investments is technology driven public companies with leading and disruptive products and service, including internet of things and cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, machine learning, semiconductors, cybersecurity and robotics. Mr. Mynzhanov founded D23 in June 2020 to manage private equity deals. Prior to founding BP and D23, Mr. Mynzhanov served as the head of investments at Kazatomprom-Damu, an investment subsidiary of NAC, where he led and mentored a team of highly skilled investment managers responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business development across metals & mining, rare metals and alternative energy industries. Mr. Mynzhanov joined NAC in 2014 as an investment manager and during his time at NAC he oversaw numerous projects and established strong connections with some of the largest global firms. Over the years Mr. Mynzhanov consulted for various firms, including those in the metals and mining sector, on raising capital through initial public offerings, as well as restructuring and various business developments. Mr. Mynzhanov holds a Master of Science from University of Westminster.

80

Table of Contents

Askar Mametov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mametov has over 15 years of executive experience in mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and transportation industries with a thorough understanding of financial reporting (US GAAP and IFRS), taxation and accounting, financial planning and analysis. Mr. Mametov has served as the Director of Kaznedraproject LLP, a private Kazkh oil and gas exploration company, since July 2019. Previously, Mr. Mametov served as chief financial officer of KM Gold Inc., a public Kazakh gold mining company (KASE: KMGD) from August 2016 until October 2019. He led the process of public listing of the company on Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Mametov served as financial controller of Sequa Petroleum Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Sequa Petroleum, an oil and gas company, listed on Euronext Access (EPA: MLSEQ) from January 2014 to July 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Mametov served in multiple roles at Caspian Services Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSV), including management reporting, US GAAP financial reporting, as well as IFRS financial reporting for Kazakhstani Stock Exchange (KASE: US_CSSV). In 2007, Mr. Mametov worked at Beeline Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON). VEON (former Vympelcom), which operates through a number of connectivity and digital services’ brands. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Mametov served as financial reporting specialist and consortium accountant in PetroKazakhstan Inc. (TSX: PKZ), a Canadian oil company. Mr. Mametov is a member of IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) and since 2014, has served as the President of Kazakhstan Chapter of IMA. Mr. Mametov earned a B.S. in Accounting and MBA in Financial Reporting from KIMEP University.

Christophe Charlier, who will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus, is an international financier with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and international management. Throughout his career he has acted as principal or advised on a number of landmark transactions in the telecoms, financial services, natural resources and sports and entertainment industries across developed and emerging markets. He has served as an independent director of La Française de l’Energie, a French gas production company since April 2016, and chairman of Pure Grass Films, a UK-based film and TV series production company, since 2012. Mr. Charlier served as chairman of the board of directors of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets, from April 2017 to March 2020. As chairman, Mr. Charlier coordinated the work of Renaissance Capital’s board of directors and oversaw strategic development, the global brand, and relationships with key clients and stakeholders globally, as well as compliance with listing requirements of the Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. Previously, Mr. Charlier served as deputy CEO of Onexim Group, a leading private equity fund based in Moscow from September 2008 to June 2014. In this capacity, he served on the boards of directors of several of Russia’s largest companies including RusAl, Polyus Gold, Quadra-Power Generation, and RBC. He also acted as chairman of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that from February 2002 to March 2004, Mr. Charlier was director of strategic development of Norilsk Nickel, leading its acquisition of strategic stakes in Stillwater Mining Company and Gold Fields. He started his investment banking career in 1995 at JPMorgan in the M&A Group in New York. Mr. Charlier graduated cum laude in Finance from the Wharton School and in International Relations from the College of Arts & Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania in 1994.

Sergei Ivashkovsky, who will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus, has 16 years of experience in investment management in public and private equity markets in CIS and other counties in Eastern Europe, in restructuring and turnaround projects for technology companies and in distressed assets in Russia, and participated in a significant number of deals in industrial, consumer and banking sector. In October 2019, Sergei has founded an investment company Eurasia Investment Partners to advise private investors in LBO and private equity transactions. From May 2018 to October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a managing director of the distressed assets bank TRUST, launched by the Central Bank of Russia along with McKinsey advisory to consolidate $40 billion of non-performing corporate loans. From 2013 until April 2018, he served as a managing director of Rusnano, a leading state-owned tech fund in Russia, and Gazprombank, a leading private bank in Russia, responsible for a number of turnaround projects in industrial technologies, fintech and artificial intelligence. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a senior analyst and co-portfolio manager of Prosperity Capital and East Capital, the leading Swedish asset management companies in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe with long-only and special situation funds. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an analyst and junior portfolio manager in Rosbank AM, an asset management start-up of INTERROS, one of the largest financial and industrial groups in Russia. He has MSc diploma from Russia Higher School of Economics, and also studied in London School of Economics and Oxford Said Business School.

Shiv Vikram Khemka who will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus, is a vice-chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies. He has served as a vice-chairman of Sub Group since 1990. SUN Group is active in asset management, natural resources, green infrastructure and high technology. SUN has partnered to establish SUN Mobility, an energy

81

Table of Contents

tech company focused on becoming a leader in EV energy. SUN is also a significant investor in a leading EV solid state battery manufacturer. The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South-East Asia. Mr. Khemka is the chairman of the Entrepreneurship Sports Generation, also executive chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation. He is currently a member of the board of governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a member of the Leadership Council at the Brooking Centre for Universal Education. The World Economic Forum elected Mr. Khemka a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” and he was also a member of the organization’s Global Agenda Council on Education. He has served on both the Brown University and Yale University’s President’s Councils. Mr. Khemka has also served as a board member on the Stanford Philanthropy and Civic Society (PACS) centre and was advisory board member of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University. He is currently a founding member of V20, a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with G20, and is the chairman of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India. He was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, the Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize and the India Alumni Award from the Wharton School of Business. Mr. Khemka studied at Eton College, earned a BA in economics from Brown (‘85), an MBA/MA with distinction from the Wharton School of Business and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania (‘90).

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

We intend to have five directors upon completion of this offering. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Sergey Ivashkovsky, will expire at our first annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Christophe Charlier and Shiv Vikram Khemka, will expire at our second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Kenges Rakishev and Kanat Mynzhanov, will expire at our third annual meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, any vacancy on our board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares.

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 officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Executive Compensation

No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date of this prospectus through the acquisition of a target business or our liquidation of the trust account, we will pay our sponsor $10,000 per month for providing us with general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary.

Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee and the repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, initial shareholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, they will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

82

Table of Contents

Director Independence

Currently, Christophe Charlier, Sergei Ivaskhovksy and Shiv Vikram Khemka would each be considered an “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing rules, which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

Audit Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Christophe Charlier (chairman), Shiv Vikram Khemka and Sergei Ivashkovsky, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

•        reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K;

•        discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements;

•        discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;

•        monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

•        verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;

•        reviewing and approving all related party transactions;

•        inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

•        pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

•        appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

•        determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

•        establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and

•        approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses.

83

Table of Contents

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Nasdaq’s standards define “financially literate” as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

In addition, we must certify to Nasdaq that the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Christophe Charlier qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.

Nominating Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Christophe Charlier (chairman), Shiv Vikram Khemka and Sergei Ivashkovsky, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and others.

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

•        should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;

•        should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and

•        should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the shareholders.

The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons.

Compensation Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Christophe Charlier (chairman), Shiv Vikram Khemka and Sergei Ivashkovsky, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

•        reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

•        reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers;

•        reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

84

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

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

Code of Ethics

Effective upon consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.

Conflicts of Interest

Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:

(i)     duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;

(ii)    duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;

(iii)   directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;

(iv)   duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;

(v)    duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and

(vi)   duty to exercise independent judgment.

In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.

As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to at least one other entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

85

Table of Contents

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

Name of Individual

 

Name of Affiliated Entity

Kenges Rakishev

 

Fincraft Group LLP, Fincraft Investments LLP, Fincraft Investment House JSC, Fincraft Resources JSC, Nebo Aviation PTE.LTD, Oxus Capital Pte. Ltd, Net Element, Inc., Multipoint Investments LLC, Fincraft Holdings Ltd, Sirin SARL, SDB Group LLP, Hikmet Travel LLP, Evoshave Limited, BTA Bank JSC, Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, Young Entrepreneurs Association (Kazakhstan), YPO (Kazakhstan),

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

Bellprescot Prime Fund

Askar Mametov

 

Kaznedraproject LLP

Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

Eurasia Investment Partners, Fincraft Resources JSC

Christophe Charlier

 

La Française de l’Energie and Pure Grass Films

Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

SRL 142 Holdings Ltd., SUN Natural Resources Limited, SUN Assets Management Ltd., SUN Technology Investors Ltd. , SUN Group Holdings Ltd.

Investors should also be aware of the following additional potential conflicts of interest:

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

•        Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement or repayment for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, or loans made to us, to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account or interest earned on the trust account funds that are available to us.

•        The founder shares beneficially owned by our initial shareholders will be released from escrow only if a business combination is successfully completed, and the private warrants purchased by our sponsor, and any warrants which our officers or directors may purchase in the aftermarket will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our officers and directors and affiliates will not receive liquidation distributions from the trust account with respect to any of the founder shares or private shares. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed that the private warrants will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed a business combination.

For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with.

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors, sponsor or initial shareholders unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors. Furthermore, in no event will any of our sponsor, initial shareholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses.

86

Table of Contents

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

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

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

•        each of our officers and directors; and

•        all of our officers and directors as a group.

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

The post-offering numbers and percentages presented in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial shareholders forfeit 562,500 founder shares and that there are 19,050,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.

 

Prior to Offering

 

After Offering

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

 

Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2)

 

Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares

 

Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2)

 

Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.(3)

 

7,037,500

 

93.9

%

 

6,100,000

 

19.3

%

Kenges Rakishev(3)

 

7,037,500

 

93.9

%

 

6,100,000

 

19.3

%

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

 

 

 

 

 

Askar Mametov

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

 

Christophe Charlier

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

 

Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

 

All directors and executive officers as a group (seven individuals)

 

4,312,500

 

95.5

%

 

6,250,000

 

19.7

%

____________

*        Less than 1%.

(1)      Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 7F 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan.

(2)      Interests shown include founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one for one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.”

(3)      Represents securities held by Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., our sponsor, of which Kenges Rakishev is the controlling shareholder.

Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders and holders of underwriter founder shares will beneficially own approximately 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus and excluding the underwriter founder shares). None of our sponsor, officers, directors and initial shareholders has indicated to us that it or they intend to purchase our securities in the offering. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital, or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus and excluding the underwriter founder shares). Because of the ownership block held by our sponsor, officers, directors and initial shareholders, such individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

87

Table of Contents

If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares will be forfeited. Only a number of shares necessary for the founder shares to continue to represent 20% of our ordinary shares after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (not including the private warrants) will be forfeited.

All of the founder shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (i) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of our initial business combination, or, in each case, earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 562,500 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

During the escrow period, the holders of the founder shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among our initial shareholders or to our initial shareholders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s shareholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our shareholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their ordinary shares and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in ordinary shares, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares.

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering. Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private warrants (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above) until after the completion of our initial business combination. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote the private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to convert any private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any private shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private warrants will likely be worthless.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note.

88

Table of Contents

The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account other than the interest earned thereon would be used for such repayment.

Our executive officers and our sponsor are our “promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.

89

Table of Contents

CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

On March 22, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to our sponsor. In addition, we issued 200,000 Class A ordinary shares, at a price of $0.0001 per share, to each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their respective designees for an aggregate of 400,000 Class A ordinary shares in a private placement in March 2021. On June 10, 2021 and July 14, 2021, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In addition, on June 10, 2021 and July 14, 2021, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our initial shareholders will forfeit up to an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised.

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 8,400,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $8,400,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 7,650,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 900,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The purchase price for the private warrants will be delivered to an escrow account at least 24 hours prior to the closing of this offering and will be deposited into the trust account simultaneously with the consummation of the offering. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering. Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private warrants (except to certain permitted transferees) until after the completion of our initial business combination. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote the private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to convert any private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any private shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private warrants will likely be worthless.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account other than the interest earned thereon would be used for such repayment.

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private warrants and any warrants our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the founder shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private warrants and warrants issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

90

Table of Contents

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. We intend to repay the loan from the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust upon consummation of this offering.

Our sponsor has agreed that, commencing on the date of this prospectus and through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay $10,000 per month for these services. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that the administrative fee is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.

We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee and repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor, no compensation or fees of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, initial shareholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.

Related Party Policy

Our Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our ordinary shares, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the

91

Table of Contents

approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors.

92

Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

General

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 371168) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, and 5,000,000 preferred shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.

Units

Each unit consists of one share of Class A ordinary shares and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants are expected to begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces.

In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

Ordinary Shares

Upon the closing of this offering, 19,050,000 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 562,500 founder shares by our initial shareholders, on a pro rata basis), consisting of:

•        15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering;

•        3,750,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders; and

•        300,000 Class A ordinary shares issued to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital.

If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not taking into account the underwriter founder shares and assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering).

Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the ordinary shares that are voted, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our

93

Table of Contents

amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to appoint directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

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 general meetings or appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the conversion rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many special purpose acquisition companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide 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

94

Table of Contents

of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from converting its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to convert the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive conversion distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the initial business combination. As a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares, would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, pursuant to the letter agreement our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and underwriter founder shares, we would need only 5,475,001, or approximately 36.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised, or 712,501, or 4.8% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in the offering in order to have our initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to convert its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).

Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Island law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein.

Founder Shares

The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their conversion rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our

95

Table of Contents

obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of the founder shares held by our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors would be subject to the same restrictions.

The Class B ordinary shares 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 for share divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any additional warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A ordinary shares issues in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

All of the founder shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (i) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of our initial business combination, or, in each case, earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 562,500 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among our initial shareholders or to our initial shareholders’ members, officers,

96

Table of Contents

directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s shareholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our shareholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of ordinary shares and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in ordinary shares, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares.

Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

Register of Members

Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:

•        the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of the shares of each member;

•        whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue;

•        the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and

•        the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.

Preferred Shares

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize 5,000,000 preferred shares and provide that preferred shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preferred shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preferred shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preferred shares are being issued or registered in this offering.

97

Table of Contents

Warrants

No warrants are currently outstanding. Each warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. However, no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such Class A ordinary shares. Although we are registering our Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants on the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we have agreed that as soon as practicable after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within a 60 day period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of such cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 5 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

The private warrants, as well as any warrants we issue to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be identical to the warrants underlying the units being offered by this prospectus.

We may call the warrants for redemption, in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:

•        at any time after the warrants become exercisable,

•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder,

•        if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders; and

•        if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants.

The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such warrant.

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

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 5 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.

98

Table of Contents

The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision, or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants, but requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

The exercise price and number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Class A ordinary shares at a price below their respective exercise prices.

In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price.

The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.

Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding.

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

Dividends

We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

The transfer agent for our securities and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, New York, New York 10004.

99

Table of Contents

Listing of our Securities

We applied to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUSU,” “OXUS,” and “OXUSW,” respectively. We anticipate that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.

Certain Differences in Corporate Law

Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.

Mergers and Similar Arrangements.    In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).

Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 66 23% in value of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.

Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.

Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.

Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement

100

Table of Contents

that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.

Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:

•        we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with;

•        the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question;

•        the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and

•        the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”

If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations.

Squeeze-out Provisions.    When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.

101

Table of Contents

Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.

Shareholders’ Suits.    Maples and Calder, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:

•        a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;

•        the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or

•        those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities.    The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts 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 (i) 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 (ii) 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, and 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.

Special Considerations for Exempted Companies.    We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company.

The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges below:

•        an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;

•        an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection;

•        an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

•        an exempted company may issue shares with no par value;

102

Table of Contents

•        an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

•        an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

•        an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and

•        an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.

“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

The Business Combination Article of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.

Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:

•        If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) 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 the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law;

•        Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on our initial business combination;

•        Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;

•        If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents

103

Table of Contents

with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;

•        If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein; and

•        We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets requirement.

The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.

Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands

If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.

Cayman Islands Data Protection

We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”), based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.

104

Table of Contents

Privacy Notice

Introduction

This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information, which constitutes “personal data” within the meaning of the DPA.

In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.

Investor Data

We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.

In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.

We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.

Who this Affects

If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the Company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.

How the Company May Use Your Personal Data

The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:

(i)     where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;

(ii)    where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or

(iii)   where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.

Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.

Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data

In certain circumstances, we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.

105

Table of Contents

We anticipates disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the US, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.

The Data Protection Measures We Take

Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.

We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual general meetings.

Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preferred shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Class A ordinary shares and preferred shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

106

Table of Contents

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Immediately after this offering, we will have 19,050,000 ordinary shares outstanding, or 21,862,500 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 15,000,000 shares sold in this offering, or 17,250,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining shares, including founder shares and underwriter founder shares, are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. All of the founder shares have been placed in escrow and will not be transferable until they are released except in limited circumstances described elsewhere in this prospectus.

Rule 144

A person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

•        1% of the number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 150,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 172,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

•        the average weekly trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

Historically, the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met:

•        the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

•        the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

•        the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and

•        at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

As a result, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming it is not an affiliate of ours at that time.

107

Table of Contents

Registration Rights

The holders of the founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private warrants, including EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the founder shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private warrants and warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination; provided, however, that EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which the prospectus forms a part. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

108

Table of Contents

TAXATION

The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.

Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.

Cayman Islands Tax Considerations

The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.

Existing Cayman Islands Laws

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.

No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.

Our company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands as described below.

Tax Concessions Law

Undertaking as to Tax Concessions

In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law, the Financial Secretary undertakes with us:

1.      That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to us or our operations; and

2.      In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:

2.1    On or in respect of the shares, debentures or our other obligations; or

2.2    by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in the Tax Concessions Law.

These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from the date hereof.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to your acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units or components thereof, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share and one warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to certain beneficial

109

Table of Contents

owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of units pursuant to this offering and who hold each unit and each component of a unit as a capital asset for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and assumes any distributions on our Class A ordinary shares will be paid in U.S. dollars.

This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations, judicial opinions, and published positions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as estate or gift taxes).

This discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including the Medicare tax on certain investment income, and it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to persons subject to special rules, such as:

•        financial institutions;

•        insurance companies;

•        real estate investment trusts or regulated investment companies;

•        dealers and traders in securities or foreign currencies;

•        persons holding our securities as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction;

•        former citizens or residents of the United States;

•        U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar;

•        partnerships or other entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

•        persons owning or considered as owning 10% or more (by vote or value) of our shares;

•        persons that acquired our securities as compensation for the performance of services;

•        individual retirement accounts and other tax-deferred accounts;

•        persons that are required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to our securities as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement;

•        controlled foreign corporations or passive foreign investment companies;

•        persons liable for the alternative minimum tax; and

•        tax-exempt organizations.

If an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the entity. If you are a partner in such an entity, you should consult your tax advisor.

We have not sought, and do not expect to seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.

WE URGE PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ACQUIRING, HOLDING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES.

110

Table of Contents

Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit

No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Class A ordinary shares and one warrant to acquire one share of our Class A ordinary shares. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its own tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share and the warrant should be the holder’s initial tax basis in such share or warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and of the warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and the warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition. The separation of the Class A ordinary share and the warrant comprising a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The foregoing treatment of the units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The remainder of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

U.S. Holders

This section is addressed to U.S. holders of our securities. For purposes of this discussion, you are a “U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a security that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

•        an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

•        a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in, or under the laws of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia; or

•        an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

•        a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

Taxation of Distributions

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If we do make distributions on our ordinary shares, such distributions generally will be treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will be required to include in gross income amounts treated as dividends. Distributions in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and profits generally will first reduce your basis in the ordinary shares (but not below zero) and then will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares (as described in the first paragraph under “— Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants” below).

Dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax law currently in effect, dividends paid by us will be considered “qualified dividends” and taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rates, only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, we are not a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and certain other requirements

111

Table of Contents

are met. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares. The conversion feature of the Class A ordinary shares described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Conversion Rights” may be viewed as a position with respect to substantially similar or related property which diminishes your risk of loss and thereby affects your ability to satisfy the holding period requirement for the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income.

Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, gain or loss you realize on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (generally, including as a result of a liquidation in the event we do not consummate a business combination within the required time) will be capital gain or loss. The amount of your gain or loss will be equal to the difference between your tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares or warrants disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any capital gain or loss you realize on a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if your holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants is more than one year. However, the conversion feature of the Class A ordinary shares described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Conversion Rights” could affect your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the long-term capital gain tax rate with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

Generally, the amount realized by a U.S. holder is the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units) and a U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A ordinary shares, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

Conversion or Redemption of Class A Ordinary shares

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, if you convert your Class A ordinary shares into a right to receive cash as described in “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Conversion Rights,” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (each such conversion or transaction referred to as a “redemption” for the remainder of this discussion), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “— Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only shares actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any shares the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder

112

Table of Contents

are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares. The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s conversion results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.

If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it.

You should consult your own tax advisor as to whether conversion of your Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a sale or as a distribution under the Code and, if you actually or constructively own 5% (or, if our share are not then publicly traded, 1%) or more of our Class A ordinary shares before conversion, whether you are subject to special reporting requirements with respect to such conversion.

Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of Warrants

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, you generally will not be required to recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of Class A ordinary shares upon the exercise of a warrant for cash. Your basis in a share of Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of a warrant will be equal to the sum of (1) your basis in the warrant and (2) the exercise price of the warrant. Your holding period in the shares received upon exercise will commence on the day after you exercise the warrants (or possibly the date of exercise).

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants exercised. If the cashless exercise were not treated as a gain realization event, a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A ordinary shares would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares would include the holding period of the warrants.

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in such event, a U.S. holder would recognize gain or loss with respect to the portion of the exercised warrants treated as surrendered to pay the exercise price of the warrants (the “surrendered warrants”). The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the surrendered warrants and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in such warrants. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the fair market value of the surrendered warrants and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised (except for any such tax basis allocable to the surrendered warrants). A U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants.

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “— Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants.”

113

Table of Contents

If a warrant expires without being exercised, you will recognize a capital loss in an amount equal to your basis in the warrant. Such loss will be long-term capital loss if, at the time of the expiration, the warrant has been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Possible Constructive Dividends on Warrants

The terms of the warrants provide for an adjustment to the number of ordinary shares for which the warrants may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrants in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of our ordinary shares which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value the increase in the warrant holder’s interest.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules

A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income, or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income. In determining the value and composition of our assets, the cash we raise in this offering generally will be considered to be held for the production of passive income and thus will be considered a passive asset.

Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income, if (1) no predecessor of the foreign corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021 or any future taxable year.

If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder did not make a timely qualified electing fund, or QEF, election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, or a “mark-to-market” election (in each case as described below), such holder generally will be subject to special, generally adverse rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. holder during a taxable year of the U.S. holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. holder or, if shorter, such U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares). Under these rules:

•        the U.S. holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants;

114

Table of Contents

•        the amount allocated to the U.S. holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income;

•        the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. holder; and

•        the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed in respect of the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. holder.

In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. holder may avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making a timely QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge. It should be noted that dividends paid by a PFIC would generally not qualify for the preferred capital gains rates discussed above.

The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A QEF election may not be made with respect to our warrants. As a result, if a U.S. holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants), any gain recognized generally will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above, if we were a PFIC at any time during the period the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a U.S. holder that exercises such warrants properly makes and maintains a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares, but the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. The purging election creates a deemed sale of such shares at their fair market value. The gain recognized by the purging election will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. holder will have a new basis and holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants for purposes of the PFIC rules. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.

A U.S. holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.

If a U.S. holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the special tax and interest charge rules do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, U.S. holders of a QEF are currently taxed on their pro rata shares of its earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable as a dividend to such U.S. holders. The tax basis of a U.S. holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules.

115

Table of Contents

Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. holder who held Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the PFIC tax and interest charge rules discussed above in respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of us that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.

Alternatively, if a U.S. holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. holder in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect to its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. holder also will be allowed to take an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to our warrants.

The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as marketable stock for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.

If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide the required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to any such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.

A U.S. holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621(whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares and warrants under their particular circumstances.

116

Table of Contents

Tax Reporting

Certain U.S. holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement. Furthermore, certain U.S. holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. An interest in the Company constitutes a specified foreign financial asset for these purposes. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our securities.

Non-U.S. Holders

Dividends (including constructive distributions) paid or deemed paid to a non-U.S. holder in respect to its Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).

In addition, a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States) or the non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met (in which case, such gain from United States sources generally is subject to tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate).

Dividends (including constructive distributions) and gains that are effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. holder and, in the case of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.

The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a non-U.S. holder’s receipt of a Class A ordinary share upon the exercise of a warrant held by a non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the receipt of a share upon the exercise of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of Warrants,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a non-U.S. holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A non-U.S. holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from backup withholding in their particular circumstances.

117

Table of Contents

UNDERWRITING

We are offering the units described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. is acting as representative of the underwriters. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the representative. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the number of units listed next to each of its name in the following table:

Underwriter

 

Number of
Units

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

   

Sova Capital Limited

 

Total

 

15,000,000

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters must buy all of the units if they buy any of them. However, the underwriters are not required to purchase the units covered by the option to purchase additional units as described below.

Our units are offered subject to a number of conditions, including:

•        receipt and acceptance of our units by the underwriters; and

•        the underwriters’ right to reject orders in whole or in part.

In connection with this offering, the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.

All sales of the units in the United States will be made by U.S. registered broker-dealers. Sova Capital Limited is not a U.S. registered broker-dealer and therefore any offers and sales of the units by Sova Capital Limited in the United States will be made through Auerbach Grayson & Company Llc.

Sova Capital Limited has engaged Auerbach Grayson & Company Llc to act as its chaperone pursuant to Rule 15a-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in connection with securities transactions effected by Sova Capital Limited with U.S. investors. Auerbach Grayson Llc is a U.S. broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of the FINRA with its principal place of business at 25 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036. Sova Capital Limited will make offers and sales of the units to non-United States persons outside of the United States.

