As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2018 

Registration No. 333-_______

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

_________________

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

_________________

Trident Acquisitions Corp.

_________________

Delaware

 

6770

 

81-1996183

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

77 Water St, Fl 8
New York, NY 10005
646 229-7549

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

_________________

Vadim Komissarov
c/o VK Consulting, Inc.
255 West 85th St, PH1
New York, NY 10024
646 229-7549

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

_________________

Copies to:

Mitchell S. Nussbaum
Giovanni Caruso
Loeb & Loeb LLP
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154
(212) 407-4000
(212) 407-4990 — Facsimile

 

Robert H. Cohen
Todd Finger
McDermott Will & Emery
340 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10173-1922
(212) 547-5885
(212) 547-5444 — Facsimile

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. x

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

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

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

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

   
Large accelerated filer   ¨ Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨ Smaller reporting company   x
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Emerging growth company   x

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Class of Security being registered

 

Amount to be Registered

 

Proposed maximum offering price per share

 

Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(2)

 

Amount of Registration Fee

Units, each consisting of one share of Common Stock, $0.001 par value and one Warrant entitling the holder to receive one share of Common Stock

 

20,125,000

 

$

10.00

 

$

201,250,000

 

$

25,055.63

 

Shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value, included as part of the Units

 

20,125,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3)

Warrants included as part of the Units

 

20,125,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3)

Shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value, underlying the Warrants included as part of the Units

 

20,125,000

 

 

11.50

 

$

231,437,500

 

$

28,813.97

 

Representative’s Unit Purchase Option

 

1

 

 

100.00

 

$

100

 

$

0.01

 

Units underlying the Representative’s Unit Purchase Option (“Representative’s Units”)

 

1,750,000

 

 

12.00

 

$

21,000,000

 

$

2,614.50

 

Shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value, included as part of the Representative’s Units

 

1,750,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3)

Warrants included as part of the Representative’s Units

 

1,750,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3)

Shares of Common Stock, 0.001 par value, underlying Warrants included as part of Representative’s Units

 

1,750,000

 

$

11.50

 

$

20,125,000

 

$

2,505.56

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

473,812,600

 

$

58,989.67

 

____________

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

(2)   Includes Units and shares of Common Stock and 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)   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 Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

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

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED March 14, 2018

$175,000,000

Trident Acquisitions Corp.

17,500,000 Units

Trident Acquisitions Corp. is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Our efforts to identify a target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus our efforts on seeking a business combination with an oil and gas or other natural resources companies in Eastern Europe or interested in expanding into Eastern Europe.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit that we are offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one share of common stock and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. We refer to the warrants included in the units as “warrants” or the “public warrants.” If we are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have entered into a letter of intent or definitive agreement with a target business for a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and such business combination has not yet been consummated within such 18-month period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares using the funds in the trust account described below. In such event, the public warrants will expire and be worthless. We have also granted Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, the representative of the underwriters, a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,625,000 units (over and above the 17,500,000 units referred to above) solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

Channingwick Limited, BGV Croup Limited. Lake Street Fund L.P., Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P., and FLOCO Ventures LLC, certain of our stockholders, have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 1,150,000 units, or “private units,” at $10.00 per unit, (for a total purchase price of $11,500,000). These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. These additional private units 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. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account.

There is presently no public market for our units, shares of common stock or warrants. We have applied to have our units listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “TDACU”. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless Chardan Capital Markets, LLC informs us of its decision to allow separate earlier trading, subject to our filing a Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission 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 as described in this prospectus, the common stock and warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “TDAC”and “TDACW,” respectively. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq after this offering.

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

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risks Factors” beginning on page 21 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

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

 

 

Price to Public

 

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1)

 

Proceeds, Before Expenses, to us

Per Unit

 

$

10.00

 

$

0.50

(2)

 

$

9.50

Total

 

$

175,000,000

 

$

8,750,000

 

 

$

166,250,000

____________

(1)   Please see the section titled “Underwriting” for further information relating to the underwriting arrangements agreed to between us and the underwriters.

(2)   Includes $4,375,000, or $0.25 per unit, equal to 2.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters as deferred underwriting discounts and commissions from the funds to be placed in the trust account described below. Such funds will be released to the underwriters only upon consummation of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. If the business combination is not consummated, such deferred discount will be forfeited by the underwriters. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discount.

Upon consummation of the offering, $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option has been exercised in full or part) will be deposited into a United States-based trust account at Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. Such amount includes $4,375,000, or $0.25 per unit, (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters as deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our redemption of the shares of common stock sold in this offering upon our failure to consummate a business combination within the required period.

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, acting as the representative of the underwriters, expects to deliver the units to purchasers on or about   , 2018.

Sole Book-Running Manager

Chardan

__________, 2018

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

PAGE

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

1

SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

20

RISK FACTORS

 

21

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

38

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

39

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

42

DILUTION

 

43

CAPITALIZATION

 

45

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

 

46

PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

50

MANAGEMENT

 

69

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

 

76

CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

 

79

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

82

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

87

UNDERWRITING

 

89

LEGAL MATTERS

 

93

EXPERTS

 

93

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

93

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

F-1

i

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.

Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, references to:

      “we,” “us” or “our company” refer to Trident Acquisitions Corp.;

      “insider shares” refer to the 5,031,250 shares of common stock held or controlled by our insiders (as defined below) prior to this offering, which include up to an aggregate of 656,250 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by our insiders to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part;

      “private units” refer to the 1,150,000 units we are selling privately to our insiders (and/or their designees) upon consummation of this offering and references to “private shares” and “private warrants” refers to the shares of common stock and warrants, respectively, included within the private units;

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

      our “public shares” refer to shares of common stock which are being 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 stockholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our insiders to the extent our insiders purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public stockholders” shall exist only with respect to such public shares;

      our “warrants” or “public warrants” refer to the warrants which are being sold as part of the units in this offering; and

      our “insiders” refer to our officers, directors, and any holder of our insider shares.

Except as specifically provided otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

1

General

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on March 17, 2016. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination, with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as a target business. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus our search on target businesses operating in oil and gas or other natural resources companies in Eastern Europe or interested in expanding into Eastern Europe. We have not selected any target business for our initial business combination and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, engaged in any substantive discussions with a target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.

As Europe is striving to achieve energy independence, we believe that Eastern European oil and gas deposits, which are small and technically difficult to access, will attract the interest of investors and governments. We believe that historical exploration data can be reassessed with new geological knowledge to determine which reserves that were previously considered unrecoverable or uneconomic can be profitably recovered.

 

We want to take advantage of privately held Eastern European oil and gas operating companies that have significant production volume and positive cash flows, but little or no reserves. By acquiring a company with undeveloped reserves and hiring companies that have engineering and geological expertise to develop the reserves using technologies currently available in United States but not generally used in Europe, we believe that we will be able to create value for our investors.

 

We anticipate targeting companies with recoverable reserves in Romania, Poland, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. We also intend to target companies with operations outside of Eastern Europe that are interested in expanding in Eastern Europe. Our executive officers and directors have extensive experience in starting and managing industrial businesses in Eastern Europe, in particular in the energy sector. As a group, they combine Western business practice experience and technical know-how with extensive government and business networks that are crucial to success in the region. Our officers and directors also have extensive experience in identifying, negotiating with and conducting due diligence on companies targeted for acquisition and consummating acquisitions of energy companies. Our management team, however, does not have prior experience in pursuing acquisitions on behalf of blank check companies and past performance by our management team is not a guarantee of success with respect to locating a target business to acquire.

 

Subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination, we believe that the strengths of our management team, particularly their international experience and technical knowhow, will be valuable to any business in Ukraine with which we consummate our initial business combination, although the specific roles, if any, they may have following our initial business combination cannot be determined at this time.

 

We intend to secure control of oil and gas properties we acquire primarily using our equity as purchase consideration. Whenever possible, we will avoid using cash as purchase consideration so that working and development capital is available at close. We anticipate targeting fields with recoverable reserves in Poland, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. We believe that, by combining the technical know-how of our directors and officers and their commercial and political experience and network, we will be able to take advantage of the lower valuations of oil and gas companies from our target region to acquire oil and gas assets at favorable valuations.

2

We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent or definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but have not completed the initial business combination within such 18-month period) to consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders. In the event of our dissolution and liquidation, the public warrants will expire and will be worthless.

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose, at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of our proposed business combination or allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Any tender offer documents used in connection with a business combination will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules.

The initial per public share redemption or conversion price will be $10.20 per share, regardless of whether the over-allotment option is exercised. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders.

Pursuant to the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriter’s fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account), which we refer to as the 80% test, at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. Therefore, the fair market value of the target business will be calculated prior to any conversions of our shares in connection with a business combination and therefore will be a minimum of $140,000,000 (or $161,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in order to satisfy the 80% test. While the fair market value of the target business must satisfy the 80% test, the consideration we pay the owners of the target business may be a combination of cash (whether cash from the trust account or cash from a debt or equity financing transaction that closes concurrently with the business combination) or our equity securities. The exact nature and amount of consideration would be determined based on negotiations with the target business, although we will attempt to primarily use our equity as transaction consideration. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will also obtain a fairness opinion from an independent investment banking firm before consummating a business combination with an entity affiliated with any of our officers, directors or insiders. If we are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we will not be required to satisfy the 80% test.

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise owns a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-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 would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding

3

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% test.

As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior

to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. All of our officers, directors and director nominees currently have certain relevant pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.

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

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.”

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

Private Placements

In March 2016 and February 2018, our insiders purchased an aggregate of 5,031,250 shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $33,700, or approximately $.007 per share. The 5,031,250 insider shares held or controlled by our insiders include an aggregate of up to 656,250 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our insiders will collectively own or control 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the sale of the private units and assuming our insiders do not purchase units in this offering).

The insider shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering. However, our insiders have agreed (A) to vote their insider shares, private shares and any public shares acquired in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, (C) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination (or sell any shares they hold to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination) or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable), and (D) that the insider shares shall not be entitled to be redeemed for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account if a business combination is not consummated.

4

On the date of this prospectus, the insider 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, 50% of these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the insider shares will not

be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. The limited exceptions referred to above include (1) transfers among the insiders, to our officers, directors, advisors and employees, (2) transfers to an insider’s affiliates or its members upon its liquidation, (3) transfers to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (4) transfers by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (5) transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (6) private sales made at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased or (7) transfers to us for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 7) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and forfeiture, as the case may be, as well as the other applicable restrictions and agreements of the holders of the insider shares.

 

In addition, Channingwick Limited, BGV Croup Limited. Lake Street Fund L.P., Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P., and FLOCO Ventures LLC, certain of our stockholders, have committed to purchase an aggregate of 1,150,000 private units at a price of $10.00 per unit ($11,500,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The proceeds from the private placement of the private units will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in the trust account.

The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares and any public shares acquired in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for our working capital requirements or to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, (C) not to convert any shares (including the private shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination (or sell any shares they hold to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination) or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable) and (D) that the private shares shall not be entitled to be redeemed for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our insiders (and/or their designees) have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units or underlying securities (except to the same permitted transferees as the insider shares and provided the transferees agree to the same terms and restrictions as the permitted transferees of the insider shares must agree to, each as described above) until the completion of our initial business combination.

We have also agreed to sell to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (and/or its designees), for $100, an option to purchase up to a total of 1,750,000 units exercisable at $12.00 per unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $21,000,000) commencing on the later of the consummation of a business combination and six months from the date of this prospectus.

Our executive offices are located at 77 Water St, Fl 8, New York, NY 10005 and our telephone number is 646 229-7549.

5

The Offering

In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 21 of this prospectus.

Securities offered

 

17,500,000 Units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.

 

 

 

Proposed Nasdaq symbols

 

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

 

 

 

Trading commencement and separate trading of common stock and warrants

 



The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Each of the common stock and warrants may trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Chardan Capital Markets, LLC determines that an earlier date is acceptable (based upon, among other things, its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular). In no event will Chardan Capital Markets, LLC allow separate trading of the common stock and warrants until we file an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of common stock and warrants. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, including an audited balance sheet, promptly following the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date the units commence trading. The audited balance sheet will reflect our receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of the over-allotment option if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K or a new Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in the Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if Chardan Capital Markets, LLC has allowed separate trading of the common stock and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus.

 

 

 

Units:

 

 

 

 

 

Number outstanding before this offering

 

0

 

 

 

Number outstanding after this offering and sale of private units

 

18,650,000

6

Shares of common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

Number outstanding before this offering

 

5,031,2501

 

 

 

Number to be outstanding after
this offering and sale of private units

 

23,025,0002

 

 

 

Warrants:

 

 

 

 

 

Number outstanding before this offering

 

0

 

 

 

Number of private warrants to be sold as part of the private units in a private placement simultaneously with this offering

 

1,150,000

 

 

 

Number to be outstanding after
this offering and sale of private units

 

18,650,0003

 

 

 

Exercisability

 

Each public warrant and private warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our common stock.

 

 

 

Exercise price of public warrants and private warrants

 

$11.50 per share, subject to adjustments as described herein.

 

 

 

Exercise Period

 

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

 

 

 

 

 

    30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and

 

 

 

 

 

    12 months from the closing of this offering;

 

 

 

 

 

provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their public warrants or private warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement).

____________

1      This number includes an aggregate of up to 656,250 insider shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full.

2      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares have been forfeited.

3      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised.

7

 

 

We have agreed to use our best efforts to file and have an effective registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, and to register the shares of common stock that are issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and private warrants under state blue sky laws, to the extent an exemption is not available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and private warrants has not been declared effective by the 90th business day following the closing of our initial business combination and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, public warrant and private warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise the public warrants and private warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.

 

 

 

 

 

The public and private warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

 

 

Redemption of warrants

 

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:

 

 

 

 

 

    in whole or in part

    at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

    upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and

    if, and only if, the last sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $16.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

 

 

 

 

We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

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 determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.

8

    None of the private warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers of the private warrants or any of their permitted transferees.
     
Offering proceeds to be held in the trust account   $178,500,000 (or $205,275,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the net proceeds of this offering and the proceeds we will receive from the sale of the private units, or $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering, will be placed in a trust account in the United States at Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. These proceeds include $4,375,000 (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions which will be paid to the underwriters upon the closing of a business combination. The remainder of the net proceeds of this offering will not be held in the trust account.
     
    Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period and (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, unless and until our initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement in connection with our initial business combination.
     
    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 of approximately $2,687,500 (or $1,506,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); provided, however, that in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, if the funds not held in the trust account are insufficient, our insiders, 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 the lender’s discretion, up to $200,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Our stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, any other outstanding loans from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any.
     

9

Insider Shares

 

Our insiders purchased an aggregate of 5,031,250 shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $33,700, or approximately $.007 per share. The 5,031,250 insider shares held or controlled by our insiders include an aggregate of up to 656,250 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our insiders will collectively own or control 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the sale of the private units and assuming our insiders do not purchase units in this offering). The purchase price of the insider shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of insider shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our stockholders prior to this offering at 25% of the number of shares sold in this offering. Our insiders will collectively beneficially own approximately 24.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any public units in this offering and the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option). Up to 656,250 insider shares will be subject to forfeiture by our insiders and their designees (and/or their permitted transferees) depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

 

 

The insider shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

 

 

 

 

 

    the insider shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, and

 

 

 

 

 

    our insiders, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their conversion rights with respect to their insider shares and any public shares they purchase in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their insider shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame).

 

 

 

 

 

    If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our insiders have agreed to vote their insider shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.

 

 

 

10

Transfer restrictions on insider
shares

 


Our insiders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the insider shares (except to certain permitted transferees) until, with respect to 50% of the insider shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination and, with respect to the remaining 50% of the insider shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier in each case if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. The insider shares will be held in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company during the period in which they are subject to the transfer restrictions described above.

 

 

 

Private units

 

Channingwick Limited, BGV Croup Limited. Lake Street Fund L.P., Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P., and FLOCO Ventures LLC, certain of our stockholders, have committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 1,150,000 private units ($11,500,000) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The purchase price of the private units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to pay for the expenses of this offering and to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months, as applicable), the proceeds of the sale of the private units will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private units will be worthless.

