Gores Holdings X (NASDAQ: GTEN) 10-K outlines $358.8M SPAC IPO and merger deadline
Gores Holdings X, Inc., a Cayman Islands-based blank check company, files its annual report outlining its structure and capital from its May 5, 2025 IPO. The company sold 35,880,000 units at $10.00 each, raising gross proceeds of $358,800,000, and placed that amount, along with a portion of private placement proceeds, into a trust account.
As of June 30, 2025, the aggregate market value of Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates was $367.77 million
The report details its SPAC strategy, sponsor economics, potential conflicts of interest, redemption mechanics, and restrictions designed to protect the trust. It confirms emerging growth company and smaller reporting company status and notes $619,576 remained outside the trust as of December 31, 2025.
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO |
Commission File Number:
GORES HOLDINGS X, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its Charter)
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, at June 30, 2025, computed by reference to the closing price for the Class A Ordinary Shares on such date, as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, was $
As of March 27, 2026, there were
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GORES HOLDINGS X, INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PART I |
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Item 1. |
Business |
2 |
Item 1A. |
Risk Factors |
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Item 1B. |
Unresolved Staff Comments |
62 |
Item 1C. |
Cybersecurity |
62 |
Item 2. |
Properties |
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Item 3. |
Legal Proceedings |
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Item 4. |
Mine Safety Disclosures |
62 |
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PART II |
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Item 5. |
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities |
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Item 6. |
[RESERVED] |
64 |
Item 7. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
65 |
Item 7A. |
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
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Item 8. |
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data |
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Item 9. |
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures |
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Item 9A. |
Controls and Procedures |
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Item 9B. |
Other Information |
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Item 9C |
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections |
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PART III |
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Item 10. |
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance |
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Item 11. |
Executive Compensation |
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Item 12. |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
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Item 13. |
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
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Item 14. |
Principal Accounting Fees and Services |
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PART IV |
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Item 15. |
Exhibits, and Financial Statement Schedules |
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Item 16. |
Form 10-K Summary |
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i
CERTAIN TERMS
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Gores Holdings X, Inc., a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on June 26, 2023. References to our “Sponsor” refer to Gores Sponsor X LLC, an affiliate of Mr. Alec E. Gores, our Chairman. References to “Gores” or “The Gores Group” refer to The Gores Group LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor. References to our “Public Offering” refer to the initial public offering of Gores Holdings X, Inc., which closed on May 5, 2025 (the “IPO Closing Date”).
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. When we discuss our strategies or plans, we are making projections, forecasts or forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Actual results and stockholders’ value will be affected by a variety of risks and factors, including, without limitation, international, national and local economic conditions, merger, acquisition and business combination risks, financing risks, geo-political risks, acts of terror or war, and those risk factors described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” Many of the risks and factors that will determine these results and stockholder value are beyond our ability to control or predict.
All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.
PART I
Item 1. Business
Introduction
Gores Holdings X, Inc. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on June 26, 2023. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (“Business Combination”). We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting solely of cash and/or cash equivalents.
On June 30, 2023, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of the Company’s offering costs in consideration of 11,500,000 founder shares. On February 3, 2025, the Sponsor surrendered for no consideration 4,025,000 founder shares. On May 1, 2025, the Company effected a stock dividend with respect to its Class B Ordinary Shares of 1,495,000 shares thereof, resulting in an aggregate of 8,970,000 outstanding shares of Class B Ordinary Shares. Up to 1,170,000 of the founder shares were subject to surrender for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised. Pursuant to the Public Offering, the Underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option; therefore, the 1,170,000 shares are no longer subject to forfeiture. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding following the surrender on February 3, 2025 and dividend on May 1, 2025 was determined based on the total size of the Public Offering of 35,880,000 shares (considering the exercise of the full underwriter’s over-allotment option), and therefore that such founder shares represent 20.00% of the outstanding shares (excluding the private placement shares).
On May 5, 2025, the Company consummated its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 35,880,000 units (the “Units”) including 4,680,000 Units issued pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”), and one-fourth of one warrant of the Company (each, a “Warrant”), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $358,800,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company completed the private sale (the “Private Placement”) of an aggregate of 225,000 Class A Ordinary Shares (the “private placement shares”) to Gores Sponsor X LLC, the Company’s sponsor, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share, generating gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $2,250,000.
A total of $358,800,000, comprised of $358,550,000 of the proceeds from the IPO, including approximately $10,764,000 of the underwriter’s deferred discount, and $250,000 of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement shares, were placed in a trust account maintained by Computershare Trust Company, N.A., acting as trustee. Except with respect to up to $600,000 per year withdrawn or eligible to be withdrawn to fund our regulatory compliance requirements and other costs related thereto, working capital requirements, in each case subject to the limitations described herein, and/or to pay our taxes (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us), the proceeds from the Public Offering will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO) from the closing of the IPO, or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve of the IPO or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO) from the closing of the IPO, or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve of the IPO, subject to applicable law.
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On June 18, 2025, we announced that the holders of the Company’s Units may elect to separately trade the Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants included in the Units commencing on June 23, 2025. Holders of Units will need to have their brokers contact Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the Company’s transfer agent, in order to separate the units into Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. Those Units not separated will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “GTENU,” and each of the Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants that are separated will trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “GTEN” and “GTENW,” respectively.
Business Strategy
Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, to build a company in an industry or sector that complements the experience of our management team and can benefit from our operational expertise. Our acquisition selection process will leverage our team’s network of potential transaction sources, ranging from owners and directors of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, lenders, attorneys, accountants and other trusted advisors across various sectors.
In addition, we intend to utilize the networks and industry experience of Mr. Gores and The Gores Group in seeking an initial business combination. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships that we believe will serve as a useful source of acquisition opportunities. This network has been developed through our management team’s combined history of over 80 years of business experience, including in private equity and investment banking. We expect this network will provide our management team with a robust and consistent flow of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Since completion of the IPO, members of our management team have communicated with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for any business combination target and have pursued and reviewed, and will continue to pursue and review, potentially interesting leads.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire companies that we believe:
• have a defensible core business, sustainable revenues and established customer relationships;
• are undergoing change in capital structure, strategy, operations or growth;
• can benefit from our operational and strategic approach;
• offer a unique value proposition with transformational potential that can be substantiated during our detailed due diligence process; and
• have reached a transition point in their lifecycle presenting an opportunity for transformation.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
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 assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions 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 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 entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with
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a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders 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 or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
We have filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our business combination.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement shares following the IPO and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Due to his economic interest in our sponsor of approximately 100%, Mr. Gores may be considered to have a material interest in our sponsor. The low price that our sponsor, executive officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), the founder shares and private placement shares held by our sponsor may lose most of their value, except to the extent that the founder shares or the private placement shares receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Similarly, additional conflicts of interests may arise and incentives may be created to select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders instead of not consummating a business combination if (i) after the redemption of public shareholders no assets are available outside of the trust account to repay any loans extended to us by our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or our officers and directors and to reimburse our
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sponsor and others for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination or (ii) not consummating a business combination within the allotted time may require service providers to forfeit their fees. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We have not entered into any specific agreement for a business combination. Our officers and directors continue to consider and evaluate potential target businesses. All of the members of our management team are employed by certain affiliates of The Gores Group. The Gores Group is continuously made aware of potential business combination opportunities and we may pursue any business combination target that has already been considered by The Gores Group, any other special purpose acquisition company currently or previously sponsored by Gores, in a different context. We will not consider a business combination with any company that has already been identified to The Gores Group as an acquisition candidate for it.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Specifically, all of our officers and certain of our directors have fiduciary and contractual duties to The Gores Group and certain companies it has invested in or managed. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to search for an initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity (including with respect to any business transaction that may involve another Gores entity) for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Accordingly, none of The Gores Group or our directors or officers will have obligations to present a business combination opportunity to us.