Option To Purchase Additional Units

We have granted the underwriters an over-allotment option to buy up to an aggregate of 2,250,000 additional units. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.

Underwriting Discount

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $           per unit from the initial public offering price and the dealers may reallow a concession not in excess of $             per unit to other dealers. Sales of units made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. After completion of this offering, if the underwriters still hold any units sold by us to them in this offering, the representative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the units at the prices and upon the terms stated therein.

The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discount we will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional units.

 

No Exercise

 

Full Exercise

Per Unit

 

$

0.20

 

$

0.20

Total

 

$

3,000,000

 

$

3,450,000

118

Table of Contents

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, not including the underwriting discount, will be approximately $650,000. We have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel, not to exceed $15,000, and the expenses of transaction mementos, not to exceed $3,000, all of which are included in the total estimated expenses of $650,000.

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital as advisors in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our shareholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with our initial business combination, assist us in obtaining shareholder approval for the business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of this offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable).

Rights of First Refusal

If, from the date of this offering until the earlier of the consummation of an initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account if we fail to consummate a business combination during the required time period (but in no event later than three years from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus forms a part), we determine to pursue any equity, equity-linked, debt or mezzanine financing relating to or in connection with a business combination, then EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital shall have the right, but not the obligation, to act as book running managers, placement agents and/or arrangers, as the case may be, in any and all such financing or financings (with respect to Sova Capital, if and to the extent, permitted under law applicable to Sova Capital).

In addition, under certain circumstances EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital will be granted, from the date of this offering until the earlier of one year after the consummation of an initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account if we fail to consummate a business combination during the required time period (but in no event later than three years from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus forms a part), the right to act as lead underwriter for the next U.S. registered public offering of securities undertaken by any of our officers and directors for the purpose of raising capital and placing 90% or more of the proceeds in a trust or escrow account to be used to acquire one or more operating businesses that have not been identified at the time of the public offering (with respect to Sova Capital, if and to the extent, permitted under law applicable to Sova Capital).

Indemnification

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

Nasdaq Listing

We applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “OXUSU” and, once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants begin separate trading, to have the Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUS” and “OXUSW,” respectively. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.

Price Stabilization, Short Positions

In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of units during and after this offering, including:

•        stabilizing transactions;

•        short sales;

•        purchases to cover positions created by short sales;

119

Table of Contents

•        imposition of penalty bids; and

•        syndicate covering transactions.

Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units while this offering is in progress. Stabilization transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. These transactions may also include making short sales of our units, which involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in this offering and purchasing units on the open market to cover short positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered short sales,” which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units referred to above, or may be “naked short sales,” which are short positions in excess of that amount.

The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing units in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.

Naked short sales are short sales made in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchased in this offering.

The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the representative of the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representative has repurchased units sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

These stabilizing transactions, short sales, purchases to cover positions created by short sales, the imposition of penalty bids and syndicate covering transactions may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result of these activities, the price of our units may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the units. Neither we, nor the underwriters, make any representation that the underwriters will engage in these stabilization transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Determination of Offering Price

Prior to this offering, there was no public market for our units. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiation between us and the representative of the underwriters. The principal factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price include:

•        the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representative;

•        our history and prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;

•        our past and present financial performance;

•        our prospects for future earnings and the present state of our development;

•        the general condition of the securities market at the time of this offering;

•        the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded units of generally comparable companies; and

•        other factors deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.

Neither we nor the underwriters can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our units, warrants or ordinary shares or that the units will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

120

Table of Contents

Underwriter Founder Shares

In March 2021, we issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and/or its designees and Sova Capital and/or its designees 200,000 Class A ordinary shares each for a total of 400,000 of Class A ordinary shares for nominal consideration. Subsequently, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. The holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares without our prior consent until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed (i) to waive their conversion rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.

The underwriter founder shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the public offering, except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners, provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period.

We have granted the holders of these shares the registration rights as described under the section “Description of Securities — Registration Rights.” In compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the registration rights are limited to demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus form a part and demand right may only be exercised on one occasion.

Private Warrants

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 375,000 private warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $375,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. In addition, Sova Capital has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 375,000 private warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $375,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. In addition, each of EarlyBird, Inc. and Sova Capital have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, they and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 40,179 private warrants to be purchased by each EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital). Each private warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. Additionally, for so long as the private warrants are held by the underwriters or their designees or affiliates, they may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The private warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or the date of commencement of this offering. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110, these securities shall not be sold during this offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or the date of commencement of this offering. Additionally, the private warrants (and the underlying Class A ordinary shares) purchased by the underwriters may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for 180 days following the effective date of this prospectus except to any selected dealer participating in the offering and the bona fide officers or partners of the underwriters and any such participating selected dealer. The private warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We have granted the holders registration rights. In compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the registration rights are limited to demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus form a part and demand right may only be exercised on one occasion.

121

Table of Contents

Affiliations

EarlyBirdCapital is a full service financial institution engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. EarlyBirdCapital and its affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of us. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in these securities and instruments.

Sova Capital and its affiliates (“Sova Group”) are financial companies engaged in a wide range of financial services and businesses acting both for their own account and for the account of their clients, including securities trading, research, fund management, financing, corporate and investment banking and financial advisory services. Therefore, in its day-to-day trading, brokerage and financial activities, companies within Sova Group may, at any time:

•        hold short or long positions, and may trade or otherwise structure and execute, either at their own expense or at the expense of their clients, transactions in debt securities, equities, or other assets of any company that may be involved in this offering, or in any currency or another commodity that may be used in this offering or in any derivative instrument relating to this offering;

•        make investments as a principal, or manage investments made by other principals in debt securities or equities of any company that may be involved in this offering, or in any currency or another commodity that may be used in this offering, or in any derivative instrument relating to this offering; and

•        provide ordinary brokerage services to any company that may be involved in this offering.

Sova Capital have policies and procedures in place to identify and manage conflicts of interests and protect clients’ interests, including “Chinese Walls” between business activities likely to generate conflicts of interest and separation of business departments to prevent undue circulation of confidential information.

Additional Future Arrangements

Other than as described above, we are not under any contractual obligation to have any of the underwriters provide any services for us after this offering and have no present intent to engage any of them to do so. However, the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to any underwriter prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.

Electronic Distribution

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites or through other online services maintained by the underwriters participating in this offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

122

Table of Contents

Selling Restrictions

Canada

Resale Restrictions

We intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario, Canada (the “Canadian Offering Jurisdiction”) by way of a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Canadian resale restrictions in some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a “reporting issuer”, as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and there currently is no public market for any of the securities in Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory in Canada.