 

 

 

Limited payments to insiders

 

There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our insiders or any of the members of our management team prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than:

 

 

 

 

 

    repayment at the closing of this offering of non-interest bearing loans in an amount of $400,000 (the $425,000 loaned by VK Consulting, Inc., an entity controlled by Vadim Komissarov, our President and Chief Financial Officer, will not be repaid until after the closing of the business combination);

 

 

 

 

 

    payment of $7,500 per month to VK Consulting, Inc. for office space and related services, subject to deferral as described herein;

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

11

 

 

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

 

 

 

Potential revisions to agreements with insiders

 


We could seek to amend certain agreements made by our management team disclosed in this prospectus without the approval of stockholders, although we have no intention to do so. For example, restrictions on our executives relating to the voting of securities owned by them, the agreement of our management team to remain with us until the closing of a business combination, the obligation of our management team to not propose certain changes to our organizational documents or the obligation of the management team and its affiliates to not receive any compensation in connection with a business combination could be modified without obtaining stockholder approval. Although stockholders would not be given the opportunity to redeem their shares in connection with such changes, in no event would we be able to modify the redemption or liquidation rights of our stockholders without permitting our stockholders the right to redeem their shares in connection with any such change. We will not agree to any such changes unless we believed that such changes were in the best interests of our stockholders (for example, if such a modification were necessary to complete a business combination).

 

 

 

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

 



In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares into the right to receive cash from the trust account, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination; or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of our proposed business combination or allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. If we provide stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will consummate the business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

12

 

 

In addition, we will not consummate our initial business combination if public stockholders exercise conversion rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that this offering is not subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act) or if we do not satisfy any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration needed to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available to us (including any cash we may obtain from financing from third parties or our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all), we will not complete the business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted). As a result, we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. However, if we seek stockholder approval of a business combination and if a significant number of public stockholders properly seek to convert their public shares in connection with a proposed business combination, we or our insiders or their affiliates could purchase some or all of such shares in the open market or in private transactions in order to seek to satisfy the cash conditions. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. No funds from the trust account can be released from the trust account prior to the consummation of a business combination to make such purchases (although such purchases could be made using funds available to us after the closing of a business combination). We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we or our insiders and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Sections 9(a)(2) or 10(b) of the Exchange Act or Regulation M, which are rules that prohibit manipulation of a company’s stock, and we and they will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act in connection with any open-market purchases. If purchases cannot be made without violating applicable law, no such purchases will be made.

13

 

 

Our insiders have agreed (A) to vote their insider shares, private shares and any public shares acquired in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, (C) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares and private shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination (or sell any shares they hold to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination) or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable) and (D) that the insider shares and private shares shall not be entitled to be redeemed for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account if a business combination is not consummated. Depending on how a business combination was structured, any stockholder approval requirement could be satisfied by obtaining the approval of either (i) a majority of the shares of our common stock that were voted at the meeting (assuming a quorum was present at the meeting), or (ii) a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Because our insiders, officers and directors will collectively beneficially own approximately 24.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares have been forfeited as a result thereof) upon consummation of this offering and the sale of the private units, a minimum of approximately 231,251 public shares, or 1.3% of the outstanding shares of our common stock (if the approval requirement was a majority of shares voted and the minimum number of shares required for a quorum attended the meeting), would need to be voted in favor a business combination in order for it to be approved.

 

 

 

 

 

None of our insiders, officers, directors, director nominees or their affiliates has committed to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock in the open market or in private transactions. However, if a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed business combination, our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our insiders, officers, directors and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.

14

Conditions to completing our initial business combination

 


There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriter’s fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If we are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we will not be required to satisfy the 80% test.

 

 

 

 

 

If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or accounting firm as to the fair market value of the target business. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

 

 

 

Conversion rights

 

In connection with a business combination, public stockholders will have the right to convert their shares into an amount equal to (1) the number of public shares being converted by such public holder divided by the total number of public shares multiplied by (2) the amount then in the trust account (initially $10.20 per share), which includes the deferred underwriting commission, plus a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may elect to convert their share regardless of whether or not they vote to approve the business combination.

 

 

 

15

 

 

As described above under “— Stockholder approval of, or tender offer in connection with, initial business combination —,” we will consummate our initial business combination only if public stockholders do not exercise conversion rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that this offering is not subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act). As a result, if stockholders owning approximately 96.3% (or approximately 95.9% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering exercise conversion rights, the business combination will not be consummated. However, the actual percentages will only be able to be determined once a target business is located and we can assess all of the assets and liabilities of the combined company upon consummation of the proposed business combination (which would include the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions payable to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC in an amount equal to 2.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering as described elsewhere in this prospectus, any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations that have not been repaid at that time, as well as any other liabilities of ours and the liabilities of the target business). As a result, the actual percentages of shares that can be converted may be significantly lower than our estimates. In addition, in order to satisfy any greater net tangible asset or cash condition which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination, we may not be able to consummate a business combination unless the number of shares of common stock seeking conversion rights is significantly less than the 95.8% (or 95.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) indicated above. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or hers, or any other person with whom he or she is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 20% or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering without our prior written consent. We believe this restriction will prevent an individual stockholder or “group” from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase its shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By not allowing a stockholder to convert more than 20% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders.

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We may require public stockholders seeking to convert their shares in connection with a stockholder vote on a business combination, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, at least two business days prior to the vote on the initial business combination (a tender of shares is always required in connection with a tender offer). The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to convert his or her shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the business combination in order to exercise conversion rights. This is because a holder would need to deliver shares to exercise conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

 

 

 

Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination

 



On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their conversion rights as described above under “— Conversion rights,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or targets or owners of the target or targets of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using stock or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

 

 

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Liquidation if no business combination

 


If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent or definitive agreement for a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but have not completed such business combination with the 18-month period), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining holders of common stock and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. If we execute a letter of intent or definitive agreement for our initial business combination within 18 months and we are unable to consummate that transaction for any reason, we would be free to consummate another business combination so long as we complete such transaction within 21 months from the closing of this offering.

 

 

 

 

 

In connection with our redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares, each holder will receive an amount equal to (1) the number of public shares being converted by such public holder divided by the total number of public shares multiplied by (2) the amount then in the trust account (initially $10.20 per share), which includes the deferred underwriting commission, plus a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes (subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors). Holders of warrants will receive no proceeds in connection with the liquidation with respect to such warrants, which will expire worthless.

 

 

 

 

 

The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of our stockholders. We may not have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. Therefore, the actual per-share redemption price may be less than $10.20.

 

 

 

 

 

The holders of the insider shares and private units will not participate in any redemption with respect to their insider shares or private shares.

 

 

 

 

 

If we are unable to conclude our initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering not deposited in the trust account, without taking into account any interest earned on the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.20.

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

 

 

 

 

 

The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account in the event we do not consummate a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months, as applicable) and in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.

Risks

We are a newly formed company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. 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 to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 21 of this prospectus.

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

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

    December 31, 2017  
    Actual     As Adjusted(1)  
Balance Sheet Data:                
Working capital (deficiency)   $ (381,597 )   $ 176,843,896  
Total assets     547,642       181,643,896  
Total liabilities(2)     525,000       4,800,000  
Value of common stock subject to possible conversion/tender(3)           171,843,888  
Stockholders’ equity     22,642       5,000,008  

____________

(1) Includes $8,654 from the sale of founder shares in February of 2018 and the $11,500,000 we will receive from the sale of the private units.
(2) The “as adjusted” liabilities represents up to $4,375,000 of deferred underwriting commissions and the $425,000 promissory note to VK Consulting.
(3) The “as adjusted” value of common stock which may be subject to possible conversion/tender for cash is derived by taking 16,847,440 shares of common stock which may be converted, representing the maximum number of shares that may be converted or sold while maintaining at least $5,000,001 in net tangible assets after this offering, multiplied by a conversion price of $10.20.

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

The “as adjusted” working capital amount includes the $174,125,000 to be held in the trust account, excluding the deferred underwriting commission of $4,375,000 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 our initial business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. The “as adjusted” total assets amount includes the $174,125,000 to be held in the trust account, and the deferred underwriting commission of $4,375,000. If our initial business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors).

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, 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. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. 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 early stage company with no operating history and, accordingly, you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

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

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 December 31, 2017, we had $143,403 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $381,597. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our 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.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not 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 our initial business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait more than 21 months before receiving distributions from the trust account.

We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent or definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but have not completed the initial business combination within such 18-month period) to consummate our initial business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to convert their shares. Only after the expiration of this full time period will holders of our common stock be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete our initial 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, potentially at a loss.

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

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, 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. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek

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stockholder approval. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

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 our initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 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, require us to complete our initial business combination within 18 months of the effective date of the initial registration statement 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, we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination and we may have a longer period of time to complete such a business combination than we would if we were subject to such rule.

If we determine to amend certain agreements made by our management team, many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus regarding those agreements would no longer apply.

We could seek to amend certain agreements with our management team disclosed in this prospectus without the approval of our stockholders, although we have no current intention to do so. For example, restrictions on our executives relating to the voting of securities owned by them, the agreement of our management team to remain with us until the closing of a business combination, the obligation of our management team to not propose certain changes to our organizational documents or the obligation of the management team and its affiliates to not receive any compensation in connection with a business combination could be modified without obtaining stockholder approval. Although stockholders would not be given the opportunity to redeem their shares in connection with such changes, in no event would we be able to modify the redemption or liquidation rights of our stockholders without permitting our stockholders the right to redeem their shares in connection with any such change. We will not agree to any such changes unless we believed that such changes were in the best interests of our stockholders (for example, if such a modification were necessary to complete a business combination).

If we deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines set forth in this prospectus, investors in this offering may have rescission rights or may bring an action for damages against us or we could be subject to civil or criminal actions taken by governmental authorities.

If we were to elect to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines set forth in this prospectus, each person who purchased units in this offering and still held such securities upon learning of the facts relating to the deviation may seek rescission of the purchase of the units he or she acquired in the offering (under which a successful claimant has the right to receive the total amount paid for his or her securities pursuant to an allegedly deficient prospectus, plus interest and less any income earned on the securities, in exchange for surrender of the securities) or bring an action for damages against us (compensation for loss on an investment caused by alleged material misrepresentations or omissions in the sale of a security). In such event, we could also be subject to civil or criminal actions taken by governmental authorities. For instance, the SEC can seek injunctions under Section 20(b) of the Securities Act if it believes a violation under the Securities Act has occurred or is imminent. The SEC can also seek civil penalties under Sections 20(d) and 24 if a party has violated the Securities Act or an injunctive action taken by the SEC or if a party willfully, in a registration statement filed under the Securities Act, makes any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Furthermore, Section 20 allows the SEC to refer matters to the attorney general to bring criminal penalties against an issuer.

We may issue shares of our capital stock to complete our initial business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation currently authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. Immediately after this

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offering and the purchase of the private units (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), there will be approximately 54,825,000 authorized but unissued shares of common stock available for issuance (after appropriate reservation for the issuance of the shares (i) underlying the public warrants and private warrants issuable upon consummation of our initial business combination, and (ii) underlying the unit purchase option being issued to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC and/or its designees). Although we have no commitment as of the date of this offering, we may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination of common stock and preferred stock, to complete our initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

      may significantly reduce the equity interest of investors in this offering;

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

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

      may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our shares of common stock.

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

Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our business combination. However, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

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

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

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

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

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

We may be limited to the funds held outside of the trust account to fund our search for target businesses, to pay our tax obligations and to complete our initial business combination.

 

Of the net proceeds of this offering, $2,687,500 (or $1,506,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) is anticipated to be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. Especially if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close our initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our insiders, officers or directors to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our insiders, officers and directors are under no obligation to loan us any funds. If we are unable to obtain the funds necessary, we may be forced to cease searching for a target business and may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

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We may not have sufficient working capital to cover our operating expenses.

Following the consummation of this offering, the amounts available to us to pay our operating expenses will consist only of the approximately $2,687,500 (or $1,506,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) initially held outside of the trust account. Therefore, if our expenses exceed our estimates, we will not have sufficient funds outside the trust account to cover our expenses. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our insiders, officers or directors or from third parties to continue to operate. However, our insiders, officers and directors and third parties are under no obligation to loan us any funds. If we are unable to obtain the necessary funds, we may be forced to cease searching for a target business and liquidate without completing our initial business combination.

Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our insiders, officers, directors or any of their affiliates in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations, could reduce the funds available to us to consummate a business combination. In addition, an indemnification claim by one or more of our officers and directors in the event that any of them are sued in their capacity as an officer or director could also reduce the funds available to us outside of the trust account.

We may reimburse our insiders, officers, directors or any of their affiliates for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, 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. In addition, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation and Delaware law, we may be required to indemnify our officers and directors in the event that any of them are sued in their capacity as an officer or director. We will also enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our certificate of incorporation and under Delaware law. In the event that we reimburse our insiders, officers, directors or any of their affiliates for out-of-pocket expenses prior to the consummation of a business combination or are required to indemnify any of our officers or directors pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, Delaware law, or the indemnity agreements that we will enter into with them, we would use funds available to us outside of the trust account for our working capital requirements. Any reduction in the funds available to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to locate and investigate prospective target businesses and to structure, negotiate, conduct due diligence in connection with or consummate our initial business combination.

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

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period, our insiders have agreed that they will be jointly and severally liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced 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 only if such a vendor or prospective target business does not execute such a waiver. However, our insiders may not be able to meet such obligation as we have not required our insider to retain any assets to provide for their indemnification obligations, nor have we taken any further steps to ensure that our insiders will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations

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that arise. Moreover, our insiders will not be liable to our public stockholders if they should fail to satisfy their obligations under this agreement and instead will only be liable to us. Therefore, the per share redemption or conversion amount received by public stockholders may be less than approximately $10.20 due to such claims.

Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share redemption or conversion amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.20.

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

If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have entered into a letter of intent or definitive agreement with a target business for a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but the business combination has not been consummated within such 18-month period), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining holders of common stock and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We may not properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, third parties may seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.

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

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

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

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

Holders of warrants will not have redemption rights.

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we redeem the funds held in the trust account, the warrants will expire and holders will not receive any of the amounts held in the trust account in exchange for such warrants.

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

Although we intend to focus our search on target businesses operating in oil and gas or other natural resources companies in Eastern Europe or interested in expanding into Eastern Europe, we may consummate our initial business combination with a target business in any industry or geographic region we choose and are not limited to any particular industry, type of business or geographic region. 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 consummate our initial business combination. To the extent we complete our initial 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 our initial 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. We may not properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. An investment in our shares may not ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.

The requirement that our initial business combination occur with one or more target businesses having an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination may limit the type and number of companies that we may complete such a business combination with.

Pursuant to the Nasdaq listing rules, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses having an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriter’s fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. This restriction may limit the type and number of companies that we may complete a business combination with. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate and you will only be entitled to receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account. If we are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we will not be required to satisfy the 80% test.

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

We may structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise owns 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 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.

Our ability to successfully effect our initial 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 our initial business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, our assessment of these individuals may not prove to be correct.

Our ability to successfully effect our initial 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. None of our officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs (although we expect them to devote approximately 10 hours per week to our business) and, accordingly, they will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the

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related due diligence. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to their other business activities, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs and could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination. In addition, 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 our initial business combination, however, remains to be determined. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. 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 consummate our initial business combination with.

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

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

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

Our insiders, officers, directors and their affiliates may be owed reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses which may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is most advantageous.

Our insiders, officers, directors and their affiliates may incur out-of-pocket expenses in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and combinations. We have no policy that would prohibit these individuals and their affiliates from negotiating the reimbursement of such expenses by a target business. As a result, the personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Members of our management team may have affiliations with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Members of our management team may have affiliations with companies, including companies that are engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. 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. For a more detailed description of the potential conflicts of interest of our management, see the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our executive officers, directors or insiders, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

In light of the involvement of our insiders, officers, directors and director nominees with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our insiders, officers, directors and director nominees. Our directors and director nominees also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under

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“Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Our insiders, officers, directors and director nominees are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination,” such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time), and we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or insiders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

The shares beneficially owned by our insiders, officers and directors will not participate in a redemption and, therefore, our insiders, officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.

Our insiders, officers and directors have waived their right to convert their insider shares and private shares in connection with a business combination and their redemption rights with respect to their insider shares and private shares if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination. Accordingly, these securities will be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. Any warrants they hold, like those held by the public, will also be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, any loans made by our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates would not be repaid, resulting in a potential conflict of interest in determining whether a potential transaction is in our stockholders’ best interest.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our insiders, officers, 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. The loans would be non-interest bearing and would be payable at the consummation of a business combination. If we fail to consummate a business combination within the required time period, the loans would not be repaid. Consequently, our directors and officers may have a conflict of interest in determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

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, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $5.0 million) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

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If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

      a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

      reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

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

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 our initial business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously consummate our initial business combination with 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 our initial business combination.

Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously consummate our initial business combination with 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 target companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise their conversion rights may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many public stockholders may exercise conversion rights, 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 initial business combination. In the event that the business combination involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

We may be unable to consummate an initial business combination if a target business requires that we have a certain amount of cash at closing, in which case public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait until our redemption of the public shares to receive a pro rata share of the trust account or attempt to sell their shares in the open market.

A potential target may make it a closing condition to our initial business combination that we have a certain amount of cash in excess of the $5,000,001 of net tangible assets we are required to have pursuant to our organizational documents available at the time of closing. If the number of our public stockholders electing to exercise their conversion rights has the effect of reducing

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the amount of money available to us to consummate an initial business combination below such minimum amount required by the target business and we are not able to locate an alternative source of funding, we will 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. In that case, public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait the full 21 months in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account, or attempt to sell their shares in the open market prior to such time, in which case they may receive less than they would have in a liquidation of the trust account.

Public stockholders, together with any affiliates of theirs or any other person with whom they are acting in concert or as a “group,” will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than 20% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering.

In connection with any meeting held to approve an initial business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our insiders, officers or directors) the right to have his, her, or its shares of common stock converted into cash. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or hers, or any other person with whom he or she is acting in concert or as a “group” will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than 20% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering. Generally, in this context, a stockholder will be deemed to be acting in concert or as a group with another stockholder when such stockholders agree to act together for the purpose of acquiring, voting, holding or disposing of our equity securities. Accordingly, if you purchase more than 20% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering and our proposed business combination is approved, you will not be able to seek conversion rights with respect to the full amount of your shares and may be forced to hold such additional shares of common stock or sell them in the open market. The value of such additional shares may not appreciate over time following our initial business combination, and the market price of our shares of common stock may not exceed the per-share conversion price.

We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock in connection with a vote of stockholders on a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he or she is voting for or against such proposed business combination, to demand that we convert his or her shares of common stock into a share of the trust account. We may require public stockholders seeking to convert their shares in connection with a stockholder vote on a proposed business combination, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, at least two business days on the initial business combination (a tender of shares is always required in connection with a tender offer). In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, this may not be the case. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a public stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise conversion rights. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.

If we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for conversion, such converting stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

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

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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. Therefore, our ability to compete in consummating our initial business combination with certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing a business combination with certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval of our initial business combination may delay the consummation of a transaction. Additionally, our warrants, and the future dilution they represent (entitling the holders to receive shares of our common stock on exercise of the warrants), may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.

Our ability to consummate an attractive business combination may be impacted by the market for initial public offerings.

 

Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any particular industry or geographic region, although our focus will be oil and gas companies operating in Eastern Europe. If the market for initial public offerings is limited, we believe there will be a greater number of attractive target businesses open to consummating an initial business combination with us as a means to achieve publicly held status. Alternatively, if the market for initial public offerings is robust, we believe that there will be fewer attractive target businesses amenable to consummating an initial business combination with us to become a public reporting company. Accordingly, during periods with strong public offering markets, it may be more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete our initial 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 will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business, the capital requirements for any particular transaction remain to be determined. 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 of common stock, 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 officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.

Our insiders, officers and directors, will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.

Upon consummation of our offering and sale of the private units, our insiders, officers and directors, will collectively beneficially own approximately 24.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares have been forfeited as a result thereof). None of our insiders, officers, directors, director nominees or their affiliates has committed to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our insiders, officers, directors 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. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our insiders, officers and directors have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before this offering as well as the private shares and any shares of common stock acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination, and therefore will have a significant influence on the vote.

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Our board of directors is divided into three classes and, therefore, our insiders will continue to exert control over us until the closing of a business combination.

Our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial 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 21 months. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, fewer than half of the board of directors will be considered for election and our insiders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our insiders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of our initial business combination.

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

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Our insiders paid an aggregate of approximately $33,700, or approximately $0.007 per share, for the insider shares and our insiders (and/or their designees) will pay $10.00 per unit for the private units, for an average price of approximately $2.09 per share (assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares have been forfeited as a result thereof), and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our shares of common stock.

 

The difference between the public offering price per share and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to the investors in this offering. Our insiders acquired the insider shares for approximately $0.007 per share and our insiders (and/or their designees) will acquire the private shares for $10.00 per share, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 91.9% or $9.19 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.81, and the initial offering price of $10.00 per share), taking into account that the net tangible book value per share prior to this offering was ($0.08). This is because investors in this offering will be contributing approximately 93.8% of the total amount paid to us for our outstanding shares of common stock after this offering but will only own 76.0% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, the per-share purchase price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net tangible book value.

If our insiders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect our initial business combination.

Our insiders are entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the insider shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the purchasers of the private units and our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private units (and underlying securities) and any units (and underlying securities) our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us commencing on the date that we consummate our initial business combination. The presence of these additional shares of common stock 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 our initial business combination or increase the cost of consummating our initial business combination with the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common stock.

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We may enter into agreements with consultants or financial advisers that provide for the payment of fees upon the consummation of our initial business combination, and, therefore, such consultants or financial advisers may have conflicts of interest.

We may enter into agreements with consultants or financial advisers that provide for the payment of fees upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we pay consultants or financial advisers fees that are tied to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may have conflicts of interest when providing services to us, and their interests in such fees may influence their advice with respect to a potential business combination. For example, if a consultant’s or financial advisor’s fee is based on the size of the transaction, then they may be influenced to present us larger transactions that may have lower growth opportunities or long-term value versus smaller transactions that may have greater growth opportunities or provide greater value to our stockholders. Similarly, consultants whose fees are based on consummation of a business combination may be influenced to present potential business combinations to us regardless of whether they provide longer-term value for our stockholders. While we will endeavor to structure agreements with consultants and financial advisors to minimize the possibility and extent of these conflicts of interest, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so and that we will not be impacted by the adverse influences they create.

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 our initial business combination.

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

      restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

      restrictions on the issuance of securities,

each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.

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 and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

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

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earlier to occur of either: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; or (ii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act,

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compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our public warrants will expire worthless.

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

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

      the history of other similarly structured blank check companies;

      prior offerings of those companies;

      our prospects for consummating an initial business combination with an operating business at attractive values;

      our capital structure;

      securities exchange listing requirements;

      market demand;

      expected liquidity of our securities;

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

      other factors as were deemed relevant.

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

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 18 or 21 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination.

We have 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent or definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but have not completed the business combination within such 18-month period) to complete our initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.

We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to consummate our initial business combination with 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 consummate our initial business combination with if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our insiders, officers or directors. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of

34

our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination

Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our public warrants will expire worthless.

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our public warrants will expire worthless.

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 initial business combination.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal control and may require that we have such system of internal control audited. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or stockholder 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 control, although as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, we may take advantage of an exemption to this requirement. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal control. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.

We 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.

The JOBS Act permits “emerging growth companies” like us to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. As long as we qualify as an emerging growth company, we would be permitted, and we intend to, omit the auditor’s attestation on internal control over financial reporting that would otherwise be required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as described above. We also intend to take advantage of the exemption provided under the JOBS Act from the requirements to submit say-on-pay, say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute votes to our stockholders and we will avail ourselves of reduced executive compensation disclosure that is already available to smaller reporting companies.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the exemption from complying with new or revised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act as long as we are an emerging growth company. An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of these benefits until we are no longer an emerging growth company or until we affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of this exemption. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

Following this offering, we will continue to be an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the fiscal year during which we had total annual gross revenues of at least $1.07 billion (as indexed for inflation), (ii) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of units under this registration statement, (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt, or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” as defined under the Exchange Act.

35

Until such time that we lose “emerging growth company” status, it is unclear if investors will find our securities less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and our stock prices may be more volatile and could cause our stock prices to decline.

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

We may effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States. If we did, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

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

      tariffs and trade barriers;

      regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

      longer payment cycles;

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

      currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

      challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

      cultural and language differences;

      employment regulations;

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

      deterioration of political relations with the United States.

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

If we effect our initial business combination with a target business located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such target business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

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

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

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

36

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. 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 as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board or the IASB, 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. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may consummate our initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

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

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

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.

Investors may not appropriately allocate a tax basis to the components of the unit.

Because investors in this offering will be investing in units comprised of one share of common stock and one warrant, investors will need to allocate a tax basis to each item in proportion to their values at the time of the investment. We are not required to provide any guidance as to the proper allocation of tax basis. Failure to properly allocate a tax basis could result in adverse tax consequences to an investor.

37

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 “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about our:

      ability to complete our initial business combination;

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

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

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

      pool of prospective target businesses;

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

      potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;

      the potential liquidity and trading of our securities;

      the lack of a market for our securities;

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

      financial performance following this offering.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) 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.

38

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 units, will be used as set forth in the following table:

    Without
Over-Allotment
Option
    Over-Allotment
Option
Exercised
 
Gross proceeds                
From offering   $ 175,000,000     $ 201,250,000  
From sale of private units     11,500,000       11,500,000  
Total gross proceeds     186,500,000       212,750,000  
Offering expenses(1)                
Non-contingent underwriting discount (2.5% of gross proceeds from offering)     4,375,000 (2)     5,031,250 (2)
Deferred underwriting discount (2.5% of gross proceeds from offering)     4,375,000       5,031,250  
Legal fees and expenses     500,000       500,000  
Nasdaq listing fee     80,000       80,000  
Printing and engraving expenses     35,000       35,000  
Accounting fees and expenses     70,000       70,000  
SEC/FINRA Expenses     130,562       130,562  
Miscellaneous     121,938       121,938  
Total offering expenses     9,687,500       11,000,000  
Held in the trust account(3)   $ 178,500,000     $ 205,275,000  
Not held in the trust account   $ 2,687,500     $ 1,506,250  
Use of net proceeds not held in the trust account(4)(5)                
Legal, accounting and other third party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of our initial business combination   $ 100,000       3.72 %
Due diligence of prospective target businesses by officers, directors and sponsor     100,000       3.72 %
Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations     75,000       2.79 %
Payment of administrative fee to VK Consulting, Inc. ($7,500 per month for up to 21 months), subject to deferral as described herein     157,500       5.86 %
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, D&O insurance, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations and reserves     2,255,000       83.91 %
Total   $ 2,687,500       100.0 %

____________

(1)   A portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the funds we received as loans from our insiders 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 units.

(3)   The funds held in the trust account may, but need not, be used to pay our expenses relating to completing our initial business combination, including a deferred underwriting commission payable to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC in an amount equal to 2.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering described below.

(4)   In the event that the over-allotment option is exercised in full, working capital for miscellaneous expenses will be $1,073,750.

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(5)   These expenses 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 the categories of our intended use of proceeds.

Certain of our stockholders have committed that they will purchase the private units (for an aggregate purchase price of $11,500,000) from us on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.

 

$178,500,000, or $205,275,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private units will be placed in a trust account in the United States at Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. The funds held in the trust account will be invested only in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 180 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries, 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 our initial 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 our initial business combination to the extent not used to pay converting stockholders. 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 VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, of a monthly fee of $7,500 is for general and administrative services including office space, utilities and secretarial support. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, we may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by our audit committee that we lack sufficient funds held outside the trust to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with our initial business combination. Any such unpaid amount will accrue without interest and be due and payable no later than the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. This arrangement is being agreed to by VK Consulting, Inc. for our benefit. We believe that the fee charged by VK Consulting, Inc. is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. This arrangement will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public stockholders. Other than the $7,500 per month fee, no compensation of any kind (including finder’s fees, consulting fees or other similar compensation) will be paid to our insiders, members of our management team or any of our or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Since the role of present management after our initial business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after our initial business combination.

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 our initial business combination will be approximately $2,687,500 (or $1,506,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full).

 

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

40

assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described categories. If our estimate of the costs of undertaking due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our insiders, members of our management team or third parties, but our insiders, members of our management team or third parties are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

We will likely use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, in connection with our initial business combination and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including the deferred underwriting commission payable to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC in an amount equal to 2.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering upon consummation of our initial business combination. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect our initial 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 insiders have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.

In March 2016, VK Consulting, Inc. loaned us $425,000 to be used to pay a portion of the expenses of this offering referenced in the line items above for the SEC registration fee, FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and accounting fees and expenses. The loans are payable without interest on the consummation of a business combination.

 

In October 2017, Edward S. Verona, one of our directors, loaned us $100,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loan is payable without interest on the earlier of (i) the consummation of the this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with this offering.

 

In February 2018, (i) Atidan Ventures, LLC, one of our stockholders, loaned to us $100,000 to cover expenses related to this offering, and (ii) FLOCO Ventures, LLC, one of our stockholders, loaned us $200,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loans are payable without interest on the earlier of (i) the consummation of this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with this offering.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have sufficient available funds to operate for up to the next 21 months, assuming that our initial 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 insiders, officers and directors (and/or their designees) 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 the lender’s discretion, up to $200,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Our stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, any loans and advances from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any.

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of (1) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period, (2) if that public stockholder elects to convert public shares in connection with a stockholder vote or (3) if that public stockholder sells shares to us in any tender offer in connection with a proposed business combination. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to our initial 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. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering, including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a stock dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain our insiders’ ownership at an aggregate of 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (excluding ownership of the private units). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

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DILUTION

The difference between the public offering price per share (assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of common stock which may be converted into cash), by the number of outstanding shares of common stock.

 

At December 31, 2017, our net tangible book value was $(371,743), or approximately ($0.08) per share assuming the underwriters do not exercise any portion of the over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 656,250 insider shares. After giving effect to the sale of 17,500,000 (or 20,125,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) shares of common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, and the deduction of underwriting discounts and estimated expenses of this offering, and the sale of the private units, our pro forma net tangible book value at December 31, 2017 would have been $5,000,008 or $0.81 (or $0.71 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.89 (or $0.79 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) per share to our insiders and an immediate dilution of 91.9% (or 92.9% if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) per share or $9.19 (or $9.29 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) to new investors not exercising their conversion rights. For purposes of presentation, our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering is $171,843,888 (or $196,781,389 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) less than it otherwise would have been because if we effect our initial business combination, the conversion rights of the public stockholders (but not our insiders) may result in the conversion or tender of up to 16,847,440 (or 19,292,293 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) shares sold in this offering.

 

The following table illustrates the dilution to our public stockholders on a per-share basis.

 

   

Assuming Full

Conversion

   

Assuming No

Conversion

 
    Without
Over-
Allotment
    With
Over-
Allotment
Option
    Without
Over-
Allotment
    With
Over-
Allotment
Option
 
Public offering price   $ 10.00     $ 10.00     $ 10.00     $ 10.00  
Net tangible book value before this offering     (0.08 )     (0.08 )     (0.08 )     (0.08 )
Increase attributable to new investors     0.89       0.79       7.76       7.75  
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private units     0.81       0.71       7.68       7.67  
Dilution to new investors   $ 9.19     $ 9.29     $ 2.32     $ 2.33  
Percentage of dilution to new investors     91.9 %     92.9 %     23.2 %     23.3 %

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

    Without Over-allotment     With Over-allotment  
                            Average                              Average  
                            Price                             Price  
    Shares Purchased     Total Consideration     per     Shares Purchased     Total Consideration     per  
    Number     Percentage     Amount     Percentage     Share     Number     Percentage     Amount     Percentage     Share  
Insider shares     4,375,000 (1)     19.00 %   $ 33,654       0.01 %   $ 0.008       5,031,250       19.13 %   $ 33,654       0.02 %   $ 0.007  
Private shares     1,150,000 (2)     5.00 %     11,500,000       6.17 %     10.00       1,150,000       4.37 %     11,500,000       5.40 %     10.00  
New investors     17,500,000       76.00 %     175,000,000       93.82 %     10.00       20,125,000       76.50 %     201,250,000       94.58 %     10.00  
      23,025,000       100.00 %   $ 186,533,654       100.00 %             26,306,250       100.00 %   $ 212,783,654       100.00 %        

____________

(1)Assumes over-allotment is not exercised and the forfeiture of an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares. Also assumes the issuance of an additional 1,293,750 insider shares so as to maintain the ownership of our insiders at 20% of our outstanding shares upon consummation of this offering.
(2)Represents 1,150,000 private shares underlying the private units issued simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

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The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering and the sale of the private units is calculated as follows:

    Assuming Full Conversion     Assuming No Conversion  
Numerator  

Without

Over-Allotment(1)(2)

   

With

Over-Allotment

Option(2)

   

Without

Over-Allotment(1)(2)

   

With

Over-Allotment

Option(2)

 
Net tangible book value before the offering   $ (371,743 )   $ (371,743 )   $ (371,743 )   $ (371,743 )
Net proceeds from this offering and private placement of private units     176,812,500       201,750,000       176,812,500       201,750,000  
Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded tangible book value before this offering     403,039       403,039       403,039       403,039  
Plus: Proceeds from sale of unit purchase option to underwriters     100       100       100       100  
Less: Proceeds held in the trust account subject to conversion/tender     (171,843,888 )     (196,781,389 )            
    $ 5,000,008     $ 5,000,007     $ 176,843,896     $ 201,781,396  
Denominator                                
Shares of common stock outstanding prior to this offering     4,375,000       5,031,250       4,375,000       5,031,250  
Shares of common stock to be sold in this offering     17,500,000       20,125,000       17,500,000       20,125,000  
Shares of common stock to be sold in private placement     1,150,000       1,150,000       1,150,000       1,150,000  
Less: Shares subject to conversion/tender     (16,847,440 )     (19,292,293 )            
      6,177,560       7,013,957       23,025,000       26,306,250  

___________

(1) Reflects the forfeiture of an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares.
(2) Does not include the units underlying the unit purchase option available to the underwriters.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2017 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units offered by this prospectus and the private units and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:

   December 31, 2017
    Actual   As Adjusted(1)
Notes payable to related party(2)   $ 525,000     $ 425,000  
Deferred underwriting commissions payable           4,375,000  
Common stock, $.001 par value; 0 and 16,847,440 shares which are subject to conversion/tender           171,843,888  
Stockholders’ equity                
Preferred stock, $.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding            
Common stock, $.001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 3,737,500 shares issued and outstanding, actual (including 656,250 shares subject to conversion); 6,177,560(3) shares issued and outstanding (excluding 16,847,440 shares subject to possible conversion/tender), as adjusted     3,737       6,178  
Additional paid-in capital     21,263       4,996,188  
Accumulated deficit     (2,358 )     (2,358 )
Total stockholders’ equity     22,642       5,000,008  
Total capitalization   $ 547,642     $ 181,643,896  

 

____________

(1) Includes the $11,500,000 in aggregate we will receive from the sale of the private units. Assumes the over¬allotment option has not been exercised.
(2) Notes payable to related parties of $525,000 are promissory notes issued to related parties. $425,000 will not be repaid until after the closing of the business combination.
(3) Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares have been forfeited by our insiders as a result thereof. Also includes the issuance of an additional 1,293,750 insider shares in February 2018 so as to maintain the ownership of our insiders at 20% of our outstanding common stock.