However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our 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 shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to the above, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including selecting any business combination target and monitoring the related due diligence.
Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Further, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO) after the closing of the IPO, or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement shares held in
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the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and our sponsor’s investment the private placement shares will be worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial shareholders until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares following the IPO, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, after the closing of the IPO. Similarly, additional conflicts of interests may arise and incentives may be created to select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders instead of not consummating a business combination if (i) after the redemption of public shareholders no assets are available outside of the trust account to repay any loans extended to us by our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or our officers and directors and to reimburse our sponsor and others for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination or (ii) not consummating a business combination within the allotted time may require service providers to forfeit their fees.
In addition, our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The private placement shares issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement shares sold in a private placement concurrently with the IPO. In addition, the low price of $25,000, or $0.003 per share, that the initial shareholders paid for 8,970,000 founder shares creates an incentive whereby the initial shareholders could potentially make a substantial profit even if the company selects an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors. On May 1, 2025, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors at their original purchase price.
If any of our directors or officers becomes aware of any business combination target 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 target to such entity prior to presenting such business combination target to us.
Corporate Information
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, (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, (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive
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as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares 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 securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates does not equal or exceed $250.0 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates did not equal or exceed $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Financial Position
With $358,800,000 in gross proceeds from the Public Offering available for a Business Combination, assuming no redemptions, and after payment of up to $10,764,000 of deferred underwriting fees and up to $10,764,000 of advisory fees, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following the IPO. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the Public Offering and the sale of the private placement shares, our share capital, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination or used for redemptions of purchases of our Class A Ordinary Shares, 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 the post- transaction company, 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.
We have not entered into any specific business combination. Our officers and directors continue to consider potential target businesses. All of the members of our management team are employed by certain affiliates of The Gores Group. The Gores Group is continuously made aware of potential business combination opportunities and we may pursue any business combination target that has already been considered by The Gores Group or any current or former Gores’ special purpose acquisition company in a different context. We will not consider a business combination with any company that has already been identified to The Gores Group as an acquisition candidate for it.
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We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. 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. 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. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue.
Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In addition, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
If any of our directors or officers becomes aware of any business combination target 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 target to such entity prior to presenting such business combination target to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of any business combination target which is suitable for one of these entities to which he or she has a fiduciary or contractual obligation, he or she will honor such obligation to present such opportunity to such entity rather than to us. Our directors and officers will only have an obligation to present an opportunity to us if such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and only to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer the
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opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of 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 our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions 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 market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. 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 entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for our shareholders to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our business combination.
To the extent we effect our business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior written consent of our sponsor.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
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Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure stockholders that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure stockholders that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure stockholders that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• we issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of ordinary shares then outstanding;
• any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 5% or more; or
• the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination where otherwise permissible under applicable laws, rules and regulations. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. They will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases
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made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
The purpose of such purchases could be to (i) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder 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 ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders after the announcement of our initial business combination, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase public shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
• if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process;
• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
• our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and
• we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items:
• the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, along with the purchase price;
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• the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates;
• the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
• the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; and
• the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer.
Redemption Rights For Public Stockholders Upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A Ordinary Shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A Ordinary Shares, subject to applicable law and the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. The redemption rights will also include the requirement that a beneficial holder must check a box on the proxy card indicating whether he or she is acting in concert or as a group (as defined in Section 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) with any other shareholder with respect to any public shares. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against, or vote at all in connection with, the proposed transaction. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A Ordinary Shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct 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 require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
• file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
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Upon the public announcement of our business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem 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.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• conduct the redemptions 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 shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of a majority of the shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 13,342,501 or approximately 37.19% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) or 2,073,751 or approximately 5.78% (assuming only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted), of the 35,880,000 public shares sold in the IPO (considering the exercise of the full underwriter’s over-allotment option) to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such shareholder meeting. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Public Offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Public Offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in the Public Offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition
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that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, 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 tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares. There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced 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 $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ 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 redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership.
As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion 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 redemption 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 redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the shareholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the shareholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO.
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Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we will have only 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO) from the closing of the IPO, or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve of the IPO to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our business combination within such 24-month (or 27-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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the 24-month (or 27-month) time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after the IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month (or 27-month) time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A Ordinary Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned thereon and not previously released for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $850,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account upon consummation of our IPO, of which $619,576 were remaining as of December 31, 2025, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay franchise and income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all third parties, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit
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of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver.
In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) 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 (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all third parties, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
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If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO, or if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to the IPO that apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Our initial shareholders, who collectively beneficially own 20.40% of our ordinary shares, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
• If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned thereon and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;
• Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination;
• Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
• If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our
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initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;
• 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 our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions 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 our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A Ordinary Shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of amounts withdrawn to fund our permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public Class A Ordinary Shares, subject to applicable law; and
• We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Conflicts of Interest
The Gores Group manages several investment vehicles. Funds managed by Gores or its affiliates may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these funds decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated within Gores, including by Mr. Gores, may be suitable for both us and for a current or future Gores fund and may be directed to such investment vehicle rather than to us. Neither Gores nor members of our management team who are also employed by certain affiliates of The Gores Group have any obligation to present us with any business combination target of which they become aware, unless presented to such member solely in his or her capacity as an officer of the company. Gores and/or our management, in their capacities as officers or managing directors of Gores or in their other endeavors, may be required to present such business combination target to the related entities described above, current or future Gores investment vehicles, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Specifically, all of our officers and certain of our directors have fiduciary and contractual duties to The Gores Group and certain companies it has invested in or managed. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to search for our initial business
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combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity (including with respect to any business transaction that may involve another Gores entity) for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Accordingly, none of The Gores Group or our directors or officers will have obligations to present a business combination opportunity to us.
However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our 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 shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
• None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities.
• In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
•Our initial shareholders purchased founder shares and our sponsor purchased private placement shares in a transaction that closed simultaneously with the closing of the IPO. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, after the closing of the IPO. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement shares held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and our sponsor’s investment the private placement shares will be worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial shareholders until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares following the IPO, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we
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have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, after the closing of the IPO.
• Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
• Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The private placement shares issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement shares sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering.
• The low price of $25,000, or $0.003 per share, that the initial shareholders paid for 7,800,000 founder shares creates an incentive whereby the initial shareholders could potentially make a substantial profit even if the company selects an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.
On May 1, 2025, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors at their original purchase price.
• Our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us and will not be reimbursed for any loans extended, fees due or out-of-pocket expense if we do not complete an initial business combination.
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
• duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
• duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
• directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
• duty to exercise authority for the purpose for which it is conferred and a duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
• duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
• duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
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. Our
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amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity (including with respect to any business transaction that may involve another Gores entity) for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Employees
We currently have three officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We have registered our units, Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with GAAP. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with GAAP. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
We have filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by 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
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required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares 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 securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Investors should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements and related notes. 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 investors could lose all or part of their investment. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations.