Representations of Purchasers

A Canadian purchaser will be required to represent to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

•        the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase our securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws;

•        where required by law, that the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent;

•        the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions; and

•        the purchaser acknowledges and consents to the provision of specified information concerning its purchase of our securities to the regulatory authority that by law is entitled to collect the information.

Rights of Action — Ontario Purchasers Only

Under Ontario securities legislation, certain purchasers who purchase a security offered by this prospectus during the period of distribution will have a statutory right of action for damages, or while still the owner of our securities, for rescission against us in the event that this prospectus contains a misrepresentation without regard to whether the purchaser relied on the misrepresentation. The right of action for damages is exercisable not later than the earlier of 180 days from the date the purchaser first had knowledge of the facts giving rise to the cause of action and three years from the date on which payment is made for our securities. The right of action for rescission is exercisable not later than 180 days from the date on which payment is made for our securities. If a purchaser elects to exercise the right of action for rescission, the purchaser will have no right of action for damages against us. In no case will the amount recoverable in any action exceed the price at which our securities were offered to the purchaser and if the purchaser is shown to have purchased the securities with knowledge of the misrepresentation, we will have no liability. In the case of an action for damages, we will not be liable for all or any portion of the damages that are proven to not represent the depreciation in value of our securities as a result of the misrepresentation relied upon. These rights are in addition to, and without derogation from, any other rights or remedies available at law to an Ontario purchaser. The foregoing is a summary of the rights available to an Ontario purchaser. Ontario purchasers should refer to the complete text of the relevant statutory provisions.

Enforcement of Legal Rights

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All of our assets and the assets of those persons are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

123

Table of Contents

Collection of Personal Information

If a Canadian purchaser is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the Province of Ontario, the Purchaser authorizes the indirect collection of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser by the Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”) and each Canadian purchaser will be required to acknowledge and agree that the Canadian purchaser has been notified by us (i) of the delivery to the OSC of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser, including, without limitation, the full name, residential address and telephone number of the Canadian purchaser, the number and type of securities purchased and the total purchase price paid in respect of the securities, (ii) that this information is being collected indirectly by the OSC under the authority granted to it in securities legislation, (iii) that this information is being collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of the securities legislation of Ontario, and (iv) that the title, business address and business telephone number of the public official in Ontario who can answer questions about the OSC’s indirect collection of the information is the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Corporate Finance, the Ontario Securities Commission, Suite 1903, Box 5520, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-8086, Facsimile: (416) 593-8252.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”) and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.

Any offer in Australia of the shares may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the shares without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The shares applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring shares must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.

This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The shares to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Regulation (each, a “relevant member state”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Regulation is implemented in that relevant member state (the “relevant implementation date”), an offer of units described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units

124

Table of Contents

that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of our units may be made to the public in that relevant member state at any time:

•        to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation;

•        to fewer than 100, or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provisions of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation), as permitted under the Prospectus Regulation, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by the issuer for any such offer; or natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or

•        in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation.

Each purchaser of units described in this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.

For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in any relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the units, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Regulation in that member state, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the PD 2010 Amending Directive to the extent implemented by the relevant member state) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state, and the expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the units as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the units, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the units on behalf of us or the underwriters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company or the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as a “relevant person”). The units are

125

Table of Contents

only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire such units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

Notice to Prospective Investors in France

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:

•        released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or

•        used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France. Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:

•        to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, Article L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

•        to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

•        in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1°-or-2°-or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne).

The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with Articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The units have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

126

Table of Contents

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.

Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person that is:

•        a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 14A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor, or

•        a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

•        to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;

•        where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or

•        where the transfer is by operation of law.

127

Table of Contents

LEGAL MATTERS

Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Miami, Florida, is acting as our counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this offering. Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Oxus Acquisition Corp. at March 22, 2021 and for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021 included in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Oxus Acquisition Corp. to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given upon such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.

Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov

128

Table of Contents

F-1

Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of March 22, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 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 March 22, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of March 22, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans with regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Marcum LLP

Marcum LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

New York, NY

April 1, 2021, except for Note 8 as to which the date is August 19, 2021.

F-2

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEETS

 

June 30,
2021

 

March 22,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

$

87,734

 

 

$

 

Subscription receivable

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

 

 

87,774

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred offering costs associated with initial public offering

 

 

230,544

 

 

 

31,211

 

TOTAL ASSETS

 

$

318,318

 

 

$

31,211

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued offering costs and expenses

 

$

32,051

 

 

$

24,129

 

Promissory note – related party

 

 

279,935

 

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

 

 

311,986

 

 

 

24,129

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized;
300,000 issued or outstanding at June 30, 2021 and 0 issued or outstanding at March 22, 2021(1)(2)

 

 

30

 

 

 

 

Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized;
4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2021 and 4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding at March 22, 2021(3)(4)

 

 

431

 

 

 

431

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

24,579

 

 

 

24,569

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(18,708

)

 

 

(17,918

)

Total Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

6,332

 

 

 

7,082

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

$

318,318

 

 

$

31,211

 

____________

(1)      Consists of Underwriter Founder Shares issued to the underwriters and/or its designees (see Note 5).

(2)      Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(3)      Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(4)      Includes up to 562,500 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

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

F-3

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception)
through
June 30,
2021

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception) through
March 22,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

Formation costs

 

$

18,708

 

 

$

17,918

 

Net loss

 

$

(18,708

)

 

$

(17,918

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average Class A ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1)(2)

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per Class A ordinary shares

 

$

(0.00

)

 

$

(0.00

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted(3)(4)

 

 

3,750,000

 

 

 

3,750,000

 

Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary shares

 

$

(0.00

)

 

$

(0.00

)

____________

(1)      Consists of Underwriter Founder Shares issued to the underwriters and/or its designees (see Note 5).