 

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

We were formed on March 17, 2016 for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus our search on target businesses operating in oil and gas or other natural resources companies in Eastern Europe or interested in expanding into Eastern Europe. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private units, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting our initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock in our initial business combination:

      may significantly dilute the equity interest of our investors in this offering who would not have pre-emption rights in respect of any such issuance;

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

      will likely cause a change in control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and 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 our initial business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;

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

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

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

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

We 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.

Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events

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

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2017, we had $143,403 in cash and a working capital deficit of $381,597. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. Our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not 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 receipt of approximately $33,700 from the sale of the insider shares and loans from related parties in an aggregate amount of $825,000 that are more fully described below. Our deferred offering costs through December 31, 2017 have been $403,039. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $937,500 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $4,375,000 (or $5,031,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (2) the sale of the private units for an aggregate purchase price of $11,500,000, will be $176,812,500 (or $201,750,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). $178,500,000 (or $205,275,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), which includes $4,375,000 of deferred underwriting commissions ($5,031,250 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining $2,687,500 (or $1,506,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will not be held in the trust account.

We intend to use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, in connection with our initial business combination and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a deferred underwriting commission payable to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC in an amount equal to 2.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering upon consummation of our initial business combination. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our initial business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the $2,687,500 (or $1,506,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) of net proceeds not held in the trust account, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 21 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 business combination 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 consummate our initial business combination with and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:

 

$100,000 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 our initial business combination;

 

$100,000 of expenses for the due diligence and investigation of a target business by our officers, directors and insiders;

 

$75,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations;

 

$157,500 for the payment of the administrative fee to VK Consulting, Inc. (of $7,500 per month for up to 21 months), subject to deferral as described herein;

 

$2,255,000 (or 1,073,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, liquidation obligations and reserves, including director and officer liability insurance premiums.

If our estimates of the costs of undertaking due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to convert 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

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combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

Related Party Transactions

In December 2016, VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, loaned us $425,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loan is payable without interest at the closing of a business combination.

 

In October 2017, Edward S. Verona, one of our directors, loaned us $100,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loan is payable without interest on the earlier of (i) the consummation of the this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with this offering.

 

In February 2018, (i) Atidan Ventures, LLC, one of our stockholders, loaned to us $100,000 to cover expenses related to this offering, and (ii) FLOCO Ventures, LLC, one of our stockholders, loaned us $200,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loans are payable without interest on the earlier of (i) the consummation of this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with this offering.

We are obligated, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, a monthly fee of $7,500 for general and administrative services. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, we may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by our audit committee that we lack sufficient funds held outside the trust to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with our initial business combination. Any such unpaid amount will accrue without interest and be due and payable no later than the date of the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

Channingwick Limited, BGV Croup Limited. Lake Street Fund L.P., Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P., and FLOCO Ventures LLC, certain of our stockholders, have committed that it will purchase an aggregate of 1,150,000 private units at $10.00 per private unit (for a total purchase price of $11,500,000) from us. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering.

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 insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Such loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $200,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. If we do not complete a business combination, any other outstanding loans from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any. We believe the purchase price of these units will approximate the fair value of such units when issued. However, if it is determined that, at the time of issuance, the fair value of such units exceeds the purchase price, we would record compensation expense for the excess of the fair value of the units on the day of issuance over the purchase price in accordance with ASC 718 — Compensation — Stock Compensation.

Controls and Procedures

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal control 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, 2019. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal control. We expect to assess the internal control 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 control. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal control. Target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

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

      reconciliation of accounts;

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

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      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.

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.

When required by Section 404 and once our management’s report on internal control is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report. This independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal control while performing its audit of internal control over financial reporting.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private units held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 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. 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 December 31, 2017, 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.

JOBS Act

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

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

49

PROPOSED BUSINESS

Introduction

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on March 17, 2016. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, with one or more target businesses. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus our search on target businesses operating in oil and gas or other natural resources companies in Eastern Europe or interested in expanding into Eastern Europe. We have not selected any target business for our initial business combination and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, engaged in any substantive discussions with a target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.

 

As Europe is striving to achieve energy independence, we believe that Eastern European oil and gas deposits, which are small and technically difficult to access, will attract the interest of investors and governments. We believe that historical exploration data can be reassessed with new geological knowledge to determine which reserves that were previously considered unrecoverable or uneconomic can be profitably recovered.

Market Overview

Europe has well developed industries and a large population, although it experiences a deficit of energy resources. Until 2040, European net imports of gas are projected to grow due to transition away from coal and nuclear energy, and are currently in excess of 310 billion cubic meters of gas per annum.4

All of the European states except Norway and Romania are energy-dependent. Traditionally, Europe relied on oil and gas coming from four major sources: The Middle East, Russia, North Africa and Norway. While the largest supplier for Western Europe is currently Norway, almost all of the energy for Eastern Europe comes from Russia (35% of all European consumption of natural gas is delivered by Gazprom)5.

____________

4 https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/energy/se/pdfs/nat_gas/geg/geg4_March2017/Item_4_-_Szeles_EU_demand_supplyWeb.pdf

5 https://financialobserver.eu/recent-news/russian-gazproms-market-share-in-europe-rises-to-35-in-2017/

 

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Russia’s recent military and political offensive in Ukraine has triggered an intense desire within the European Union to secure energy independence. War in Ukraine is feared to be disruptive for major gas pipelines from Russia to the European Union (2/3 of Gazprom’s total supply). In July 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump stood beside his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, in Warsaw and promised to help wean the nation off Russian energy imports, “so that you can never be held hostage to a single supplier.”6 

Promising deposits are located within three regions: Western (Germany, France, UK); Central (Poland, Lithuania, Western Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia); and Eastern (Eastern Ukraine).7 The Western region will be unlikely to be developed within the foreseeable future because of political reasons in host countries (with the exception of the UK, but its potential is the smallest among three) and the Eastern region, which currently produces more oil and gas than the other regions, is located near the Russia-Ukraine border, which makes it unattractive for additional near-term investment. That leaves the Central region as the area of development on which we intend to focus.

Two of the most promising countries in Europe for exploration and development of oil and gas are Ukraine and Poland.

Ukraine

Ukraine has three separate basins that have oil and gas deposits. Although not widely known, Ukraine was a major gas producing region in the Soviet Union until late 1970s, when new fields in Western Siberia were developed. Production was cut not because of depletion, but because of difficult reservoir characteristics and military risks (the proximity to Western borders of USSR). After Ukraine claimed its independence in 1991, there was virtually no additional development.

Naftogaz of Ukraine: http://www.naftogaz.com/www/3/nakweben.nsf/0/69CDD708EEFC16B4C22570D8003432CC/$file/small5.jpg

____________

6     http://www.euronews.com/2018/02/09/trump-energy-dominance-policy-pits-washington-against-moscow

7     EIA/ARI World Shale Gas and Shale Oil Report, https://www.eia.gov/conference/2013/pdf/presentations/kuuskraa.pdf

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Ukraine’s Eastern basin was a focus for Shell, but war with Russia has disrupted exploration drilling in the area8. Ukraine’s Western basin was of interest to Chevron, but it decided to shutdown its European explorations altogether, including exploration in Romania and Ukraine, to focus on already discovered offshore properties due to low energy prices8. The Southern basin is located next to Odessa, and stretches from onshore (primarily oil) to offshore (more gas) Black Sea locations. Active exploration in the areas adjacent to Romania and Crimea are carried by ExxonMobil, OMV, and Lukoil9.

New Ukrainian laws recently significantly decreased the tax rate for royalty payments.10 As major oil and gas companies failed develop economic quantities of oil, small companies have found their niches in both Eastern and Western Ukraine, and many produce commercially, despite the continuing crisis with Russia.

Poland

Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Marathon were all developing assets in Poland until recently. Each of them has decided not to pursue development because they did not feel that they could be commercially successful. National oil & gas company PGNiG is still active and producing limited quantities of hydrocarbons.

We believe that the weak results of the first wells drilled by major oil companies can be explained by, among other things, the size and bureaucratic nature of large oil companies, which increased their costs of producing oil and gas to such an extent that it made the region uneconomic at current prices for oil and gas.

____________

8      Chevron and Shell pulling out of Ukraine – http://longtailpipe.com/2015/06/11/6415/

9      ExxonMobil, OMV Petrom start Pelican South-1 Drilling – https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/exxonmobil-omv-petrom-start-pelican-south-1-drilling/; Lukoil discovers large gas field offshore Romania – https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/lukoil-discovers-large-gas-field-offshore-romania/;

10    http://www.cms-lawnow.com/ealerts/2015/12/ukraine-tax-rates-for-natural-gas-production-significantly-decreased

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Our Investment strategy

We want to take advantage of privately held Eastern European oil and gas operating companies that have significant production volume and positive cash flows, but little or no reserves. By acquiring a company with undeveloped reserves and hiring companies that have engineering and geological expertise to develop the reserves, we believe that we will be able to create value for our investors.

 

We anticipate targeting companies with recoverable reserves in Romania, Poland, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. We also intend to target companies with operations outside of Eastern Europe that are interested in expanding in Eastern Europe.

Our team

Our executive officers and directors have extensive experience in starting and managing industrial businesses in Eastern Europe, in particular in the energy sector. As a group, they combine Western business practice experience and technical know-how with extensive government and business networks that are crucial to success in the region. Our officers and directors also have extensive experience in identifying, negotiating with and conducting due diligence on companies targeted for acquisition and consummating acquisitions of energy companies. Our management team, however, does not have prior experience in pursuing acquisitions on behalf of blank check companies and past performance by our management team is not a guarantee of success with respect to locating a target business to acquire.

Subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination, we believe that the strengths of our management team, particularly their international experience and technical knowhow, will be valuable to any business in Ukraine with which we consummate our initial business combination, although the specific roles, if any, they may have following our initial business combination cannot be determined at this time.

Competitive Strengths

We believe our competitive strengths to be the following:

Status as a public company

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for

53

shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses might find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, roadshow and public reporting efforts that will likely not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us. Furthermore, once the business combination is consummated, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions that could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests than it would have as a privately-held company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.

While we believe that our status as a public company will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view the inherent limitations in our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our requirements to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination and provide holders of public shares the opportunity to convert their shares into cash from the trust account, as a deterrent and may prefer to effect a business combination with a more established entity or with a private company.

Transaction flexibility

We offer a target business a variety of options such as providing the owners of a target business with shares in a public company and a public means to sell such shares, providing cash for stock, and providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to consummate our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and it may not be available to us.

Competitive Weaknesses

We believe our competitive weaknesses to be the following:

Limited Financial Resources

Our financial reserves will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of venture capital firms, leveraged buyout firms and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. In addition, our financial resources could be reduced because of our obligation to convert shares held by our public stockholders as well as any tender offer we conduct.

Lack of experience with blank check companies

Our management team is not experienced in pursuing business combinations on behalf of blank check companies. Other blank check companies may be sponsored and managed by individuals with prior experience in completing business combinations between blank check companies and target businesses. Our managements’ lack of experience may not be viewed favorably by target businesses.

Limited technical and human resources

As a blank check company, we have limited technical and human resources. Many venture capital funds, leveraged buyout firms and operating businesses possess greater technical and human resources than we do and thus we may be at a disadvantage when competing with them for target businesses.

Delay associated with stockholder approval or tender offer

We may be required to seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination. If we are not required to obtain stockholder approval of an initial business combination, we will allow our stockholders to sell their shares to us pursuant to a tender offer. Both seeking stockholder approval and conducting a tender offer will delay the consummation of our initial business combination. Other companies competing with us for acquisition opportunities may not be subject to similar requirement, or may be able to satisfy such requirements more quickly than we can. As a result, we may be at a disadvantage in competing for these opportunities.

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Effecting Our Initial 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 units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting our initial business combination. Although substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the private placement of private units are intended to be applied generally toward effecting a business combination as described in this prospectus, the proceeds are not otherwise being designated for any more specific purposes. 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. Our initial 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. 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.

We Have Not Identified a Target Business

We have not selected any target business for our initial business combination and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, engaged in any substantive discussions with a target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us. As a result, we may not be able to locate a target business, and we may not be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.

Sources of Target Businesses

While we have not yet identified any initial business combination candidates, we believe based on our management’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous business combination candidates. We 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 in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. We may engage professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions or mergers 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. Except for the $7,500 per month administrative services fee, in no event will our insiders or any of the members of our management team be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors, director nominees or insiders. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (1) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time) and (2) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. As of the date of this prospectus, there are no affiliated entities that we would consider as a business combination target.

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination

Subject to our management team’s fiduciary duties and the limitation that one or more target businesses have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriter’s fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. Therefore, the fair market value of the target business will be calculated prior to any conversions of our shares in connection with a business combination and therefore will be a minimum of $140,000,000 (or $161,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in order to satisfy the 80% test. While the fair market value of the target business must satisfy the 80% test, the consideration we pay the owners of the target business may be a combination of

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cash (whether cash from the trust account or cash from a debt or equity financing transaction that closes concurrently with the business combination) or our equity securities. The exact nature and amount of consideration would be determined based on negotiations with the target business, although we will attempt to primarily use our equity as transaction consideration. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses.

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. To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors. 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;

      return on equity or invested capital;

      market capitalization or enterprise value;

      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. Our management may not consider any of the above criteria in evaluating a prospective target business. The retention of our officers and directors following the completion of any business combination will not be a material consideration in our evaluation of a prospective target business.

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

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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 our initial business combination remain to be determined. 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.

Fair Market Value of Target Business

Pursuant to Nasdaq listing rules, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses having an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the funds in the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriter’s fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account), which we refer to as the 80% test, at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may structure a business combination with one or more target businesses whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance. Therefore, the fair market value of the target business will be calculated prior to any conversions of our shares in connection with a business combination and therefore will be a minimum of $140,000,000 (or $161,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in order to satisfy the 80% test. While the fair market value of the target business must satisfy the 80% test, the consideration we pay the owners of the target business may be a combination of cash (whether cash from the trust account or cash from a debt or equity financing transaction that closes concurrently with the business combination) or our equity securities. The exact nature and amount of consideration would be determined based on negotiations with the target business, although we will attempt to primarily use our equity as transaction consideration. If we are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we will not be required to satisfy the 80% 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 a business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise owns 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 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% test. In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fund raising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). 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 on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or insiders and are therefore required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view, we may ask that banking firm to opine on whether the target business met the 80% fair market value test. Nevertheless, we are not required to do so and could determine not to do so without consent of our stockholders.