Summary of Risk Factors
The risk factors summarized below could materially harm our business, operating results and/or financial condition, impair our future prospects and/or cause the price of our common stock to decline. These risks are discussed more fully following this summary. Material risks that may affect our business, operating results and financial condition include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
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Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
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We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the initial shareholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after the IPO, in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 13,342,501 or approximately 37.19% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) or 2,073,751 or approximately 5.78% (assuming only the minimum number of shares constituting a quorum are voted), of the 35,880,000 public shares sold in the IPO (considering the exercise of the full underwriter’s over-allotment option) to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved . Our initial shareholders own shares representing 20.40% of our outstanding ordinary shares. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial shareholders agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination and where otherwise permissible under applicable laws, rules and regulations. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. In addition, any such purchases of shares or warrants would reduce the number of shares and public warrants held by non-affiliates and reduce the number of holders eligible to vote such shares or warrants on any matters submitted to the holders of our securities for approval in connection with our initial business combination or may affect our ability to satisfy customary closing conditions in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders after the announcement of our initial business combination, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A Ordinary Shares and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Your only opportunity to affect the decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise
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of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The redemption rights of our public shareholders may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets and may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination agreement that requires we have a certain amount of cash as a closing condition. If holders of a substantial portion of our public shares exercise their redemption rights, we may not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, may not be able to proceed with the business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would not allow us to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we may not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting commissions may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and may substantially dilute your investment in us.
At the time we enter into a business combination agreement, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will be based on the amount of funds remaining in the trust account after redemptions of public shares and will be released to the underwriter only upon the completion of an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions. As a result, our obligations to redeem public shares for which redemption is requested and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In addition, raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B Ordinary Shares result in the issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares at the time of our business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure and may result in substantial dilution from your purchase of our Class A Ordinary Shares. The effect of this dilution will be greater for shareholders who do not redeem. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will be based on the amount of funds remaining in the trust account after redemptions of public shares and will be released to the underwriter only upon the completion of an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions. We may not be able to
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generate sufficient value from the completion of our initial business combination in order to overcome the dilutive impact of these and other factors, and, accordingly, you may incur a net loss on your investment.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. As a result, we may be able to complete our business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A Ordinary Shares that are validly submitted for redemption, plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination, exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A Ordinary Shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we may instead search for an alternate business combination.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination agreement, knowing that if we do not complete our
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initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation. The length of time it may take us to complete our diligence and negotiate a business combination may reduce the amount of time available for us to ultimately complete an initial business combination should such diligence or negotiations not lead to a consummated initial business combination.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and other events and uncertainties, including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, a significant outbreak of infectious diseases and other risks described herein. For example, geopolitical instability arising from the conflicts in South America and between Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan and in the Middle East could negatively impact businesses we seek to acquire or could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. Additionally, uncertainties surrounding the financial markets and the viability of banks and other financial institutions may result in market volatility, which may impact our financial condition and our ability to complete an initial business combination. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
We may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would redeem our public shares, and the warrants may be worthless.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of the IPO (or 27 months from the closing of the IPO if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO) or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 24-month (or 27-month), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, although we are under no obligation to do so. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of Class A Ordinary Shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including
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interest earned thereon less amounts released to us for permitted withdrawals (and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares, subject to applicable law. However, if holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares elect to redeem their shares, the public “float” of our ordinary shares 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.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants may be worthless.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A Ordinary Shares which our public shareholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations.
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We may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. To the extent we complete our business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of up to approximately $18,300 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us, including any regulatory actions successfully made against the trust account. Although we will seek to have all third parties, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties
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may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) 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 (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and will also not be able to vote on our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares (including holders of the private placement shares) and holders of our Class B Ordinary Shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority
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of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the completion of an initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting.
If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of the IPO, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.
If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares, only approximately $850,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, of which $619,576 was remaining as of December 31, 2025. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares.
Subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial
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condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements and numerous complex tax laws. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our business combination, and results of operations.
On January 24, 2024, the SEC issued final rules (the “2024 SPAC Rules”), effective as of July 1, 2024, that, among other items, impose additional disclosure requirements in initial public offerings by special purpose acquisition companies and business combination transactions involving special purpose acquisition companies and private operating companies; amend the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving such companies; update and expand guidance regarding the general use of projections in SEC filings, as well as when projections are disclosed in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increase the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and could impact the extent to which special purpose acquisition companies could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The 2024 SPAC Rules may materially adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete, and the costs associated with, our initial business combination, and results of operations.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including, without limitation, restrictions on the nature of our investments, restrictions on the issuance of securities, and restrictions on the enforceability of agreements entered into by us, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including, without limitation: (i) registration as an investment company with the SEC (which may be impractical and would require significant changes in, among other things, our capital structure); (ii) adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and (iii) reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are not currently subject to.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that we do not own “investment securities” having a value exceeding 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.
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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 be held in cash, including in demand deposits at a bank, or invested only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time, based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act, instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee will not be 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 do not believe we are an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. the IPO is not intended for persons seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with the additional regulatory burdens discussed above would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants may expire worthless. Because we intend to invest only in permitted instruments, we believe we will not be an investment company.
Further, under the subjective test of an “investment company” pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, even if the funds deposited in the trust account were invested in the assets discussed above, such assets, other than cash, are “securities” for purposes of the Investment Company Act and, therefore, there is a risk that we could be deemed to be an investment company and subject to the Investment Company Act.
In the adopting release for the 2024 SPAC Rules, the SEC provided guidance that a SPAC’s potential status as an “investment company” depends on a variety of factors, such as a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities and “is a question of facts and circumstances” requiring individualized analysis. If we were deemed to be an unregistered investment company and subject to compliance with and regulation under the Investment Company Act, we would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and expenses for which we have not allotted funds. Unless we are able to modify our activities so that we would not be deemed an investment company, we would either register as an investment company or wind down and abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead liquidate the Company. As a result, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders and would be unable to realize the potential benefits of an initial business combination, including the possible appreciation of the combined company’s securities. In addition, under these circumstances, our warrants would expire worthless.
If our circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how such changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be an unregistered investment company.
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination since such initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirement, including foreign investment regulations and review by government entities such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), or may be ultimately prohibited.
Our initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements by
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governmental entities, or ultimately prohibited. For example, CFIUS has authority to review direct or indirect foreign investments in U.S. companies. Among other things, CFIUS is empowered to require certain foreign investors to make mandatory filings, to charge filing fees related to such filings, and to self-initiate national security reviews of foreign direct and indirect investments in U.S. companies if the parties to that investment choose not to file voluntarily. In the case that CFIUS determines an investment to be a threat to national security, CFIUS has the power to unwind or place restrictions on the investment. Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on — among other factors — the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. For example, investments that result in “control” of a U.S. business by a foreign person always are subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. CFIUS’s expanded jurisdiction under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 and implementing regulations that became effective on February 13, 2020 further includes investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person but afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “critical infrastructure” and/or “sensitive personal data.”