(2)      Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(3)      Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(4)      Excludes up to 562,500 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

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

F-4

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Class A
Ordinary Shares

 

Class B
Ordinary Shares

 

Additional Paid-in Capital

 

Accumulated Deficit

 

Total Shareholders’ Equity

   

Shares

 

Amount

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

Balance – February 3, 2021 (inception)

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

$

 

 

$

 

Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,625,000

 

 

 

863

 

 

 

24,137

 

 

 

 

 

25,000

 

Surrender of Class B ordinary shares by Sponsor(2)(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,312,500

)

 

 

(432

)

 

 

432

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(17,918

)

 

 

(17,918

)

Balance – March 22, 2021 (Audited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,312,500

 

 

$

431

 

 

$

24,569

 

$

(17,918

)

 

$

7,082

 

Issuance of Underwriter Founder
Shares

 

400,000

 

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

 

Surrender of Underwriter Founder Shares(4)

 

(100,000

)

 

 

(10

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(790

)

 

 

(790

)

Balance – June 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

 

300,000

 

 

$

30

 

 

4,312,500

 

 

$

431

 

 

$

24,579

 

$

(18,708

)

 

$

6,332

 

____________

(1)      Includes up to 1,125,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

(2)      Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(3)      Includes up to 562,500 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

(4)      Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

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

F-5

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception)
through
June 30,
2021

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception)
through
March 22,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(18,708

)

 

$

(17,918

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued offering costs and expenses

 

 

790

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(17,918

)

 

 

(17,918

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor

 

 

25,000

 

 

 

25,000

 

Proceeds from promissory note – related party

 

 

279,935

 

 

 

 

Payment of offering costs

 

 

(199,283

)

 

 

(7,082

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

105,652

 

 

 

17,918

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Change in Cash:

 

 

87,734

 

 

 

 

Cash – Beginning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash – Ending

 

$

87,734

 

 

$

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred offering costs in accrued offering costs and expenses

 

$

32,051

 

 

$

24,129

 

Issuance of Underwriter Founder Shares

 

$

40

 

 

$

 

Surrender of Underwriter Founder Shares

 

$

(10

)

 

$

 

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

F-6

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on February 3, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.

Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of completing a Business Combination, the Company intends to focus its search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, electric vehicle (“EV”) infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”), South and South-East Asia and Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) regions. 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 June 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 15,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 17,250,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of warrants (the “Private Warrants”) in a private placement to Oxus Capital Pte. Ltd. (the “Sponsor”) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete a Business Combination with one or more operating businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions) at the time of the Company’s signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target business or assets sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.20 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only 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 selected by the Company 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 held in the Trust Account, as described below.

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder 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 $10.20 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest

F-7

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)

earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”

The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation 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 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 20% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares (as defined at Note 5) and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (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 its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination 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 in conjunction with any such amendment.

The Company will have until 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights 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 shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, 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. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares (as defined at Note 5) if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions

F-8

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)

from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (1) $10.20 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 due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, 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 (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and 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.

Going Concern Consideration

At June 30, 2021, the Company had $87,734 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $224,212. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations 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.

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as amended 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 auditor attestation requirements of

F-9

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)

Emerging Growth Company (cont.)

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 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 an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires 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 expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ 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 June 30, 2021.

Deferred Offering Costs Associated with the Proposed Public Offering

Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.

Net Loss Per Ordinary Share

The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per ordinary shares is computed by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average ordinary shares at June 30, 2021 were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 562,500 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 6). As of June 30, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and 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 loss per ordinary share is the same as basic loss per ordinary share for the period presented.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution which, at times, may exceed the federal depository insurance coverage corporation limit of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.

F-10

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)

Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheets.

Income Taxes

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of FASB ASC, 740, “Income Taxes,”. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of June 30, 2021.

FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at June 30, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021.

Warrant Liabilities

ASC 480 requires a reporting entity to classify certain freestanding financial instruments as liabilities (or in some cases as assets). ASC 480-10-S99 addresses concerns raised by the SEC regarding the financial statement classification and measurement of securities subject to mandatory redemption requirements or whose redemption is outside the control of the issuer. If the stock subject to mandatory redemption provisions represents the only shares in the reporting entity, it must report instruments in the liabilities section of its statement of financial position. The stock subject must then describe them as shares subject to mandatory redemption, so as to distinguish the instruments from other financial statement liabilities. The Company concludes that the Public Unit Warrants do not exhibit any of the above characteristics and, therefore, are outside the scope of ASC 480.

The Company will account for the 23,400,000 warrants to be issued in connection with this offering (representing 15,000,000 public warrants included in the units and 8,400,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity. Such guidance provides that because the warrants meet the criteria for equity treatment.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

NOTE 3 PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 15,000,000 Units (or 17,250,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one ordinary share and one warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).

F-11

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 4 PRIVATE WARRANTS

The Sponsor and the underwriters have committed to purchase an aggregate of 8,400,000 Private Warrants (or 9,300,000 Private Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant from the Company in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Warrant is exercisable for one ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account.

If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Warrants will expire worthless.

NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Founder Shares

During the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”).

The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares will collectively represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering.

Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor returned to the Company for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 Founder Shares, which have been cancelled.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 150,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s independent director nominees.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Founder Shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500 (up to 562,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 8).

Founder Shares are subject to lock-up until (i) with respect to 50% of the Founder Shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of the initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of the initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the Founder Shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of the initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Founder Shares will be releases earlier if, subsequent to the initial business combination, the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

Underwriter Founder Shares

On March 23, 2021, the Company had issued to its underwriters and/or its designees, an aggregate of 400,000 Class A ordinary shares at $0.0001 per share (“Underwriter Founder Shares”). The holders of the Underwriter Founder Shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

F-12

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (cont.)

Underwriter Founder Shares (cont.)

Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees returned to the Company for no consideration, an aggregate of 60,000 Underwriter Founder Shares, which have been cancelled.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Underwriter Founder Shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 8).

At the balance sheet date, the $40 payment due to the Company is recorded as subscription receivable in the current assets section of the accompanying balance sheet.

Promissory Note — Related Party

On March 22, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

On June 25, 2021, the terms of the Promissory Note were revised to be payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the Promissory Note.

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 or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity. The warrants would be identical to the Private Warrants. 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. As of June 30, 2021, no Working Capital Loans were outstanding.

Administrative Support Agreement

Commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will agree to pay the Sponsor a total of up to $10,000 per month in the aggregate for up to 18 months for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of the initial business combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.

NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Registration Rights

The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after

F-13

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (cont.)

Registration Rights (cont.)

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 will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriters will be entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $3.00 million in the aggregate (or $3.45 million in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

The Company intends to engage EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EarlyBirdCapital”) and Sova Capital Limited (“Sova Capital”) as advisors in connection with a Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its stockholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities in connection with a Business Combination, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of a Business Combination of $4.50 million (or $5.23 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) that equals to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of Proposed Public Offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable); provided that up to 25% of the fee may be allocated at the Company’s sole discretion to other FINRA members that assist the Company in identifying and consummating a Business Combination.

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preferred shares with a par value of $0.0001 per preferred share. As of June 30, 2021, there are no preferred 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. Through June 30, 2021, 400,000 Class A ordinary shares were issued or outstanding and a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, was effected by the underwriters and/or its designees.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

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. Through June 30, 2021, 8,625,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares were issued and outstanding, and a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, was effected by Sponsor, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 7,187,500, of which an aggregate of up to 937,500 Class B ordinary shares remain subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

F-14

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (cont.)