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Lack of Business Diversification

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

      subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial 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 consummate our initial business combination with 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 combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With a business combination with several businesses, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the target companies in a single operating business.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’ Management Team

Although we intend to scrutinize the management team of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination, our assessment of the target business’ management team may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management team may not 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 our initial business combination remains to be determined. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full time efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of our initial 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 our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

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

Stockholder Approval of Business Combination

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders (but not our insiders, officers or directors) may seek to convert their shares of common stock, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into a portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and therefore avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, in each case subject to the limitations described herein. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will

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seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or whether we will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. We anticipate that our business combination could be completed by way of a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar transaction. Stockholder approval will not be required under Delaware law if the business combination is structured as an acquisition of assets of the target company, a share exchange with target company stockholders or a purchase of stock of the target company; however, Nasdaq rules would require us to obtain stockholder approval if we seek to issue shares representing 20% or more of our outstanding shares as consideration in a business combination. A merger of our company into a target company would require stockholder approval under Delaware law. A merger of a target company into our company would not require stockholder approval unless the merger results in a change to our certificate of incorporation, or if the shares issued in connection with the merger exceed 20% of our outstanding shares prior to the merger. A merger of a target company with a subsidiary of our company would not require stockholder approval unless the merger results in a change in our certificate of incorporation; however, Nasdaq rules would require us to obtain stockholder approval of such a transaction if we week to issue shares representing 20% or more of our outstanding shares as consideration.

If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will provide our stockholders with an opportunity to tender their shares to us pursuant to a tender offer pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, 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.

In the event we allow stockholders to tender their shares pursuant to the tender offer rules, our tender offer will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not purchase public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.

If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or Nasdaq requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will:

      permit stockholders to convert their shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and

      file proxy materials with the SEC.

In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide stockholders with the conversion rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.

We will consummate our initial business combination only if public stockholders do not exercise conversion rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. As a result, if stockholders owning approximately 96.3% (or approximately 95.9% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering exercise conversion rights, the business combination will not be consummated. However, the actual percentages will only be able to be determined once a target business is located and we can assess all of the assets and liabilities of the combined company (which would include the fee payable to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC in an amount equal to 2.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering as described elsewhere in this prospectus, any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations that have not been repaid at that time, as well as any other liabilities of ours and the liabilities of the target business) upon consummation of the proposed business combination, subject to the requirement that we must have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets upon closing of such business combination. As a result, the actual percentages of shares that can be converted may be significantly lower than our estimates. 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

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to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Alternatively, we may not be able to consummate a business combination unless the number of shares of common stock seeking conversion rights is significantly less than the 95.8% (or 95.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) indicated above. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have executed a letter of intent or definitive agreement for a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but have not consummated the business combination with such 18-month period) in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account.

Our insiders, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to convert any shares of common stock into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

Depending on how a business combination was structured, any stockholder approval requirement could be satisfied by obtaining the approval of either (i) a majority of the shares of our common stock that were voted at the meeting (assuming a quorum was present at the meeting), or (ii) a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Because our insiders, officers and directors will collectively beneficially own approximately 24.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares have been forfeited as a result thereof) upon consummation of this offering and the sale of the private units, a minimum of approximately 231,251 public shares, or 1.3% of the outstanding shares of our common stock (if the approval requirement was a majority of shares voted and the minimum number of shares required for a quorum attended the meeting), would need to be voted in favor a business combination in order for it to be approved.

None of our insiders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we seek stockholder approval of a business combination and if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination, we or our insiders or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. No funds from the trust account can be released from the trust account prior to the consummation of a business combination to make such purchases (although such purchases could be made using funds available to us after the closing of a business combination). We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we or our insiders or their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Sections 9(a)(2) or 10(b) of the Exchange Act or Regulation M, which are rules that prohibit manipulation of a company’s stock, and we and they will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act in connection with any open-market purchases. If purchases cannot be made without violating applicable law, no such purchases will be made. The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. Our insiders anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our insiders or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our insiders or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination.

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Conversion Rights

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, any public stockholder, whether voting for or against such proposed business combination, will be entitled to demand that his or her shares of common stock be converted for a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account (initially $10.20 per share), plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of taxes payable.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or hers, or any other person with whom he or she is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 20% or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering. Such a public stockholder would still be entitled to vote against a proposed business combination with respect to all shares of common stock owned by him or her, or his or her affiliates. We believe this restriction will prevent stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By not allowing a stockholder to convert more than 20% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders.

None of our insiders, officers or directors will have the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket.

We may also require public stockholders who wish to convert, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent at any time through the vote on the business combination or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The proxy solicitation materials that we will furnish to stockholders in connection with the vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement through the vote on the business combination to deliver his or her shares if he or she wishes to seek to exercise his or her conversion rights. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a public stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise conversion rights.

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 $45.00 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 to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the business combination in order to exercise conversion rights. This is because a holder would need to deliver shares to exercise conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect conversion rights in connection with a blank check company’s business combination, the company would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her conversion rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the consummation of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the conversion price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the conversion rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become a “continuing” right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to convert his or her shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.

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

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

Liquidation if No Business Combination

If we do not complete a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if we have entered into a letter of intent or definitive agreement for a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering but the business combination has not been completed within such 18-month period), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. At such time, the warrants will expire and holders of warrants will receive nothing upon a liquidation with respect to such warrants, and the warrants will be worthless.

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any redemptions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a redemption is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.

Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. It is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th or 21st month from the closing of this offering and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the above procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to seeking to complete an initial business combination, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.

We will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. The underwriters in this offering will execute such a waiver agreement. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. In the event that a potential contracted party was to refuse to execute such a waiver, we will execute an agreement with that entity only

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if our management first determines that we would be unable to obtain, on a reasonable basis, substantially similar services or opportunities from another entity willing to execute such a waiver. Examples of instances where we may engage a third party that refused to execute a waiver would be the engagement of a third party consultant who cannot sign such an agreement due to regulatory restrictions, such as our auditors who are unable to sign due to independence requirements, or whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or a situation in which management does not believe it would be able to find a provider of required services willing to provide the waiver. There is also no guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our insiders have agreed that they will be jointly and severally liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below $10.20 per public share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a valid and enforceable agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our board of directors has evaluated our insiders’ financial net worth and believes they will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations that may arise. However, our insiders may not be able to satisfy their indemnification obligations, as we have not required our insiders to retain any assets to provide for their indemnification obligations, nor have we taken any further steps to ensure that they will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations that arise. Moreover, our insiders will not be liable to our public stockholders and instead will only have liability to us. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than approximately $10.20 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount then held in the trust account, inclusive of any interest not previously released to us, (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below).

If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and are forced to redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, we anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate the redemption of our public shares. Our insiders have waived their rights to participate in any redemption with respect to their insider shares. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our insiders have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses. Each holder of public shares will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.

Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete our initial business combination in the required time period or if the stockholders seek to have us convert their respective shares of common stock upon a business combination which is actually completed by us. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share redemption or conversion amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.20.

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

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Certificate of Incorporation

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

      prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their shares of common stock, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into a portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of taxes payable, or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of taxes payable, in each case subject to the limitations described herein;

      we will consummate our initial business combination only if public stockholders do not exercise conversion rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination;

      if our initial business combination is not consummated within 18 (or 21) months of the closing of this offering, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account to all of our public holders of shares of common stock;

      upon the consummation of this offering, $178,500,000, or $205,275,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account;

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

      prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.

Potential Revisions to Agreements with Insiders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could complete a business combination with utilizing the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in completing a business combination with certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.

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

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

      our obligation to convert shares of common stock held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination;

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

      our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commission to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC upon consummation of our initial business combination;

      our obligation to either repay working capital loans that may be made to us by our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates;

      our obligation to register the resale of the insider shares, as well as the private units (and underlying securities) and any shares issued to our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans; and

      the impact on the target business’ assets as a result of unknown liabilities under the securities laws or otherwise depending on developments involving us prior to the consummation of a business combination.

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Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial 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 connection with an initial business combination with a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

If we succeed in effecting our initial business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. Subsequent to our initial business combination, we may not have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Facilities

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 77 Water St, Fl 8, New York, NY 10005. The cost for this space is included in the $7,500 per-month fee (subject to deferral as described herein) payable to VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, for office space, utilities and secretarial services. Our agreement with VK Consulting, Inc. provides that commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and until we consummate a business combination, such office space, as well as utilities and secretarial services, will be made available to us as may be required from time to time. We believe that the fee charged by VK Consulting, Inc. 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 consummate our initial business combination with has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote an average of approximately 10 hours per week to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

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

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States GAAP or IFRS as issued by the IASB. A particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate may not have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination with the proposed target business.

We may be required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to have our internal control over financial reporting audited for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of their internal control over financial reporting. The development of the internal control over financial reporting of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.

Legal Proceedings

There is no material litigation, arbitration, governmental proceeding or any other legal proceeding currently pending or known to be contemplated 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 10 years preceding the date of this prospectus.

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Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.

 

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Escrow of offering proceeds

 

$178,500,000 of the net offering proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the private units will be deposited into a trust account in the United States at Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.

 

$148,781,250 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

 

$178,500,000 of net offering proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the private units held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills, bonds or notes with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 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 an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriter’s fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination.

 

The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.

 

 

 

 

 

Trading of securities issued

 

The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Chardan Capital Markets, LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading (based upon its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular), provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering.

 

No trading of the units or the underlying common stock 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 the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering.

 

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

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Election to remain an investor

 

We will either (i) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (ii) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. 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. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to convert their shares into cash or to remain an investor in our company.

 

A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination 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 a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its 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 are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued.

 

 

 

 

 

Business combination deadline

 

Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if the extension criteria described elsewhere is satisfied), 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 which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination.

 

 

 

 

 

Release of funds

 

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

 

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

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MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

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

Name   Age   Position
Ilya Ponomarev   42   Chief Executive Officer and Director
Edward S. Verona   63   Non-Executive Chairman and Director
Oleksii Tymofiev   40   Chief Operating Officer
Vadim Komissarov   46   President, Chief Financial Officer and Director
Michael Wilson   52   Secretary and Treasurer
Thomas Gallagher   69   Director
Gennadii Butkevych   59   Director

Ilya Ponomarev has served as our director since our inception and has been our Chief Exective Officer since February 15, 2018. From December 2007 to the present, Hon. Ponomarev served an opposition member of Russian Parliament — State Duma representing Novosibirsk — the capital of Siberia, and is chairing Innovations and Venture Capital (formerly Hi-Tech development) subcommittee. Although he was a member of parliament until 2016, after his lone vote against the war between Russia and Ukraine, he was not permitted to return to Russia after traveling to the United States. In April 2015, the Russian parliament lifted Mr. Ponomarev’s diplomatic immunity and allowed a prosecutor to bring charges of misappropriation of funds belonging to Skolkovo Foundation against Mr. Ponomarev, in what was widely reported as a politically motivated prosecution. The case remains open and Mr. Ponomarev would be subject to arrest if he returned to Russia. Earlier Ilya Ponomarev held various positions in government offices and private companies, including Vice president of Yukos Oil Company, a large Russian oil and gas company, and prior to that Director for CIS Business Development and Marketing for Schlumberger Oilfield Services. Ilya Ponomarev holds BSc in Physics from Moscow State University and Master of Public Administration from Russian State Social University. He is an author of a number of research papers and magazine articles about new economy development, energy, regional policies, education and international relations. We believe that Mr. Ponomarev is qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors because his understanding of new technologies in oil & gas field and his international network of political and business leaders.

Edward S. Verona has served as our director and Chairman of the Board since April 29, 2016. Mr. Verona has been a Senior Director of McLarty Associates, an international affairs advisory business since June 2014. Prior to joining McLarty, Mr. Verona served for five years as President of the US-Russia Business Council (USRBC), where he led the Council’s efforts to provide government relations services to American and Russian companies and facilitate American entry into the Russian market. Before joining USRBC, Mr. Verona spent many years in the energy sector and in the U.S. Foreign Service, posted in former Soviet states and in Latin America. He was Executive Director of the Moscow-based Petroleum Advisory Forum from December 1996 to August 1998. From August 1998 to August 2003 he held various positions with Texaco and ChevronTexaco, including Head of Representation for Texaco in Russia and Kazakhstan and Vice President for Government and Public Affairs for Latin America, based in Caracas, Venezuela. Subsequently, he served as Vice President of ExxonMobil Russia from June 2006 to August 2008, with responsibility for government and public affairs. Mr. Verona began his energy sector career working for Shell Oil Company in New York City, and first worked on energy issues in Russia in 1996 as Executive Director of the Moscow-based Petroleum Advisory. He has served as Chairman of the Kazakhstan Petroleum Association and as Chief Representative of Barrick Gold in Russia. Prior to joining Texaco, Mr. Verona served for seven years in the US Foreign Service as Economic Officer in Mexico City, Brasilia, and Moscow. In 1980, he joined mining and oil & gas equipment manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand as Special Representative posted in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Miami. Mr. Verona graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and he received a Master’s of International Management from the American Graduate School of Global Management (Thunderbird). He speaks Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese. We believe that Mr. Verona is qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors because of his experience in the oil & gas industry, his in-depth, hands-on knowledge of Eastern European business environments, and his prominent international government affairs roles.

Oleksii Tymofiev has served as our Chief Operating Officer since February 15, 2018. He was our Chief Executive Officer from April 29, 2016 until February 15, 2018. Since August 2015, Mr. Tymofiev has been the Chief Executive Officer at Ukrteploenergo Ltd., where he has been responsible for the development and implementation of a turnaround strategy at the company, which is an owner-operator of heat-and-power plants in the Ukraine with over 4,000 employees and $200 million in revenue in 2015. From March 2010 until August 2015 he served in a variety of positions with PJSC Smart Holding, an investment company, most recently as general director. Prior to Smart-Holding Group, Mr. Timofieiev was Executive Board Member and Head of Investments and Equity Department at Naftogaz of Ukraine NJSC, the state holding company operating in the field of oil and gas production and transportation. Mr. Timofieiev joined Neftogaz after her served as Head of Legal department at another state oil & gas enterprise PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya, largest gas production company of Ukraine. Mr. Timofieiev holds Ph.D. in Law from Frunze Simferopol State University (1998) and International Economic Relations degree from Karazin Kharkiv National University (2010).

Vadim Komissarov has served as our President since our inception. Mr. Komissarov was appointed our Chief Financial Officer and to the Board of Directors on April 29, 2016. Prior to April 29, 2016, Mr. Komissarov served as our Secretary and Treasurer. In March 2015, Mr. Komissarov founded VK Consulting, Inc., a financial advisory services firm for which he is a director. Prior to that, from August 2014 until April 2015, Mr. Komissarov was an advisor to UMW Technology and UMW corporation Sdn Bhd. From September 2009 until March 2014 he was the co-founder and head of investment banking from Globex Capital, an investment banking and financial advisory firm. Mr. Komissarov started his investment banking career in New York working for international banks, including Merrill Lynch and Bank of New York, handling private equity transactions and ADR programs for Eastern European clients. Mr. Komissarov holds an MBA degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business. We believe that Mr. Komissarov is qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors because of his expertise in international investment banking, mergers and acquisition experience in Eastern Europe and CIS countries, and his appointments on the Board of Directors of prominent Eastern European financial institutions.

Michael Wilson has served as our Secretary and Treasurer since April 29, 2016. Mr. Wilson has been self employed as a consultant since September 2015. Prior to that, from February 2014 until July 2015, Mr. Wilson was responsible for finance and back-office operations in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer of the Trout Group LLC, an investor relations and broker-dealer group. From March 2012 until December 2013, Mr. Wilson was engaged as principal to restructure the finances and operations of Pompei A.D. LLC, an international branding and strategy firm with Fortune 500 clients. From September 2009 until November 2011, Mr. Wilson served as the Managing Director for VEB Capital Americas, Inc. and President — US Office for Globex Capital. Previously, he served for nearly 3 years as a Senior Managing Director for a private family equity investment group DEH Family Holdings that had business ranging from Real-Estate to Technology. For 8 years prior to that, Mr. Wilson served as the Vice President of Strategy and Market Development for Active International, a leading alternative asset trading company at which he developed funding structures around non-monetary transactions and established the firm’s activities in South Korea and Russia.  Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Entersoft, an OLTP monitoring software company. Mr. Wilson started his career in accounting at Coopers & Lybrand after completing a dual concentration in Finance and Accounting from Northeastern University. Mr. Wilson completed his graduate work in Finance and International business at NYU’s Stern Graduate School of Business.