Our initial shareholders, including our sponsor, own 20.40% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Our sponsor is exclusively “controlled” for CFIUS purposes by Mr. Gores, who is a U.S. citizen, and thus we do not believe that our sponsor is a “foreign person” as defined in the CFIUS regulations. We do not believe that we have any substantial ties with a foreign person, and we do not expect that a transaction by us would necessarily require or warrant CFIUS review. However, it is possible that non-U.S. persons could be involved in our initial business combination (e.g., as existing shareholders of a target company or as PIPE investors), which may increase the risk that our initial business combination becomes subject to regulatory review, including review by CFIUS. As such, an initial business combination with a U.S. business or foreign business with U.S. subsidiaries that we may wish to pursue may be subject to CFIUS review. If a particular proposed initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit to CFIUS review on a voluntary basis, or to proceed with the transaction without submitting to CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the transaction. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our proposed initial business combination, impose conditions with respect to such initial business combination or request the President of the United States to order us to divest all or a portion of the U.S. target business of our initial business combination that we acquired without first obtaining CFIUS approval, which may limit the attractiveness of, delay or prevent us from pursuing certain target companies that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have any foreign ownership issues. In addition, certain federally licensed businesses may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership.
The process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only a limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period required under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including as a result of extended regulatory review of a potential initial business combination, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, our shareholders will miss the opportunity to benefit from an investment in a target company and the appreciation in value of such investment. Additionally, our warrants may be worthless.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
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higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
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complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
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exchange listing or delisting requirements; |
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tariffs and trade barriers; |
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
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longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
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tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
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rates of inflation; |
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cultural and language differences; |
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employment regulations; |
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protection of intellectual property; |
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underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
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corruption, social unrest, crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
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deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
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government appropriations of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
The recent Excise Tax on stock buybacks could be imposed on redemptions of our shares if we were to become a “covered corporation” in the future.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”), which, among other things, generally imposes a 1% U.S. federal excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by “covered corporations” (which include publicly traded domestic (i.e., U.S.) corporations and certain domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporations) occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The Excise Tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its stockholders from which the stock is repurchased. The amount of the Excise Tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the Excise Tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the Excise Tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out, and prevent the abuse or avoidance of, the Excise Tax. On April 9, 2024, the Treasury issued proposed Treasury regulations that provide proposed operating rules for the Excise Tax, including rules governing the computation of the Excise Tax, on which taxpayers may rely until the proposed Treasury regulations are finalized, and on June 28, 2024, the Treasury issued final Treasury regulations on the reporting and payment (but not the
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computation) of the Excise Tax. In the proposed Treasury regulations, the Treasury exempts from the Excise Tax any distributions by a covered corporation in the same year it completely liquidates within the meaning of either Section 331 or Section 332(a) (but not both) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which includes distributions that occur in connection with redemptions. Under the proposed Treasury regulations, the Excise Tax may be applicable to redemptions by a covered corporation in connection with (i) a liquidation that is not a “complete liquidation” within the meaning of either Section 331 or Section 332(a) of the Code, (ii) an extension, depending on the timing of the extension relative to when the covered corporation consummates an initial business combination or liquidates and (iii) an initial business combination, depending on the structure of the initial business combination. Although the Treasury regulations clarify certain aspects of the Excise Tax, the interpretation and operation of other aspects of the Excise Tax remain unclear. In addition, although taxpayers generally may rely on the proposed Treasury regulations until they are finalized, there is no assurance that the proposed Treasury regulations will be finalized in their current form, and therefore, the Excise Tax might apply to a future transaction undertaken by us (including after a business combination) in a manner that is different than described in the proposed Treasury regulations.
We are currently not a “covered corporation” for purposes of the Excise Tax. If we were to become a “covered corporation” in the future, whether in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination with a U.S. company (including if we were to redomicile as a U.S. corporation in connection therewith) or otherwise, whether and to what extent we would be subject to the Excise Tax on a redemption of our shares would depend on a number of factors, including (i) whether the redemption is treated as a repurchase of shares for purposes of the Excise Tax, (ii) the fair market value of the redemption treated as a repurchase of shares, (iii) the structure of our initial business combination, (iv) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances (whether in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise) issued within the same taxable year of a redemption treated as a repurchase of shares and (v) the content of finalized regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. As noted above, the Excise Tax would be payable by the repurchasing corporation, and not by the redeeming holder, and only limited guidance on the mechanics of any required reporting and payment of the Excise Tax on which taxpayers may rely have been issued to date. The imposition of the Excise Tax on us as a result of redemptions by us could, however, reduce the cash available to the target business in connection with our initial business combination, which could cause investors in our securities who do not redeem or the other shareholders of the combined company to economically bear the impact of such Excise Tax.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and pandemics, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to
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attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view, however, we may elect to obtain one. If we determine it appropriate to get a fairness opinion or if we are not independently able to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain such an opinion. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A Ordinary Shares upon the conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our public shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 400,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 40,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after the IPO, there were 363,895,000 and 31,030,000 authorized but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the Class A Ordinary Shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares, which amount is not currently determinable. Immediately after the consummation of the IPO, there were no shares of preferred shares issued and outstanding. Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into shares of our Class A Ordinary Shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A Ordinary Shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Class B Ordinary Shares are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A Ordinary Shares upon conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional
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shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares:
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may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
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could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A Ordinary Shares and/or warrants. |
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or a price which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity and capital to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time. Any such issuances of equity securities could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Recent increases in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Recent increases in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere may lead to, among other things, (i) increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, (ii) increased borrowing costs and higher risk-free rates, (iii) other national, regional and international economic disruptions, and (iv) uncertainty regarding the valuation of target businesses, any of which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by events that are outside of our control, such as increased geopolitical unrest, pandemic outbreaks and volatility in the debt and equity markets.
Our ability to find a potential target business and the business of any potential company with which we may consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected by events that are outside of our control. For example, geopolitical unrest (such as the ongoing military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East and South America), including war, terrorist activity and acts of civil or international hostility are increasing. Although the length, impact and outcome of these ongoing military conflicts is highly unpredictable, these conflicts
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could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in the commodity prices and supple of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage.
The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries have and may continue to implement sanctions, export controls or other measures against Russia, Belarus and other countries, regions, officials, individuals or industries in the respective territories. Such evolving conflicts may expand to other countries and markets.
Further, in recent years, the U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto. For example, the U.S. government has imposed, and may in the future further increase, tariffs on certain foreign goods, including from China, such as steel and aluminum. Most recently, the current U.S. Presidential administration has imposed or sought to impose significant increases to tariffs on goods imported into the U.S., including from China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Some foreign governments, including China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, have instituted or announced an intention to impose retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. Such tariffs, export controls or other governmental actions related to international trade agreements, and policies that materially constrain cross-border flows of investment, goods, or data, may have the potential to increase costs, decrease margins, and reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by potential target businesses and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of potential target businesses.
Such sanctions, tariffs, export controls and other measures, as well as the potential for expanded military activities, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect our ability to search for a business combination or finance such business combination, and the business, financial condition and results of operations of any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination may be materially adversely affected.
Similarly other events outside of our control, including natural disasters, climate-related events, pandemics or health crises may arise from time to time, and such events may cause significant volatility and declines in the global markets, disproportionate impacts to certain industries or sectors, disruptions to commerce (including to economic activity, travel and supply chain), loss of life or property damage, and may adversely affect the global economy or capital markets, and the business of any potential target business with which we may consummate a business combination and could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity or debt financing that may be impacted by these and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable or at all.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business that may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares, $358,800,000 was available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which excludes up to approximately $10,764,000 for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions, which amounts shall be subject to pro-rata reduction based on the number of Class A Ordinary Shares redeemed by our public shareholders).
We may effectuate our business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
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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 business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
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 a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A Ordinary Shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We 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.