Class B Ordinary Shares (cont.)

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,187,500 to 4,312,500 (up to 562,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and on all other matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholder except as otherwise required by law. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis (A) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof and (B) automatically on the business day following the closing of the Business Combination, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Placement Units) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination. In addition, the calculation mentioned above will be subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one to one.

Warrants

The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination.

Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $18.00 — once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:

•        in whole and not in part;

•        at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;

•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and

•        if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before sending the notice of redemption to warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by our Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Company’s initial business combination on the date of the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share,

F-15

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (cont.)

Warrants (cont.)

the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above in this section will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

The Private Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering.

NOTE 8 — 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 available to be issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

On June 25, 2021, the terms of the Promissory Note were revised to be payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the Promissory Note.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor transferred an aggregated of 150,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s independent director nominees.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 40,000 Underwriter Founder Shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 340,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 2,875,000 Founder Shares to the Company, for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,187,500 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Subscription receivable of $40 was received after balance sheet date.

In August 2021, the Company updated the terms of its Proposed Public Offering. The Company’s Sponsor had previously agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,900,000 Private Warrants (or 7,575,000 Private Warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and has subsequently agreed to purchase an aggregate of 8,400,000 Private Warrants (or 9,300,000 Private Placement Warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), all at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant. In addition, the Company has agreed to deposit into the trust account $10.20 per Public Share (previously $10.10 per Public Share). The foregoing changes have been reflected in the accompanying financial statements.

F-16

Table of Contents

15,000,000 Units

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

_______________________

PROSPECTUS

            , 2021

_______________________

Joint Book-Running Managers

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

Sova Capital Limited

Until             , 2021, all dealers that buy, sell or trade Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions

 

Table of Contents

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 13.    OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION.

The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:

SEC expenses

 

$

40,463

FINRA expenses

 

 

26,375

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

50,000

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

40,000

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

300,000

Road show

 

 

20,000

Stock exchange listing and filing fees

 

 

75,000

Miscellaneous

 

 

98,162

Total

 

$

650,000

ITEM 14.    INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.

Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

ITEM 15.    RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.

(a)    During the past three years, we sold the following ordinary shares without registration under the Securities Act:

Shareholders

 

Number of
Shares

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.

 

8,625,000

EarlyBirdCapital Inc.

 

200,000

Sova Capital Limited

 

200,000

Such shares were issued in March 2021 in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as the shares were sold to accredited investors. The founder shares issued to Oxus Capital PTE, LTD. were sold for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.003 per share and the underwriter founder shares issued to EarlyBirdCapital Inc. and Sova Capital were sold for an aggregate purchase price of $40 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.0001 per share.

II-1

Table of Contents

Subsequently, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In addition, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares.

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., our sponsor, has also committed to purchase 7,650,000 warrants at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate of $7,650,000). In addition, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital has committed to purchase 375,000 warrants each at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate of $750,000). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of the initial public offering and will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation S of the Securities Act. Our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital also committed to purchase in aggregate of up to a maximum of 900,000 warrants in proportion to the amount of the underwriters’ over-allotment option that is exercised. These additional issuances will also be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) and/or Regulation S of the Securities Act.

No underwriting discounts or commissions were or will be paid with respect to such sales.

ITEM 16.    EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

(a)    The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

Exhibit No.

 

Description

1.1

 

Form of Underwriting Agreement.**

1.2

 

Form of Business Combination Marketing Agreement.*

3.1

 

Memorandum and Articles of Association.*

3.2

 

Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.*

4.1

 

Specimen Unit Certificate.*

4.2

 

Specimen Class A Ordinary Share Certificate.*

4.3

 

Specimen Warrant Certificate.*

4.4

 

Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.**

5.1

 

Opinion of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., counsel to the Registrant.*

5.2

 

Opinion of Maples and Calder, Cayman Islands counsel to the Registrant.**

10.1

 

Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., the initial shareholders and each of the Registrant’s officers and directors.*

10.2

 

Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.**

10.3

 

Amended and Restated Promissory Note, dated June 25, 2021 issued to Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

10.4

 

Form of Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and certain security holders.*

10.5

 

Form of Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants between the Registrant and Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.**

10.6

 

Form of Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants between the Registrant and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.**

10.7

 

Form of Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants between the Registrant and Sova Capital Limited**

10.8

 

Form of Stock Escrow Agreement among the Registrant, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and certain security holders.*

10.9

 

Form of Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

10.10

 

Form of Indemnity Agreement.*

10.11

 

Subscription Agreement for Founder Shares, dated March 16, 2021, between the Registrant and Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

14

 

Form of Code of Ethics.*

23.1

 

Consent of Marcum LLP.**

23.2

 

Consent of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. (included in Exhibit 5.1).*

23.3

 

Consent of Maples and Calder (included as Exhibit 5.2).**

24

 

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial Registration Statement).*

99.1

 

Form of Audit Committee Charter.*

II-2

Table of Contents

Exhibit No.

 

Description

99.2

 

Form of Compensation Committee Charter.*

99.3

 

Form of Nominating Committee Charter.*

99.4

 

Consent of Christophe Charlier.*

99.5

 

Consent of Sergey Ivashkovsky.*

99.6

 

Consent of Shiv Vikram Khemka.*

____________

*        Previously filed.

**      Filed herewith.

ITEM 17.    UNDERTAKINGS.

(a)     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)    To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

i.       To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

ii.      To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

iii.     To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

(2)    That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)    To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4)    That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933 in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i)     Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii)    Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii)   The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

II-3

Table of Contents

(iv)   Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b)    The undersigned hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

(c)     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d)    The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1)    For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2)    For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

II-4

Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Almaty, Kazakhstan on August 19, 2021.

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

   

By:

 

/s/ Kanat Mynzhanov

   

Name:

 

Kanat Mynzhanov

   

Title:

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints each of Mr. Kanat Mynzhanov and Mr. Askar Mametov as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including pre- and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, any subsequent registration statement for the same offering which may be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pre- or post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name

 

Position

 

Date

/s/ Kanat Mynzhanov

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

August 19, 2021

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

   

/s/ Askar Mametov

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

August 19, 2021

Askar Mametov

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

   

/s/ Kenges Rakishev

 

Director

 

August 19, 2021

Kenges Rakishev

       

II-5

Table of Contents

AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 6(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned has signed this registration statement, solely in his capacity as the duly authorized representative of Oxus Acquisition Corp., in Newark, Delaware on the 19th day of August 2021.

 

By:

 

/s/ Donald J. Puglisi

 

Name:

 

Donald J. Puglisi

Managing Director

Puglisi & Associates

II-6