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Thomas Gallagher has served as our director since April 29, 2016. Since 2009 Mr. Gallagher has been the Chairman of Exchequer Capital GmbH, a wealth advisory firm. Mr. Gallagher serves as a directors of a number of private companies, as well as serving as an Advisor to the Chairman, Eurasian Bank, Kazakhstan on Private Banking, and to the Chairman, SkyBridge Capital AG in Zürich, Switzerland. He was the Head of Alternative Investments, Valartis Asset Management from February 2008 to September 2008. Prior to that since 2003 he worked for Moore Capital Management as Director of European Wealth Management in Alstra Capital Management, and a Director of the Fund Investment Group. From 2000–2003 he was the founder in Oak Hill Platinum Partners, doing financial & institutional fundraising and products consulting. Earlier in his career he worked as legislation Counsel in Joint Committee on Taxation of The Congress of the United States and later worked at Counsel in Davis Polk & Wardwell; Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy; Gallagher & Blitz; Chadborne & Parke; and O’Connor & Hannan. Mr. Gallagher has LL.M., Yale Law School, J.D., Magna Cum Laude, Loyola Law School (N.O.), A.B., Villanova University. We believe that Mr. Gallagher is qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors because of his experience in fund management, his international investment risk management expertise, and his relationships with prominent business leaders in Eastern Europe and CIS countries..

Gennadii Butkevych has served as our director since February 15, 2018. Mr. Butkevych founded Agrotechbusines LLC in 1999 and has grown from a single grocery kiosk to one of the largest chain of discount supermarkets in Ukraine. In 2013 Mr. Butkevych co-founded ATB Corporation and Agrotechbusines LLC was merged into the new entity, becoming ATB-Market Company, and for which Mr. Butkevych serves as Director. ATB currently has 920 locations in over 230 cities and towns in Ukraine. Orphanage No. 1 of Dnepr city has been sponsored by ATB Corporation since January 14, 2014. Mr. Butkevych founded and is the honorary Chairman of the “Dnepr Open” amateur tennis tournament. As the owner of the Equides Equestrian Club – the home of frequent inter-regional and international events – Mr. Butkevych sponsors the Ukrainian horse riding national youth sports team. Mr. Butkevych is a graduate of Dnipropetrovsk Engineer and Architecture Institute and holds an MS degree in Engineering. We believe that Mr. Butkevych is qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors because of his track record of building successful businesses from the ground up, high ethical standards, community involvement, and his connections to business people in Eastern Europe.

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Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

Upon consummation of this offering, our board of directors will have five members, three of whom will be deemed “independent” under SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Vadim Komissarov and Thomas Gallagher, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Edward S. Verona and Gennadii Butkevych, will expire at the second annual meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Ilya Ponomarev, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a chairman of the board, vice chairman of the board, chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, vice president(s), secretary, treasurer and such other officers as may be determined by the board of directors.

Executive Compensation

No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date of this prospectus through the completion of our initial business combination with a target business, we will pay to VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, a fee of $7,500 per month for providing us with office space and certain office and secretarial services. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, we may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by our audit committee that we lack sufficient funds held outside the trust to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with our initial business combination. Any such unpaid amount will accrue without interest and be due and payable no later than the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. Other than the $7,500 per month administrative fee, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s fees, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our insiders or any of the members of our management team, 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; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.

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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.

Director Independence

Nasdaq listing standards require that within one year of the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market we have at least three independent directors and that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our Board of Directors had determined that Thomas Gallagher, Edward S. Verona and Gennadii Butkevych are “independent director” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

We will only enter into a business combination if it is approved by a majority of our independent directors. Additionally, we will only enter into transactions with our officers and directors and their respective affiliates that are on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Any related-party transactions must be approved by our audit committee and a majority of disinterested directors.

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Audit Committee

Effective as of the date of this prospectus, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Thomas Gallagher, Edward S. Verona and Gennadii Butkevych, each of whom is an independent director. Thomas Gallagher will serve as chairman of the audit committee. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

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

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

      discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;

      monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

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

      reviewing and approving all related-party transactions;

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

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

      appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

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

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

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

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under the Nasdaq listing standards. The Nasdaq listing 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 Thomas Gallagher qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.

Compensation Committee

Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors consisting of Thomas Gallagher, Edward S. Verona and Gennadii Butkevych, each of whom is an independent director. Edward S. Verona will serve as chairman of the compensation committee. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

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

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

      reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

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

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

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

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

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

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

Director Nominations

We do not have a standing nominating committee, though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or NASDAQ rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 (e)(2) of the NASDAQ rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. Thomas Gallagher, Edward S. Verona and Gennadii Butkevych will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(1)(A) of the NASDAQ rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.

The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to the Board should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.

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

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

We may not have a compensation committee in place prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Any executive compensation matters that arise prior to the time we have a compensation committee in place will be determined by our independent directors. None of our directors who currently serve as members of our compensation committee is, or has at any time in the past been, one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any other entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board of directors of any other entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our compensation committee.

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.

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Conflicts of Interest

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

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

      In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

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

      Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and insiders will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account.

      The insider shares beneficially owned by our officers and directors will be released from escrow only if our initial business combination is successfully completed. Additionally, if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time frame, our officers and directors will not be entitled to receive any amounts held in the trust account with respect to any of their insider shares or private units. Furthermore, our insiders (and/or their designees) have agreed that the private units will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed our initial business combination. For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effect our initial business combination.

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

      the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

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

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

Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers and directors (other than our independent directors) have agreed to present to us for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or entity, any suitable opportunity to acquire a target business, until the earlier of: (1) our consummation of an initial business combination and (2) 21 months from the date of this prospectus. This agreement is, however, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations such officer or director may from time to time have to another entity. Accordingly, if any of them becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination because in most cases the affiliated companies are closely held entities controlled by the officer or director or the nature of the affiliated company’s business is such that it is unlikely that a conflict will arise.

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The following table summarizes the current material pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers, directors and director nominees:

Name of Individual

 

Name of Affiliated Company

 

Entity’s Business

 

Affiliation

Vadim Komissarov

 

VK Consulting, Inc.

 

Financial Advisory Services

 

Director

Edward S. Verona

 

McLarty Associates

 

International Affairs Advisory Services

 

Senior Director

Thomas Gallagher

 

Exchequer Capital GmbH

 

Wealth Advisory Services

 

Chairman

Gennadii Butkevych

  ATB Corporation  

Groceries production and retail, sports & recreation

 

Director

Our insiders, officers and directors, have agreed to vote any shares of common stock held by them in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to receive any amounts held in the trust account with respect to their insider shares and private shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time frame. If they purchase shares of common stock in this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to receive their pro rata share of the amounts held in the trust account if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time frame, but have agreed not to convert such shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination.

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

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

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Our certificate of incorporation provides that our directors and officers will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as set forth in our certificate of incorporation, such indemnification will not extend to any claims our insiders may make to us to cover any loss that they may sustain as a result of their agreement to pay debts and obligations to target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us as described elsewhere in this prospectus.

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

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

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

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

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

      each of our officers, directors and director nominees; and

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

Amounts shown in the “After Offering” column are calculated assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option and, therefore, the forfeiture of an aggregate of 656,250 shares of common stock held by our insiders. Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.

    Prior to Offering and
Private Placement
  After Offering
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)   Amount
and Nature
of
Beneficial
Ownership
of Common
Stock
 

Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding

Shares of

Common

Stock

  Amount
and Nature
of
Beneficial
Ownership
of Common
Stock(2)
 

Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding

Shares of

Common

Stock

Oleksii Tymofiev     3,000       *       3,000          
Vadim Komissarov(3)(20)     115,000       2.3 %     115,000       *  
Michael Wilson     1,500       *       1,500          
Ilya Ponomarev(20)(21)     2,389,160 (4)     47.4 %     1,732,910 (4)     7.5 %
Edward S. Verona     20,000       *       20,000          
Viktor Topolov     3,000       *       3,000          
Dmitry Nekrasov     45,000       *       45,000          
Woodborough Investments, Ltd.     100,000       2.0 %     100,000       *  
Eastpower OÜ(6)(20)     1,709,300       34.0 %     1,239,793       5.4 %
Fivestar OÜ(6)(21)     679,860       13.5 %     493,117       2.1 %
Viktoriia Tushishvili(7)     723,240       14.4 %     723,240       3.1 %
MultiLux OÜ(8)     600,000       11.9 %     600,000       2.6 %
Viktoria Finance OÜ(8)     60,000       1.2 %     60,000       *  
Brandleader OÜ(8)     52,000       1.0 %     52,000       *  
Marat Rosenberg     15,000       *       15,000       *  
Thomas Gallagher(9)     503,000       10.0 %     1,003,000       4.3 %
Channingwick Limited(10)     500,000       10.0 %     1,000,000       4.3 %
Gennadii Butkevych(11)     500,000       10.0 %     1,000,000       4.3 %
BGV Group(12)     500,000       10.0 %     1,000,000       4.3 %
Lake Street Fund L.P.(13)     55,000       1.1 %     110,000       *  
Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P.(13)     15,000       *       30,000       *  
Kevin Nanke(14)(21)     235,000       4.7 %     315,000       1.4 %
FLOCO Ventures LLC(15)     100,000       2.0 %     120,000       *  
KN Consulting, Inc.(15)     135,000       2.7 %     215,000       *  
Shlomo Ben Nasser(21)(22)     20,000       *       20,000       *  
Atidan Ventures, LLC(23)     20,000       *       20,000       *  
Timur Alasania     15,000       *       15,000       *  
Suncroft Company S.A.(16)     58,350       1.2 %     58,350       *  
Fabiner Ltd.(17)     15,000       *       15,000       *  
Patimat Akhmedova(18)(21)     300,000       6.0 %     300,000       1.3 %
Noretor OÜ(19)     100,000       2.0 %     100,000       *  
All directors, director nominees and executive officers as a group (6 individuals)     3,531,660       70.2 %     3,875,410       16.83 %

____________

*Less than 1%.
(1)Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 77 Water St, Fl 8, New York, NY 10005.
(2)Does not include beneficial ownership of any shares of common stock underlying outstanding warrants as such shares are not issuable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
(3) Includes the 100,000 shares underlying the private units held by Woodborough Investments, Ltd. over which Vadim Komissarov has voting and dispositive power.
(4) Represents shares owned by Eastpower OÜ and Fivestar OÜ. Ilya Ponomarev is the sole director of both Eastpower OÜ and Fivestar OÜ.
(5) Vadim Komissarov has voting and dispositive power over such shares.
(6) Ilya Ponomarev is the sole director of both Eastpower OÜ and Fivestar OÜ.
(7) Includes 600,000 shares owned by MultiLux OÜ, 60,000 shares owned by Viktoria Finance OÜ, and 52,000 shares owned by Brandleader OÜ.
(8) Viktoriia Tushishvili has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by MultiLux OÜ, Viktoria Finance OÜ, and Brandleader OÜ.
(9) Includes 500,000 shares owned by Channingwick Limited.
(10) Thomas Gallagher has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by Channingwick Limited.
(11) Includes 500,000 shares owned by BGV Group.
(12) Gennadii Butkeyych has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by BGV Group.
(13) Scott Hood has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by Lake Street Fund L.P. and Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P.
(14) Consists of 100,000 shares owned by FLOCO Ventures LLC and 135,000 shares owned by KN Consulting, Inc.
(15) Kevin Nanke has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by FLOCO Ventures LLC and KN Consulting, Inc.
(16) Christakis Konnaris has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by Suncroft Company S.A.
(17) Marina Georgiou has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by Fabiner Ltd.
(18) Includes 100,000 shares owned by Noretor OÜ.
(19) Patimat Akhmedova has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by Noretor OÜ.
(20) Eastpower OÜ, of which Ilya Ponomarev is the sole director, has granted an option to Vadim Komissarov to acquire 209,860 shares at a price of $10.00 per share, following the closing of our initial public offering.
(21) Fivestar OÜ, of which Ilya Ponomarev is the sole director, has granted an option to (i) Marat Rosenberg to acquire 309,860 shares at a price of $10.00 per share, following the closing of our initial public offering, (ii) FLOCO Ventures LLC to acquire 20,000 shares at a price of $10.00 per share, following the closing of our initial public offering, and (iii) Shlomo Ben Nasser to acquire 10,000 shares at a price of $10.00 per share, following the closing of our initial public offering.
(22) Includes 20,000 shares owned by Atidan Ventures, LLC.
(23) Shlomo Ben Nasser has voting and dispositive power over the shares owned by Atidan Ventures, LLC.

 

Immediately after this offering, our insiders will beneficially own approximately 24.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus). Because of the ownership block held by our insiders, such individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

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If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, an aggregate of up to 656,250 insider shares will be forfeited in amounts as determined amongst the holders of such insider shares and not proportional to their ownership percentages in our shares of common stock. Only a number of shares necessary to maintain our insiders’ collective 20.0% ownership interest (excluding the private units) in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option will be forfeited.

All of the insider shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, 50% of these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the insider shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier in either case if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Up to 656,250 of the insider 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 (1) transfers among the insiders, to our officers, directors, advisors and employees, (2) transfers to an insider’s affiliates or its members upon its liquidation, (3) transfers to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (4) transfers by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (5) transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (6) private sales made at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased or (7) transfers to us for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 7) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and forfeiture, as the case may be, as well as the other applicable restrictions and agreements of the holders of the insider shares. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the insider shares.

Our insiders (and/or their designees) have committed that they will purchase the private units (for an aggregate purchase price of $11,500,000) from us in amounts as determined amongst the parties and not proportional to their ownership percentages in our shares of common stock. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote their insider shares, private shares and any public shares acquired in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, (C) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination (or sell any shares they hold to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination) or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable) and (D) that the insider shares shall not be entitled to be redeemed for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our insiders (and/or their designees) have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units or underlying securities (except to the same permitted transferees as the insider shares and provided the transferees agree to the same terms and restrictions as the permitted transferees of the insider shares must agree to, each as described above) until the completion of our initial business combination.

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In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our insiders, officers and directors 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 the lender’s discretion, up to $200,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Our stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, any outstanding loans from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any.

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

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CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

In March 2016, we sold an aggregate of 3,737,500 shares of our common stock for $25,000, or approximately $.007 per share, to VK Consulting, Inc., which is controlled by Vadim Komissarov. On April 11, 2016, VK Consulting, Inc. sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

Name

 

Number of Shares

Edward S. Verona

 

3,000

Ilya Ponomarev

 

1,308,125

Oleksii Tymofiev

 

3,000

Patimat Akhmedova

 

200,000

Thomas J. Gallagher

 

3,000

Timur Alasania

 

186,875

Vadim Komissarov

 

186,875

Viktor Topolov

 

3,000

On March 1, 2017, VK Consulting, Inc. sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

Name   Number of Shares
Eastpower OÜ   1,700,000
Fivestar OÜ   143,625

 

On March 1, 2017, Ilya Ponomarev sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

Name   Number of Shares
Fivestar OÜ   1,308,125

 

On March 1, 2017, Timur Alasaniya sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

Name   Number of Shares
Fivestar OÜ   186,875

 

On March 1, 2017, Vadim Komissarov sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

Name   Number of Shares
Fivestar OÜ   150,375
Dmitry Nekrasov   35,000
Michael Wilson   1,500

On February 15, 2018, we sold an additional 1,293,750 shares of our common stock for $8,653.85, or approximately $.007 per share, to Eastpower OÜ, which is controlled by Ilya Ponomarev.

 

On February 15, 2018, Eastpower OÜ sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the

table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

 

    Number of
Name   Shares
Woodborough Investments   100,000
Vadim Komissarov   15,000
Viktoriia Tushishvili   11,240
Viktoria Finance OÜ   60,000
Channingwick Limited   500,000
BVG Group   500,000
Suncroft Company S.A.   58,350

 

On February 15, 2018, Fivestar OÜ sold the number of our shares of common stock indicated in the

table below to persons indicated at a price of $0.007 per share:

 

    Number of
Name   Shares
Brandleader OÜ   52,000
MultiLux OÜ   600,000
Lake Street Fund LP   55,000
Mount Wilson Global Fund LP   15,000
FLOCO Ventures LLC   100,000
KN Consulting Inc.   135,000
Atidan Ventures LLC   20,000
Edward S. Verona   17,000
Dmitry Nekrasov   45,000
Timur Alasania   15,000
Noretor OÜ   100,000
Fabiner Ltd.   15,000
Marat Rosenberg   15,000

If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our insiders will forfeit up to an aggregate of 656,250 insider shares in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised. If such shares are forfeited, we will record the forfeited shares as treasury stock and simultaneously retire the shares. Upon receipt, such forfeited shares would then be immediately cancelled which would result in the retirement of the treasury shares and a corresponding charge to additional paid-in capital.