In order to effectuate our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various
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provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and changed industry focus. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, meaning the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and amending our warrant agreement will, in most cases, require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not consummate an initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended by way of a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) but excluding the provisions of the articles relating to the appointment of directors and continuation of the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting), may be amended by way of a special resolution requiring the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Our initial shareholders, who collectively beneficially own 20.40% of our ordinary shares, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect (i) the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO or (ii) any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A Ordinary Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares less amounts that have been released to us for permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
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We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals and dissolution expenses, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
The market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide additional services to us after the IPO, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriter is entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the IPO, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriter or its respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after the IPO, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. The underwriter is entitled to
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receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriter’s or its respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
In addition to the underwriting discounts and commissions, we have also engaged our underwriter to provide advisory services from time to time. As compensation for the services provided under an engagement letter, we will pay Santander US Capital Markets LLC a fee equal to 3.00% of the gross proceeds raised in the IPO, payable upon closing of our initial business combination. We have agreed to indemnify our underwriter and its affiliates in connection with its role in providing the advisory services.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, (“GAAP”), or international financing reporting standards, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2026. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management.
Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team
Past performance by Gores, including our management team, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, Gores and its affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by Gores and by our management team, including with respect to each special purpose acquisition company currently or previously sponsored by Gores, is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate
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for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of Gores’, or our management team’s, or any special purpose acquisition company currently or previously sponsored by Gores performance as indicative of the future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Furthermore, an investment in us is not an investment in Gores.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors that may or may not be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this document regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On June 30, 2023, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 11,500,000 founder shares. On February 3, 2025, our sponsor surrendered for no consideration 4,025,000 founder shares, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 7,475,000 founder shares. On May 1, 2025, we issued an additional 1,495,000 founder shares to our sponsor in a share capitalization, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 8,970,000 founder shares (up to 1,170,000 of which were subject to surrender depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). The number of founder shares outstanding following the surrender on February 3, 2025 was determined based on the expectation that the total size of the IPO would be a maximum of 29,900,000 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option was exercised in full, and the number of founder shares outstanding pursuant to the share capitalization was determined based on the expectation that the total size of the IPO would be a maximum 35,880,000 shares if the underwriter’s option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20.00% of the outstanding shares after the IPO (excluding the private placement shares). On May 1, 2025 our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors at their original purchase price. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Our sponsor, Gores Sponsor X LLC purchased an aggregate of 225,000 Class A Ordinary Shares at the initial public offering price of our public shares of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $2,250,000 in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of the IPO. These Class A Ordinary Shares, which we refer to as the private placement shares, are identical to the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the units sold in the IPO, subject to limited exceptions as described in this document. Holders of founder shares and private placement shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto) and (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private placement shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director, and we may pay our sponsor, officers, directors and any of their respective affiliate’s fees and expenses in connection with identifying, investigating and consummating an initial business combination.
The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, its affiliates or our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 24-month (or 27-month), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve) anniversary of the IPO nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally
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dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post- combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
We may approve an amendment or wavier of the letter agreement that would allow our sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement shares or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination, which may deprive us of key personnel.
While there is no current intention to do so, and the members of our management team and sponsor have not done so with any previously formed special purpose acquisition companies, we may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow the sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement shares or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor or The Gores Group removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination. As a result, there is a risk that The Gores Group and its affiliates, our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor, which would likely result in our loss of certain key personnel, including Alec Gores, Mark Stone and Andrew McBride. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such 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 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. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or
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abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates’ key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may pursue business combination opportunities in any sector, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing potential conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to identify and pursue initial business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, certain of our officers and directors are employed by affiliates of The Gores Group, which is an investment manager to various private investment funds that make investments in securities or other interests of or relating to companies in industries we may target for our initial business combination. Our independent directors also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies, including other special purpose acquisition companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. Further, certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings unrelated to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming and could divert our management’s attention, and may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
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During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies, including other special purpose acquisition companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons were, are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, claims alleging disclosure deficiencies or breaches of fiduciary duties, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Individual members of our management team and board of directors are or may become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings involving claims or allegations related to or as a result of their personal conduct, either in their capacity as a corporate officer or director or otherwise, and may be personally named in such actions and potentially subject to personal liability. Any such liability may or may not be covered by insurance and/or indemnification, depending on the facts and circumstances. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming. Any litigation, investigations or other proceedings and the potential outcomes of such actions may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of the IPO and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity (including with respect to any business transaction that may involve another Gores entity) for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Accordingly, none of The Gores Group or our directors or officers will have obligations to present a business combination opportunity to us. However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our 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 shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing or a business combination.
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have
47
a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation or participation in one or more other blank check companies. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
In particular, The Gores Group and its affiliates have invested in sectors as diverse as industrials, technology, telecommunications, media and entertainment, business services, healthcare and consumer products. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this document entitled “Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our 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 and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, or from an independent accounting 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 existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A Ordinary Shares or certain exemptions are available, and a current prospectus is available. Such registration or current prospectus, as applicable, may not be in place when you desire to exercise warrants, thus precluding you from being able to exercise your warrants except, to the extent expressly permitted by the warrant agreement, on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
If the issuance of the Class A Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, warrant holders will not be entitled to exercise their warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
While we have registered the offer of the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act as part of the registration statement, we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until after the closing of the initial business combination in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable following the closing of the initial business combination, but in no event later than 20 business days thereafter, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1, as applicable, under the Securities Act covering the issuance of such shares upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and thereafter to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or earlier redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in such registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A Ordinary Shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be
48
required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or current prospectus, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. To exercise warrants on a cashless basis, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants in exchange for a number of Class A Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the product of (A) the number of Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the warrants and (B) the difference between the “fair market value” and the exercise price of the warrants by (ii) such fair market value. Solely for purposes of the preceding sentence, “fair market value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of our Class A Ordinary Shares during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws, and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire without value to the holder. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the units. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying Class A Ordinary Shares for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
Our initial shareholders, the holders of our private placement shares, and the holders of shares that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A Ordinary Shares into which founder shares are convertible, and any other securities of the company acquired by them prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement shares or holders of our working capital loans, or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our units were approved for listing on Nasdaq on May 1, 2025 and our Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to the IPO 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 share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (currently 400 round-lot 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 share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round-lot holders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We cannot assure you we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
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reduced liquidity for our securities; |
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a determination that our Class A Ordinary Shares would be considered a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A Ordinary Shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units and eventually our Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will not be offering a “penny stock,” we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the IPO were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A Ordinary Shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the IPO, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business
50
combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A Ordinary Shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO, with respect to such Class A Ordinary Shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we currently have no commitments to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following the IPO, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
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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; |
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
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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; |
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our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
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using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
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other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in many similar blank check company offerings in the past,
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and, accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the public warrants is higher than is typical in many similar blank check companies in the past. Historically, the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $11.50 per share. As a result, the warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
Our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial shareholders beneficially own shares representing 20.40% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will entitle the holders to appoint and remove all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time and, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will be entitled to vote on the transfer by way of continuation of the Company to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares (including holders of the private placement shares) and holders of our Class B Ordinary Shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or on the removal of directors. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.
While our units were offered at a price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account was $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share, our sponsor only paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 8,970,000 founder shares , or approximately $0.003 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted in the event we consummate an initial business combination. For example, the following table shows the public shareholders’ and sponsor’s investment per share and how that compares to the implied value of one of our shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination if at that time we were valued at $358,800,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. At such valuation, after taking into account the sale of the private placement shares, each of our ordinary shares would have an implied value of $7.96 per share, which is a 20.04% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00.