If the underwriters determine the size of the offering should be increased (including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) or decreased, a share dividend or a contribution back to capital, as applicable, would be effectuated in order to maintain our insiders’ ownership at a percentage of the number of shares of common stock to be sold in this offering. Our insiders may purchase from us at a price of $10.00 per unit the number of private units that is necessary to maintain in the trust account an amount equal to $10.20 per share sold to the public in this offering.

Channingwick Limited, BGV Croup Limited. Lake Street Fund L.P., Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P., and FLOCO Ventures LLC, certain of our stockholders, will purchase, pursuant to written purchase agreements with us, 1,150,000 private units for a total purchase price of $11,500,000, from us. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The purchase price for the private units, including those that may be purchased if the over-allotment option is exercised, will be delivered to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, who will also be acting as escrow agent in connection with the private sale of private units, at least 24 hours prior to the date of this prospectus to hold in a non-interest bearing account until we consummate this offering. Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company will deposit the purchase price into the trust account simultaneously with the consummation of the offering or the over-allotment option, as the case may be. The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares and any public shares acquired in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, (C) not to convert any shares (including the private shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination (or sell any shares they hold to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination) or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the substance or timing of our obligation 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 21 months, as applicable) and (D) that the private shares shall not be entitled to be redeemed for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our insiders (and/or their designees) have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the

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private units or underlying securities (except to the same permitted transferees as the insider shares and provided the transferees agree to the same terms and restrictions as the permitted transferees of the insider shares must agree to, each as described above) until the completion of our initial business combination.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our insiders, officers and directors 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 the lender’s discretion, up to $200,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Our stockholders have approved the issuance of the private units upon conversion of such notes, to the extent the holder wishes to so convert such notes at the time of the consummation of our initial business combination. If we do not complete a business combination, any outstanding loans from our insiders, officers and directors or their affiliates, will be repaid only from amounts remaining outside our trust account, if any.

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

VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, has agreed that, commencing on the date of this prospectus through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay VK Consulting, Inc. $7,500 per month for these services. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, we may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by our audit committee that we lack sufficient funds held outside the trust to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with our initial business combination. Any such unpaid amount will accrue without interest and be due and payable no later than the date of the consummation of our initial business combination. We believe that the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.

In December 2016, VK Consulting, Inc., a company owned by Vadim Komissarov, one of our officers, loaned us $425,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loan is payable without interest at the closing of a business combination.

 

In October 2017, Edward S. Verona, one of our directors, loaned us $100,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loan is payable without interest on the earlier of (i) the consummation of the this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with this offering.

 

In February 2018, (i) Atidan Ventures, LLC, one of our stockholders, loaned to us $100,000 to cover expenses related to this offering, and (ii) FLOCO Ventures, LLC, one of our stockholders, loaned us $200,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loans are payable without interest on the earlier of (i) the consummation of this offering or (ii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with this offering.

Other than the fees described above, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s fees, consulting fees or other similar compensation, will be paid to our insiders or any of the members of our management team, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, board, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.

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

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 $100,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.

We also require each of our directors and executive officers to annually complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

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 our initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our insiders, officers or directors unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm and the approval of a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time) that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. In no event will our insiders, or any of the members of our management team be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other similar compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

General

As of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001. As of the date of this prospectus, 5,031,250 shares of common stock are outstanding, held by 28 stockholders of record. No shares of preferred stock are currently outstanding. The following description summarizes all of the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description you should refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Units

Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of common stock and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.

The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Chardan Capital Markets, LLC determines that an earlier date is acceptable (based upon, among other things, its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular), subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of common stock and warrants.

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

Common Stock

Our holders of record of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with any vote held to approve our initial business combination, our insiders, officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering, including both the insider shares and the private shares, and any shares acquired in this offering or following this offering in the open market, in favor of the proposed business combination.

We will consummate our initial business combination only if public stockholders do not exercise conversion rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

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. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares eligible to vote for the election of directors can elect all of the directors.

Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, if we do not consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 21 months from the closing of this offering if the extension criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus is met), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible

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but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our insiders have agreed to waive their rights to share in any distribution with respect to their insider shares and private shares.

Our stockholders have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights and there are no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to the shares of common stock, except that public stockholders have the right to sell their shares to us in any tender offer or have their shares of common stock converted to cash equal to their pro rata share of the trust account if they vote on the proposed business combination and the business combination is completed. If we hold a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholder’s rights or pre-business combination activity (including the substance or timing within which we have to complete a business combination), we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, in connection with any such vote. In either of such events, converting stockholders would be paid their pro rata portion of the trust account promptly following consummation of the business combination or the approval of the amendment to the certificate of incorporation. If the business combination is not consummated or the amendment is not approved, stockholders will not be paid such amounts.

Preferred Stock

There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Our certificate of incorporation filed with the State of Delaware authorizes the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the common stock on our initial business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect our initial business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we reserve the right to do so in the future.

Warrants included as part of units

Each public and private warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The public and private warrants will expire five years after the date on which they first became exercisable, at 5:00 p.m., New York time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private warrants):

      in whole and not in part;

      at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

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

      if, and only if, the last sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $16.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

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We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. 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.

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 determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.

None of the private warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers of the private warrants or any of their permitted transferees.

We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of common stock underlying such unit.

We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than thirty (30) business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. In addition, we have agreed to use our best efforts to register the shares of common stock that are issuable upon exercise of the public and private warrants under state blue sky laws, to the extent an exemption is not available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public and private warrants has not been declared effective by the 90th business day following the closing of our initial business combination and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, public and private warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise the public and private warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.

The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.

The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check

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payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

Purchase Option

We have agreed to sell to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC an option to purchase up to a total of 1,750,000 units at $12.00 per unit for $100.00. The option is not exercisable until the later of the consummation of a business combination or six months from the date of this prospectus. The units issuable upon exercise of this option are identical to those offered by this prospectus. Accordingly, after the business combination shares of the purchase option will be to purchase 1,750,000 shares of common stock and 1,750,000 warrants to purchase 1,750,000 shares for the same aggregate purchase price. In no event will we be required to net cash settle the exercise of the purchase option.

Dividends

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a stock dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the number of insider shares at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (not including the private units and assuming our insiders do not purchase units in this offering). Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

Our Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for our securities is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 17 Battery Place, New York, New York 10004.

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

We will be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of this offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with:

      a stockholder who owns 10% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”);

      an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or

      an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder.

A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:

      our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction;

      after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or

      on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.

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Staggered board of directors

Our certificate of incorporation provides 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 meetings.

Special meeting of stockholders

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our chief executive officer or by our chairman.

Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day prior to the scheduled date of the annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.

Authorized but unissued shares

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Immediately after this offering, we will have 23,025,000 shares of common stock outstanding, or 26,306,250 shares of common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 17,500,000 shares of common stock sold in this offering, or 20,125,000 shares of common stock 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 are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.

Rule 144

A person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months would be entitled to sell their shares provided that (1) 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 (2) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

      1% of the number of shares then outstanding, which will equal 230,250 shares of common stock immediately after this offering (or 263,062 shares of common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

      the average weekly trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:

      the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

      the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

      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 insiders will be able to sell their insider shares and private units freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming they are not an affiliate of ours at that time.

Registration Rights

The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private units and any shares our insiders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of

87

the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private units or units issued in payment of working capital loans made to us can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing on the date that we consummate our initial business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

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UNDERWRITING

We intend to offer our securities described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters, through their representative Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, have severally agreed to purchase from us on a firm commitment basis the following respective number of units at a public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus:

Underwriter

 

Number of Units

Chardan Capital Markets, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

17,500,000

A copy of the underwriting agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Listing of our Securities

We expect our units, common stock and warrants to be quoted on Nasdaq under the symbols “TDACU,” “TDAC” and “TDACW,” respectively. We anticipate that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq or that they will continue to be listed on Nasdaq after this offering.

Pricing of this Offering

We have been advised by the representative that the underwriters propose to offer the units to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. They may allow some dealers concessions not in excess of $0.[____] per unit and the dealers may re-allow a concession not in excess of $0.[____] per unit to other dealers.

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for our securities. The public offering price of the units was negotiated between us and the representative of the underwriters. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the units include:

      the history of other similarly structured blank check companies;

      prior offerings of those companies;

      our prospects for consummating our initial business combination with an operating business at attractive values;

      our capital structure;

      securities exchange listing requirements;

      market demand;

      expected liquidity of our securities; 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 the underwriters are unable to compare our financial results and prospects with those of public companies operating in the same industry.

Over-allotment Option

We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to 2,625,000 additional units. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with this offering. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.

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Commissions and Discounts

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount to be paid by us to the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us. This information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the representative of the underwriters of its over-allotment option.

 

 

Per Unit

 

Without
Over-allotment

 

With
Over-allotment

Public offering price

 

$

10.00

 

$

175,000,000

 

$

201,250,000

Discount(1)

 

$

.50

 

$

8,750,000

 

$

10,062,500

Proceeds before expenses(1)

 

$

9.50

 

$

166,250,000

 

$

191,187,500

____________

(1) Such amount includes $4,375,000, or $0.25 per unit, (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions upon completion of a business combination.
(2) The offering expenses are estimated at $937,500.

In addition to the underwriting discount, we have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel and certain diligence and other fees, including reimbursement for background checks on our directors, director nominees and executive officers, which such fees and expenses are capped at an aggregate of $150,000.

No discounts or commissions will be paid on the sale of the private units.

Purchase Option

We have agreed to sell to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (and/or its designees), for $100, an option to purchase up to a total of 1,750,000 units exercisable at $12.00 per unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $21,000,000) commencing on the later of the consummation of a business combination and six months from the date of this prospectus. The purchase option may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and expires five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The option and the 1,750,000 units, as well as the 1,750,000 shares of common stock 1,750,000 warrants that may be issued upon exercise of the option, have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Additionally, the option may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a one-year period (including the foregoing 180-day period) following the date of this prospectus except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners. The option grants to holders demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part with respect to the registration under the Securities Act of the securities directly and indirectly issuable upon exercise of the option. We will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the securities, other than underwriting commissions which will be paid for by the holders themselves. The exercise price and number of units issuable upon exercise of the option may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the option will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price.

 

Warrant Solicitation Fee

 

We have agreed to pay Chardan Capital Markets, LLC a warrant solicitation fee of five percent (5%) of the exercise price of each public warrant exercised during the period commencing twelve months after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, including warrants acquired by securityholders in the open market, but excluding warrants exercised during the 30 day period following notice of a proposed redemption. The warrant solicitation fee will be payable in cash. There is no limitation on the maximum warrant solicitation fee payable to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, except to the extent it is limited by the number of public warrants outstanding.

Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of Securities

Rules of the SEC may limit the ability of the underwriters to bid for or purchase our units before the distribution of the units is completed. However, the underwriters may engage in the following activities in accordance with the rules:

      Stabilizing Transactions. The underwriters may make bids or purchases solely for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the price of our units, as long as stabilizing bids do not exceed the offering price of $10.00 and the underwriters comply with all other applicable rules.

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      Over-Allotments and Syndicate Coverage Transactions. The underwriters may create a short position in our units by selling more of our units than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus up to the amount of the over-allotment option. This is known as a covered short position. The underwriters may also create a short position in our units by selling more of our units than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and the units allowed by the over-allotment option. This is known as a naked short position. If the underwriters create a short position during the offering, the representative may engage in syndicate covering transactions by purchasing our units in the open market. The representative may also elect to reduce any short position by exercising all or part of the over-allotment option. Determining what method to use in reducing the short position depends on how the units trade in the aftermarket following the offering. If the unit price drops following the offering, the short position is usually covered with shares purchased by the underwriters in the aftermarket. However, the underwriters may cover a short position by exercising the over-allotment option even if the unit price drops following the offering. If the unit price rises after the offering, then the over-allotment option is used to cover the short position. If the short position is more than the over-allotment option, the naked short must be covered by purchases in the aftermarket, which could be at prices above the offering price.

      Penalty Bids. The representative may reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

Stabilization and syndicate covering transactions may cause the price of our securities to be higher than they would be in the absence of these transactions. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the prices of our securities if it discourages resales of our securities.

Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our securities. These transactions may occur on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or on any trading market. If any of these transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.

Other Terms

Except as set forth above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may, among other things, introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital, as needs may arise in the future. If any underwriter provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date which is 90 days after the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.

Indemnification

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against some liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in this respect.

Resale Restrictions

We intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario, Canada (the “Canadian Offering Jurisdiction”) by way of a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Canadian resale restrictions in some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a “reporting issuer”, as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and there currently is no public market for any of the securities in Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory in Canada.

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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.

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

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LEGAL MATTERS

Loeb & Loeb LLP, New York, New York, is acting as 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 prospectus. In connection with this offering, McDermott Will & Emery is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Trident Acquisitions Corp. as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the period from March 17, 2016 (inception) through December 31, 2016 appearing 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 Trident Acquisitions 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 upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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 units 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 shares, 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. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.

You may also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.

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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

  Page
Financial Statements of Trident Acquisitions Corp.  
   
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Balance Sheets F-3
Statements of Operations F-4
Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity F-5
Statements of Cash Flows F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7

  

  F-1 

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

Trident Acquisitions Corp.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Trident Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the period from March 17, 2016 (inception) through December 31, 2016, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the period from March 17, 2016 (inception) through December 31, 2016, 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 discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, its business plan is dependent on the completion of a financing and the Company’s cash and working capital as of December 31, 2017 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for the upcoming year. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 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 audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

Marcum llp

 

/s/ Marcum LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.

 

New York, NY

March 14, 2018

  

 F-2 

 

 

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

BALANCE SHEETS

 

    December 31,
2017
    December 31,
2016
 
             
ASSETS                
Current assets – Cash   $ 143,403     $ 55,955  
Deferred offering costs     403,039       390,874  
Security deposit     1,200       1,200  
Total Assets   $ 547,642     $ 448,029  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Current Liability – Promissory notes - related parties     525,000       425,000  
Total Current Liabilities     525,000       425,000  
                 
Stockholders’ Equity                
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; 3,737,500 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 (1)     3,737       3,737  
Additional paid in capital     21,263       21,263  
Accumulated deficit     (2,358 )     (1,971 )
Total Stockholders’ Equity     22,642       23,029  
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   $ 547,642     $ 448,029  

 

(1) Includes an aggregate of 487,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 7).

 

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

  

 F-3 

 

 

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

    Year
Ended
December 31,
2017
    For the Period
from March 17,
2016 (inception)
through
December 31,
2016
 
             
Operating and formation costs   $ 387     $ 1,971  
Net loss   $ (387 )   $ (1,971 )
                 
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1)     3,250,000       3,250,000  
                 
Basic and diluted net loss per common share   $ (0.00 )   $ (0.00 )

 

(1) Includes an aggregate of 487,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 7).

 

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

  

 F-4 

 

 

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017 AND FOR THE PERIOD FROM MARCH 17, 2016 (INCEPTION)
THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2016

 

    Common Stock     Additional 
Paid in
    Accumulated     Total
Stockholders'
 
    Shares     Amount     Capital     Deficit     Equity  
                               
Balance – March 17, 2016 (inception)         $     $     $     $  
                                         
Common stock issued to initial stockholders(1)     3,737,500       3,737       21,263             25,000  
                                         
Net loss                       (1,971 )     (1,971 )
                                         
Balance – December 31, 2016     3,737,500       3,737       21,263       (1,971 )     23,029  
                                         
Net loss                         (387 )     (387 )
                                         
Balance – December 31, 2017     3,737,500     $ 3,737     $ 21,263     $ (2,358 )   $ 22,642  

 

(1) Includes an aggregate of 487,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 7).

 

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

 

 F-5 

 

 

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    Year Ended
December 31,
2017
    For the Period
from March 17,
2016
(inception)
through
December 31,
2016
 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:                
Net loss   $ (387 )   $ (1,971 )
Net cash used in operating activities     (387 )     (1,971 )
                 
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:                
Proceeds from issuance of common stock to initial stockholders           25,000  
Proceeds from promissory note – related party     100,000       425,000  
Advances from related party           5,388  
Repayment of advances from related party           (5,388 )
Payment of offering costs     (12,165 )     (390,874 )
Security deposit           (1,200 )
Net cash provided by financing activities     87,835       57,926  
                 
Net Change in Cash     87,448     55,955  
Cash - Beginning     55,955        
Cash - Ending   $ 143,403     $ 55,955  

 

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

 

 F-6 

 

 

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

 

Trident Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on March 17, 2016. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses that the Company has not yet identified (“Business Combination”).

 

At December 31, 2017, the Company had not yet commenced operations. All activity through December 31, 2017 relates to the Company’s formation and the Proposed Offering, which is described below. 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 initial public offering of 17,500,000 units at $10.00 per unit (or 20,125,000 units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) (“Units”), which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Offering”) and the sale of 1,150,000 Units (“Private Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Unit in a private placement to certain of the Company’s affiliates and stockholders (the “Insiders”), that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Offering. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of its Proposed Offering and Private Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) rules provide that the Company’s initial Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and franchise and income taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the signing a definitive agreement in connection with a Business Combination. If the Company’s securities are not listed on NASDAQ after the Proposed Offering, the Company would not be required to satisfy the 80% requirement. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Offering, management has agreed that at least $10.20 per Unit sold in the Proposed Offering, including the proceeds of the Private Units, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and may be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraphs (c)(2), (c)(3) and (c) (4) of Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.

 

The Company will provide its stockholders with the opportunity to convert all or a portion of their shares included in the Units sold in the Proposed Offering (the “Public Shares”) upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The stockholders will be entitled to convert their shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.20 per share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and incomes tax obligations).The per-share amount to be distributed to stockholders who convert their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriter (as discussed in Note 6). There will be no conversion rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The common stock subject to conversion will be recorded at a conversion value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if a stockholder approval is sought, a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Certificate of Incorporation, conduct the conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, the Company will offer to convert shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to convert their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), will be restricted from converting its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in the Proposed Offering (“Excess Shares”).

 

 F-7 

 

  

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The Company’s Insiders, officers, directors and any holder of the Company’s insider shares (as defined in Note 5) (the “initial stockholders”) have agreed (a) to vote their insider shares and Public Shares in favor of a Business Combination, (b) not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares in conjunction with any such amendment; (c) not to convert any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a Business Combination and (d) that the insider shares will not participate in any liquidating distributions upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated.

 

If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering (or 21 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering if the Company has an executed letter of intent or definitive agreement for a Business Combination within 18 months from the Proposed Offering but has not consummated a Business Combination within 18 month period) (the “Combination Period”), the Company 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 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 interest earned (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the Company, subject in each case to its obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law.

 

The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their insider shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination during the Combination Period. However, if the initial stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to the 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 funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Company’s Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the $10.20 per share initially held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the initial stockholders have agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor 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. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter of the Proposed 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 initial stockholders 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 initial stockholders will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

At December 31, 2017, the Company had $143,403 in cash and working capital deficit of $381,597. 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 a Proposed 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 within the Combination Period. As of December 31, 2017, VK Consulting, Inc. (“VK Consulting”), an entity controlled by the Company’s President, and one of the Company’s directors has loaned the Company an aggregate of $525,000 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Offering. The promissory notes are non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on the closing date of the Proposed Offering or on the date the Company determines not to complete the Proposed Offering. 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.

 

 F-8 

 

  

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Emerging growth company

 

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

 

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

 

Use of estimates

 

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

 

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2017 and 2016.

 

Deferred offering costs

 

Deferred offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to stockholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. Should the Proposed Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.

 

Income taxes

 

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

ASC Topic 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. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.

 

The Company may be subject to potential examination by federal or state taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal and state tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

 F-9 

 

  

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be immaterial for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the period from May 21, 2016 (inception) through December 31, 2016.

 

On December 22, 2017 the U.S.  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Reform”) was signed into law. As a result of Tax Reform, the U.S. statutory tax rate was lowered from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among other changes. ASC Topic 740 requires companies to recognize the effect of tax law changes in the period of enactment; therefore, the Company was required to revalue its deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2017 at the new rate. The SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”) to address the application of GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain tax effects of Tax Reform. The ultimate impact may differ from this provisional amount, possibly materially, as a result of additional analysis, changes in interpretations and assumptions the Company has made, additional regulatory guidance that may be issued, and actions the Company may take as a result of Tax Reform.

 

Net loss per share

 

Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 487,500 shares of common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 7). At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the periods presented.

 

Concentration of credit risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

 

Fair value of financial instruments

 

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

 

Recently issued accounting standards

 

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

 

NOTE 3. PROPOSED OFFERING

 

Pursuant to the Proposed Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 17,500,000 Units (or 20,125,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of common stock and one warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share (see Note 7).

 

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

The Insiders will purchase an aggregate of 1,150,000 Private Units, at $10.00 per unit ($11,500,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Offering. Each Private Unit will consist of one share of common stock and one warrant (“Private Warrant”). Each Private Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50. The proceeds from the Private Units will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Warrants will expire worthless.

 

Additionally, the holders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units or underlying securities (except to certain permitted transferees and provided the transferees agree to the same terms and restrictions as the permitted transferees of the insider shares must agree to) until after the completion of a Business Combination.

 

 F-10 

 

  

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Insider Shares

 

In March 2016, the Company issued 3,737,500 shares of common stock to the initial stockholders (the “insider shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 (see Note 8). The insider shares include an aggregate of up to 487,500 shares subject to forfeiture by the initial stockholders to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering.

 

The initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the insider shares (except to certain permitted transferees) with respect to 50% of the insider shares, until the earlier of (i) six months after the date of the consummation of a Business Combination and on the date on which the closing price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period following the consummation of a Business Combination and, with respect to the remaining 50% of the insider shares, six months after the date of the consummation of a Business Combination, or if, (ii) subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property (the “Lock-Up Period”).

 

Related Party Advances

 

In April 2016, the Company was advanced an aggregate of $5,388. The advances were non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on demand. As of December 31, 2016, the Company repaid the advances and no amounts are currently due.

 

Promissory Notes — Related Parties

 

In March 2016, VK Consulting loaned the Company $425,000 to be used for the payment of costs related to the Proposed Offering. In October 2017, Edward S. Verona, one of the Company’s directors, loaned the Company $100,000 to be used for the payment of costs related to the Proposed Offering. The loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on the closing date of the Proposed Offering or on the date on which the Company determines not to complete the Proposed Offering. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, $525,000 and $425,000 was outstanding under the loans. On February 15, 2018, the terms of the promissory note with VK Consulting were amended such that the loan is now payable upon the consummation of a Business Combination (see Note 8).

 

Administrative Service Fee

 

The Company has agreed, commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Offering through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay VK Consulting a monthly fee of $7,500 for office space and secretarial and administrative services.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, certain of the Company’s initial stockholders, officers and directors 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 held in 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 the 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. Up to $200,000 of Working Capital Loans may be convertible into Private Units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such Units would be identical to the Private Units.

 

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of the insider shares, as well as the holders of the Private Units (and any shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Units) and any shares the initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of the Working Capital Loans, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Offering. The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to two demands that the Company register such securities. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Private Units or units issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing on the date that the Company consummates a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

 F-11 

 

  

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,625,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the Proposed Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of two and one-half percent (2.5%) of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Offering, or $4,375,000 (or up to $5,031,250 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). In addition, the underwriter is entitled to a deferred fee of two and one-half percent (2.5%) of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Offering, or $4,375,000 (or up to $5,031,250 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full). The deferred fee will be paid in cash upon the closing of a Business Combination from the amounts held in the Trust Account, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

Warrant Solicitation Fee

 

The Company has agreed to pay the underwriter a warrant solicitation fee of five percent (5%) of the exercise price of each Public Warrant exercised during the period commencing twelve months after the effective date of the Proposed Offering, including warrants acquired by security holders in the open market, but excluding warrants exercised during the 30 day period following notice of a proposed redemption. The warrant solicitation fee will be payable in cash. There is no limitation on the maximum warrant solicitation fee payable to the underwriter, except to the extent it is limited by the number of Public Warrants outstanding.

 

Unit Purchase Option

 

The Company has agreed to sell the underwriter (and/or its designees), for $100, an option to purchase up to a total of 1,750,000 Units exercisable at $12.00 per Unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $21,000,000) commencing on the later of six months from the effective date of the registration statement related to the Proposed Offering and the consummation of a Business Combination. The option represents the right to purchase 1,750,000 shares of common stock and 1,750,000 warrants to purchase 1,750,000 shares of common stock. The unit purchase option may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and expires five years from the effective date of the registration statement related to the Proposed Offering. The Units issuable upon exercise of this option are identical to those offered in the Proposed Offering. The Company intends to account for the unit purchase option, inclusive of the receipt of $100 cash payment, as an expense of the Proposed Offering resulting in a charge directly to stockholder’s equity. The Company estimates that the fair value of this unit purchase option is approximately $4,889,952 (or $2.79 per Unit) using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of the unit purchase option to be granted to the underwriter is estimated as of the date of grant using the following assumptions: (1) expected volatility of 35%, (2) risk-free interest rate of 2.20% and (3) expected life of five years. The option and the 1,750,000 Units, as well as the 1,750,000 shares of common stock and 1,750,000 warrants, and 1,750,000 shares of common stock underlying such warrants, that may be issued upon exercise of the option, have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Additionally, the option may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for 180 days following the effective date of Proposed Offering except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the Proposed Offering and their bona fide officers or partners, nor may the option, nor the securities underlying the option, be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition for such period. The option grants to holders demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement with respect to the registration under the Securities Act of the securities directly and indirectly issuable upon exercise of the option. The Company will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the securities, other than underwriting commissions which will be paid for by the holders themselves. The exercise price and number of units issuable upon exercise of the option may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, or the Company’s recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the option will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price.

 

NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

 

Preferred Stock — As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company has no authorized, issued or outstanding shares of preferred stock. The Company plans on filing an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to the closing date of the Proposed Offering such that the Company will be authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s Board of Directors.

 

Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share. The Company plans on filing an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to the closing date of the Proposed Offering such that the Company will be authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of common stock. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were 3,737,500 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, of which 487,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full so that the Company’s initial stockholders will own 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering excluding shares in the private units (assuming the initial stockholders do not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Offering) (see Note8).

 

 F-12 

 

  

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Warrants — The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or the Company permits holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act). The Company will agree that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 days, after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Public Warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective within 90 days from the consummation of a Business Combination, the holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise the Public Warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

The Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

· in whole and not in part;

 

· at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

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

 

· if, and only if, the last sale price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $16.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on a the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and

 

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

 

The Private Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering, except that the Private Warrants and the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or such purchasers’ permitted transferees. If the Private Warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or any of their permitted transferees, the Private Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

 

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement.

 

The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants stock. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.

 

NOTE 8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The Company evaluates subsequent events and transactions that occur after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements are issued. Other than as described below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

In February 2018, the Company sold an additional 1,293,750 insider shares for an aggregate purchase price of $8,654, resulting in a total of 5,031,250 insider shares issued and outstanding. The 5,031,250 insider shares include an aggregate of 656,250 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering.

 

In February 2018, two of the Company’s stockholders loaned the Company an aggregate of $300,000 to be used for the payment of costs related to the Proposed Offering. The loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and due on the closing date of the Proposed Offering or on the date on which the Company determines not to complete the Proposed Offering.

 

On February 15, 2018, the terms of the promissory note with VK Consulting were amended such that the loan is now payable upon the consummation of a Business Combination.

 

 F-13 

 

 

Until __________, 2018 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our 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.

No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.

$175,000,000

Trident Acquisitions Corp.

17,500,000 Units

_____________

PROSPECTUS

_____________

Sole Book-Running Manager

Chardan

, 2018

 

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:

Trustees fee   $ 5,000  
SEC Registration fees     58,990  
FINRA filing fee     71,572  
Accounting fees and expenses     70,000  
Nasdaq listing fees     80,000  
Printing and engraving expenses     35,000  
Legal fees and expenses     500,000  
Miscellaneous(1)     116,938  
Total   $ 937,500.00

____________

(1)   This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by the Company in connection with the offering and over and above those specifically listed above, including liability insurance, distribution and mailing costs.

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that all directors, officers, employees and agents of the registrant shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

“Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

(a)   A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

(b)   A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which

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such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

(c)   To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

(d)   Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

(e)   Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

(f)    The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.

(g)   A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

(h)   For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

(i)    For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

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(j)    The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

(k)   The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL unless they violated their duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from their actions as directors. The effect of this provision of our certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.

If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.

Our certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.

The right to indemnification conferred by our certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our certificate of incorporation or otherwise.

The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.

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Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our certificate of incorporation.

Our bylaws, which we intend to adopt immediately prior to the closing of this offering, include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those set forth in our certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.

We will enter into indemnity agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.6 to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the Underwriters and the Underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

In March 2016, our initial stockholder purchased an aggregate of 3,737,500 shares of our common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $.007 per share. Such shares were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as they were sold to accredited investors.

In February 2018, we sold an additional 1,293,750 shares of our common stock for $8,653.85, or approximately $.007 per share, to Eastpower OÜ, which is controlled by Ilya Ponomarev, our officer and director. Such shares were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as they were sold to an accredited investor.

 

In addition, Channingwick Limited, BGV Croup Limited. Lake Street Fund L.P., Mount Wilson Global Fund L.P., and FLOCO Ventures LLC, certain of our stockholders committed to purchase an aggregate of 1,150,000 private units from us on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering, for an aggregate purchase price of $11,500,000. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering. These purchases will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a) Exhibits.

The exhibit index attached hereto is incorporated herein by reference.

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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

(iv)  Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(5)   That for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

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(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-6

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in NEW YORK, State of NEW YORK, on the 14th day of March, 2018.

 

 

TRIDENT ACQUISITIONS CORP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Vadim Komissarov

 

 

 

 

Vadim Komissarov

 

 

 

 

President and Chief Financial Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Vadim Komissarov and Ilya Ponomarev his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including post-effective amendments to this registration statement, 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 below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ Ilya Ponomarev   Chief Executive Officer and Director   March 14, 2018
Ilya Ponomarev   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Vadim Komissarov   President, Chief Financial Officer and Director   March 14, 2018
Vadim Komissarov   (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Edward S. Verona   Non-Executive Chairman and Director   March 14, 2018
Edward S. Verona        
         
/s/ Gennadii Butkevych   Director   March 14, 2018
Gennadii Butkevych        
         
/s/ Thomas Gallagher   Director    
Thomas Gallagher       March 14, 2018

II-7

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

 

Description

1.1*

 

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

 

 

 

3.1*

 

Certificate of Incorporation.

 

 

 

3.2*

 

Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

 

 

3.3*

 

Bylaws.

 

 

 

4.1*

 

Specimen Unit Certificate.

 

 

 

4.2*

 

Specimen Common Stock Certificate.

 

 

 

4.3*

 

Specimen Warrant Certificate.

 

 

 

4.4*

 

Form of Warrant Agreement by and between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.

 

 

 

4.5*

 

Form of Unit Purchase Option between the Registrant and Chardan Capital Markets, LLC.

 

 

 

5.1*

 

Form of Opinion of Loeb & Loeb LLP

 

 

 

10.1*

 

Form of Promissory Note, dated as of March 31, 2016, issued to Insiders.

 

 

 

10.2*

 

Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant and the Registrant’s Officers and Directors

 

 

 

10.3*

 

Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement by and between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant

 

 

 

10.4*

 

Form of Stock Escrow Agreement among the Registrant, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, and the Initial Stockholders

 

 

 

10.5*

 

Form of Registration Rights Agreement by and between the Registrant and Initial Stockholders

 

 

 

10.6*

 

Form of Indemnity Agreement

 

 

 

10.7*

 

Administrative Services Agreement by and between the Registrant and VK Consulting, Inc..

 

 

 

10.8*

 

Form of Subscription Agreement

 

 

 

10.9*   Promissory Note dated as of October 16 2017 in favor of Edward S. Verona
     
10.10*   Promissory Note dated as of February 15 2018 in favor of Atidan Ventures LLC
     
10.11*   Promissory Note dated as of February 23 2018 in favor of FLOCO Ventures, LLC
     

14*

 

Form of Code of Ethics

 

 

 

23.1

 

Consent of Marcum LLP

 

 

 

23.2*

 

Consent of Loeb & Loeb LLP (included on Exhibit 5.1).

 

 

 

24

 

Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereto).

 

 

 

99.1*

 

Form of Audit Committee Charter

 

 

 

99.2*

 

Form of Compensation Committee Charter

____________

*      To be filed by amendment.  

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Exhibit 23.1

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent

 

We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Trident Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) on Form S-1 of our report dated March 14, 2018, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audits of the financial statements of Trident Acquisitions Corp. as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and for the year ended December 31, 2017 and for the period from March 17, 2016 (inception) through December 31, 2016, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.

 

/s/ Marcum llp  
   
Marcum llp  
New York, NY  
March 14, 2018