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Public shares |
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35,880,000 |
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Founder shares |
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8,970,000 |
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Private placement shares |
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225,000 |
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Total shares |
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45,075,000 |
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Total funds in trust available for initial business combination(1) |
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$ |
358,800,000 |
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Implied value per share(1) |
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$ |
7.96 |
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Public shareholders’ investment per share(2) |
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$ |
10.00 |
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Sponsor’s investment per share(3) |
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$ |
0.25 |
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(1) |
Does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the business combination, such as the value of our warrants, the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs (including payment of $10,764,000 of deferred underwriting commissions), any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects. |
(2) |
While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only. |
(3) |
The sponsor’s total investment in the equity of the company, inclusive of the founder shares and the sponsor’s $2,250,000 investment in the private placement shares, is $2,275,000. |
While the implied value of our public shares may be diluted, the implied value of $7.96 per share in the example above would represent a significant implied profit for our sponsor relative to the initial purchase price of the founder shares. Our sponsor invested an aggregate of $2,275,000 in us in connection with the IPO, composed of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $2,250,000 purchase price for the private placement shares. At $7.96 per share, the 8,970,000 founder shares have an aggregate implied value of $71,401,200. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares significantly declines (whether because of a substantial amount of redemptions of our public shares or for any other reason), our sponsor will stand to make significant profit on its investment in us. In addition, our sponsor could potentially recoup nearly its entire investment in us even if the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares were as low as $0.25 per share. As a result, our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us even if we select and consummate an initial business combination that causes the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to decline, while our public shareholders could lose significant value in their public shares. Our sponsor may therefore be economically incentivized to consummate an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A Ordinary Shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of our Class A Ordinary Shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. With respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities
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Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, we note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement does not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Our warrants are accounted for as a warrant liability and are be recorded at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in our statement of operations, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Following the consummation of the IPO, we have 8,970,000 warrants outstanding. We currently expect to account for these warrants as a warrant liability, which means that we record them at fair value upon issuance, and the warrant liability is adjusted to fair value, as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from our independent third-party valuation firm, with the change in fair value each period recognized in our statement of operations. Changes in the inputs and assumptions for the valuation model we use to determine the fair value of such liability may have a material impact on the estimated fair value of the embedded derivative liability. The share price of our ordinary shares represents the primary underlying variable that impacts the value of the derivative instruments. Additional factors that impact the value of the derivative instruments include the volatility of our share price, discount rates and stated interest rates. As a result, our financial statements and results of operations fluctuate quarterly, based on various factors, such as the share price of our ordinary shares, many of which are outside of our control. In addition, we may change the underlying assumptions used in our valuation model, which could in turn result in significant fluctuations in our results of operations. If our share price is volatile, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants or any other similar derivative instruments each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, potential targets may seek a business combination partner that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) 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 notice of such redemption to the warrant holders and provided certain other conditions are met. We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the
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Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating thereto 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. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our public warrants to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A Ordinary Shares upon their exercise of the public warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its public warrants to do so on a cashless basis. If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A Ordinary Shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised their public warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in us.
Our warrants, private placement shares and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 8,970,000 Class A Ordinary Shares as part of the units offered in the Public Offering and, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we issued in a private placement shares to purchase an aggregate of 225,000 private placement shares, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $10.00 per share, subject to adjustment. Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 8,970,000 founder shares. After taking into account the issuance of the private placement shares, our sponsor owns an aggregate of 9,120,000 ordinary shares or 20.23% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert up to $1,500,000 of such loans into up to an additional 150,000 private placement shares, at the price of $10.00 per share.
To the extent we issue Class A Ordinary Shares to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A Ordinary Shares upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and reduce the value of the Class A Ordinary Shares issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-fourth of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-fourth of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-fourth of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of the IPO 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.
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Prior to the IPO, 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 underwriter. In determining the size of the IPO, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriter, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriter believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of the IPO, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
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the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
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prior offerings of those companies; |
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our prospects for acquiring an operating business; |
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a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
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our capital structure; |
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an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the IPO; and |
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other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following the IPO, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of geopolitical events like the conflicts in South America, Ukraine, and the Middle East or economic impacts such as inflation. 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.
If we take advantage of Nasdaq’s controlled company standards, we would be exempt from various corporate governance requirements.
Nasdaq listing rules generally define a “Controlled Company” as any company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company. Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors; provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the shareholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares and holders of the Class B Ordinary Shares, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the provision in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. More than 50% of the founder shares will be held by our sponsor. Accordingly, prior to the vote on our initial business combination, we would likely satisfy the definition of being a controlled company. As indicated herein, we will not use the related exemptions to Nasdaq’s governance rules under the controlled company standards. However, if we were to change our intentions and take advantage of the controlled company standards, we would be exempt from various corporate governance requirements such as the requirement to have a majority of independent directors and to have nominating/corporate governance and compensation committees comprised entirely of independent directors.
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General Risk Factors
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through the IPO. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled to or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be
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difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A Ordinary Shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include two-year director terms 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.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law provides that none of our officers and directors shall have a duty to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and that we renounce any interest or expectancy in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for our officers and directors, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no individual serving as a director or an officer of the Company shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for a director or an officer of the Company, on the one hand,
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and the Company, on the other. Except to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, a director or an officer of the Company shall have no duty to communicate or offer any such corporate opportunity to the Company and shall not be liable to the Company or its members for breach of any fiduciary duty as a member, director and/or officer solely by reason of the fact that such party pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for itself, directs such corporate opportunity to another person, or does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to the Company.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or shareholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other actions may be brought only in the courts of the Cayman Islands and, if brought outside of The Cayman Islands, the shareholder bringing the suit will, subject to certain exceptions, be deemed to have consented to service of process on such shareholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or shareholders.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in the Company, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any current or former director, officer, shareholder or other employee of the Company to the Company or the shareholders of the Company, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that the Company may have, each shareholder of the Company acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly the Company shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any
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vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our Class A Ordinary Shares or warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Additionally, even if we qualify for the start-up exception with respect to a given taxable year, there cannot be any assurance that we would not be a PFIC in other taxable years. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception, potentially not until after the two taxable years following our current taxable year). Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election with respect to their ordinary shares, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would likely be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our ordinary shares and warrants.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in or transfer by way of continuation to the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any
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monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/ creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders.
In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors contains provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement shares, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval with our written consent as well as the written consent of the sponsor and our directors and officers to the extent they are the subject of any change, amendment, modification or waiver to the letter agreement. The written consent of Santander US Capital Markets LLC, as the underwriter, will also be required for an amendment of a provision of the letter agreement that subjects the sponsor and our directors and officers to certain of the restrictions included in the underwriting agreement and pursuant to which the sponsor and our officers and directors agree that, subject to certain limited exceptions described in the letter agreement and certain other exceptions described in the underwriting agreement, for a period ending 180 days from May 5, 2025, our sponsor and our directors and officers will not, without the prior written consent of Santander US Capital Markets LLC, as the underwriter, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, units, warrants, Class A Ordinary Shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A Ordinary Shares. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
We are a special purpose acquisition company with no business operations. Since the IPO Closing Date, our sole business activity has been identifying and evaluating suitable acquisition transaction candidates. Therefore, we do not believe that we currently face significant cybersecurity risk and have not adopted any cybersecurity risk management program or formal processes for assessing cybersecurity risk.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We do not own any real estate or other physical properties. Our executive offices are located at 6260 Lookout Road, Boulder, Colorado 80301 and our telephone number is (303) 531-3100. Our executive offices are provided to us by an affiliate of our Sponsor. Commencing on May 2, 2025, we pay an affiliate of our Sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this annual report.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
None.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our Units began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “GTENU” on May 2, 2025. On June 18, 2025, we announced that holders of our units could elect to separately trade the Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants included in the units, or continue to trade the units without separating them. On June 23, 2025, the Class A Ordinary Shares and warrants began trading on Nasdaq under the symbols “GTEN” and “GTENW,” respectively. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase of one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of Class A Ordinary Shares and will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the IPO Closing Date. Our warrants expire five years after the completion of our business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation as described in “Item 1. Business.”
As of March 27, 2026, there was one holder of record of our Units, two holders of record of our separately traded Class A Ordinary Shares, one holder of record of our separately traded Warrants, and four holders of record of our Class B Ordinary Shares.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our business combination will be within the discretion of our Board at such time. On May 1, 2025, we issued an additional 1,495,000 founder shares to our sponsor in a share capitalization, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 8,970,000 founder shares. Our Board is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
None.
Unregistered Sales
On June 30, 2023, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of the Company’s offering costs in consideration of 11,500,000 founder shares. On February 3, 2025, the Sponsor surrendered for no consideration 4,025,000 founder shares. On May 1, 2025, the Company effected a stock dividend with respect to its Class B Ordinary Shares of 1,495,000 shares thereof, resulting in an aggregate of 8,970,000 outstanding shares of Class B Ordinary Shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding following the surrender on February 3, 2025 and dividend on May 1, 2025 was determined based on the total size of the IPO of 35,880,000 shares (considering the exercise of the full underwriter’s over-allotment option), and therefore that such founder shares represent 20.00% of the outstanding shares (excluding the private placement shares).
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, pursuant to the Private Placement Shares Purchase Agreement, the Company completed the private sale of an aggregate of 225,000 Class A Ordinary Shares to the Sponsor at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $2,250,000. The Private Placement Shares are identical to the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units sold in the IPO, except as otherwise disclosed
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in the Company’s Registration Statement for its IPO. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sale.
The issuance of the founder shares and private placement shares was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Use of Proceeds
On May 1, 2025, our registration statement on Form S‑1 (File No. 333-286495) was declared effective by the SEC for the Public Offering pursuant to which we sold an aggregate of 35,880,000 Units at an offering price to the public of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $358,800,000.
After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions (excluding the Deferred Discount, which amount will be payable upon the consummation of our Business Combination, if consummated) and the estimated offering expenses, the total net proceeds from our Public Offering and the sale of the private placement shares were $360,880,000, of which $358,800,000 (or $10.00 per share sold in the Public Offering) was placed in the Trust Account in the United States maintained by the trustee.
Through December 31, 2025, we incurred $2,456,141 for costs and expenses related to the Public Offering. At the IPO Closing Date, we paid a total of $250,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions. In addition, the underwriter agreed to defer $10,764,000 in underwriting commissions, which amount will be payable upon consummation of our Business Combination, if consummated.
The remaining proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement are held outside the Trust Account. Such funds are being used primarily to enable us to identify a target and to negotiate and consummate our initial Business Combination.
There has been no material change in the planned use of proceeds from our Public Offering as described in our final prospectus dated May 5, 2025 which was filed with the SEC.
As of December 31, 2025, after giving effect to our Public Offering and our operations subsequent thereto, $367,717,492 was held in the Trust Account, and we had $619,576 of unrestricted cash available to us for our activities in connection with identifying and conducting due diligence of a suitable Business Combination, and for general corporate matters.
Item 6. [RESERVED]
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Except as specified herein, this discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations does not give effect to the Public Offering.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on June 26, 2023. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses We completed our Public Offering on May 5, 2025.
We presently have no revenue, have had losses since inception from incurring formation costs and have had no operations other than the active solicitation of a target business with which to complete a business combination.
Results of Operations
For the Year Ended December 31, 2025, the Company had net income of $920,659 of which ($6,637,800) was a non-cash loss related to the change in fair value of the warrant liability.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2024, the Company had net income of $0.
Our business activities during the quarter mainly consisted of preparation for the initial public offering consummated on May 5, 2025 and seeking a target thereafter. We believe that we have sufficient funds available to complete our efforts to effect a Business Combination with an operating business by May 5, 2027. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our Business Combination.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2025, the Company had $619,576 in cash. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete our Business Combination will be successful.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
On June 30, 2023, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of the Company’s offering costs in consideration of 11,500,000 founder shares. On February 3, 2025, the Sponsor surrendered for no consideration 4,025,000 founder shares. On May 1, 2025, the Company effected a stock dividend with respect to its Class B Ordinary Shares of 1,495,000 shares thereof, resulting in an aggregate of 8,970,000 outstanding shares of Class B Ordinary Shares. Up to 1,170,000 of the founder shares were subject to surrender for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised. Pursuant to the Public Offering, the Underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option; therefore, the 1,170,000 shares are no longer subject to forfeiture. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding following the surrender on February 3, 2025 and dividend on May 1, 2025 was determined based on the total size of the IPO of 35,880,000 shares (considering the exercise of the full underwriter’s over-allotment option), and therefore that such founder shares represents 20.00% of the outstanding shares (excluding the private placement shares).
On May 5, 2025, the Company consummated its IPO of 35,880,000 Units, including 4,680,000 Units issued pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Each Unit consists of one Class A Ordinary Share and one-fourth of one Warrant, with each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $358,800,000.
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Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company completed the Private Placement of an aggregate of 225,000 Class A Ordinary Shares to Gores Sponsor X LLC, the Company’s sponsor, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Private Placement Share, generating gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $2,250,000.
Prior to the completion of the IPO, the Sponsor loaned the Company an aggregate of $231,901 by the issuance of an unsecured promissory note (the “Note”) issued by the Company in favor of the Sponsor to cover organizational expenses and expenses related to the Public Offering. The Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2025 or the completion of the IPO. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the outstanding balance on the Note was $0 and $172,901, respectively. The Note was repaid on May 5, 2025, after completion of the IPO and is no longer available after closing.
As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had cash held outside of the Trust Account of approximately $619,576 and $2,774, respectively, which is available to fund our working capital requirements. Additionally, up to $600,000 per year withdrawn or eligible to be withdrawn to fund our regulatory compliance requirements and other costs related thereto, working capital requirements, in each case subject to the limitations described herein, and/or to pay our taxes (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us).
At December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had current liabilities of $2,686,141 and $1,224,632 and a working capital deficit of ($1,710,832) and ($40,000), respectively, the balances of which are primarily related to warrants we have recorded as liabilities as described in Notes 2 and 3. Other amounts are related to accrued expenses owed to professionals, consultants, advisors and others who are working on seeking a Business Combination as described in Note 1. Such work is continuing after December 31, 2025 and amounts are continuing to accrue. Additionally, the warrant liability will not impact the Company’s liquidity until a Business Combination has been consummated, as they do not require cash settlement until such event has occurred.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of Regulatory Withdrawals and taxes payable) to consummate our Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete a Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Class A Ordinary Shares upon completion of a Business Combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. In addition, following our Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to consummate our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in our Trust Account, if any, will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategy. Following the closing of a Business Combination, we do not expect there to be remaining proceeds in our Trust Account.
As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, we did not have any long-term debt obligations, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations, purchase obligations or long-term liabilities. In connection with the Public Offering, we entered into an administrative services agreement to pay monthly recurring expenses of $20,000 to an affiliate of the Sponsor for office space, utilities and secretarial support. The administrative services agreement terminates upon the earlier of the completion of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company.
The Company paid an upfront underwriting discount of $0.008, equaling $250,000, of the per Unit offering price, not including the Units sold per the exercise of the underwriter’s exercise of the over-allotment option, to the underwriter at the closing of the Public Offering, with an additional fee (the “Deferred Discount”) of 3.00% ($10,764,000) of the gross offering proceeds payable upon the Company’s completion of a Business Combination. The Deferred Discount will become payable to the underwriter from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event the Company completes its Business Combination. The underwriter is not entitled to any interest accrued on the Deferred Discount.
In addition to the deferred underwriting discounts, the Company will engage Santander US Capital Markets LLC to provide advisory services from time to time. As compensation for the services provided under an engagement letter, the Company shall pay Santander US Capital Markets LLC a fee equal to 3.00% ($10,764,000) of the gross proceeds raised in the IPO, payable upon closing of such initial Business Combination. The Company has agreed to
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indemnify Santander US Capital Markets LLC and its affiliates in connection with its role in providing the advisory services.
Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the accounting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the year ended December 31, 2025 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other period.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an 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 statement with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that 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 expenses during the reporting periods.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had no cash equivalents held outside the Trust account.
Concentration of Credit Risk
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Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. Any loss incurred or a lack of access to such funds could have a significant adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) Topic 5A – “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs amounted to $24,243,141, consisting of $250,000 of cash underwriting fee, $10,764,000 of deferred underwriting fee, $10,764,000 of a deferred advisory fee, and $2,465,141 of other offering costs.
FASB ASC 470-20, “Debt with Conversion and Other Options,” addresses the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt into its equity and debt components. The Company applies this guidance to allocate Initial Public Offering proceeds from the Units between Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants, using the residual method by allocating Initial Public Offering proceeds first to assigned value of the Warrants and then to the Class A Ordinary Shares. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to temporary equity, and offering costs allocated to the Public Warrants were charged as an expense as Public Warrants, after management's evaluation, were accounted for under liability treatment.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheets as current or noncurrent based on whether or not settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. The Warrants are deemed to be a freestanding financial instrument accounted for as a liability pursuant to ASC 815.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under 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’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2025, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The Company is considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the periods presented.
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Investments Held in Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments was comprised solely of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities, or a combination thereof. The Company classifies its U.S. Treasury and equivalent securities as held-to-maturity in accordance with ASC Topic 320 “Investments - Debt and Equity Securities.” Held-to-maturity securities are those securities which the Company has the ability and intent to hold until maturity. Held-to-maturity treasury securities are recorded at amortized cost on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts. Money market funds are presented at fair value at the end of each reporting period.
The Company’s amended and restated memorandum provides that, except with respect to permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses, if any, the proceeds from the IPO held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we are unable to complete a business combination within the required time frame (subject to the requirements of applicable law). As of December 31, 2025, the Company had $367,742,183 in the Trust Account, which may be utilized for a Business Combination. At December 31, 2025, the Trust Account consisted of money market funds, which are presented at fair value.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment Reporting” (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating officer decision maker (“CODM”), as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. The ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2023-07 on January 1, 2024.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Liquidity and Going Concern Consideration
In connection with an assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 205-40, “Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern,” the Company has until May 4, 2027 (or August 4, 2027 if the Company has executed a definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination by May 5, 2027) or until such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve, to consummate the Company’s initial business combination. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. If the Company does not complete its Business Combination in that time, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the common stock sold as part of the units in the Public Offering, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of franchise and income taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of such net interest which may be distributed to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if
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any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations.
In addition, at December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had current liabilities of $2,686,141 and $1,224,632, respectively, and working capital deficit of ($1,710,832) and ($40,000), respectively. Other amounts are related to accrued expenses owed to professionals, consultants, advisors and others who are working on seeking a Business Combination. Such work is continuing after December 31, 2025 and amounts are continuing to accrue. Up to $600,000 per year (plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years) of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to fund working capital requirements (provided that, only $150,000, plus the rollover of unused amounts from prior years, of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be released to us during the three month period that will begin 24 months from the closing of the IPO if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), plus additional amounts of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations (which shall exclude the 1% U.S. federal excise tax that was implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 if any is imposed on us and which shall not be subject to the $600,000 12-month limitation (or $150,000 limitation) described above) ("Regulatory Withdrawal"). In order to finance ongoing operating costs, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor will provide the Company with additional working capital via a Sponsor Loan.
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 initial public offering price per unit in the Public Offering. In addition, if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination in the time allowed, there will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless. 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 initial public offering price per unit in the Public Offering. In addition, if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination in the time allowed, there will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless.
Due to the amount of time left to complete a Business Combination, funds available for operating costs via the regulatory and tax withdrawal rights, management believes that substantial doubt is alleviated.
Critical Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following as our critical accounting policies:
Net loss per common share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has two classes of ordinary shares, which are referred to as Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of ordinary shares. This presentation assumes a business combination as the most likely outcome. Net loss per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period. The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):
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For the Year Ended December 31, 2025 |
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For the Year Ended December 31, 2024 |
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Class A Redeemable |
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Class A Non-redeemable |
Class B |
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Class A Redeemable |
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Class A Non-redeemable |
Class B(1)(2) |
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Basic and diluted net loss per common share: |
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Numerator: |
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Basic and diluted allocation of net loss including accretion of temporary equity |
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$ |
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(18,031,520 |
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$ |
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(113,074 |
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$ |
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(6,524,756 |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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$ |
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- |
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Denominator: |
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Basic and diluted weighted-average shares outstanding |
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23,690,630 |
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148,562 |
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8,572,521 |
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- |
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7,800,000 |
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Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
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$ |
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(0.76 |
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$ |
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(0.76 |
) |
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$ |
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(0.76 |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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- |
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Fair Value Measurement
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 accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
- Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
- Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
- Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market risk is a broad term for the risk of economic loss due to adverse changes in the fair value of a financial instrument. These changes may be the result of various factors, including interest rates, foreign exchange rates, commodity prices and/or equity prices. Our business activities for the Year Ended December 31, 2025 consisted solely of organizational activities and activities relating to our Public Offering.
We have not engaged in any hedging activities during the year ended December 31, 2025. We do not expect to engage in any hedging activities with respect to the market risk to which we are exposed.
71
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Financial Statements |
Page |
|
|
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
73 |
|
|
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 |
74 |
|
|
Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 |
75 |
|
|
Statements of Changes In Shareholders’ Deficit for the Years Ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 |
76 |
|
|
Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 |
77 |
|
|
Notes to the Financial Statements |
78 |
|
|
72
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Gores Holdings X, Inc.:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Gores Holdings X, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the years then ended, 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, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “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.
/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC |
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2023. |
New York, New York |
March 27, 2026 PCAOB ID #100 |
73
GORES HOLDINGS X, INC.
BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
December 31, 2025 |
|
|
December 31, 2024 |
|
||||
ASSETS: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Current assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
||
Deferred offering costs associated with public offering |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prepaid expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Total current assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash and investments held in Trust Account |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Current liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Accrued expenses, formation and offering costs |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
||
Notes payable - related party |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Public warrants derivative liability |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Advisory fee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Deferred underwriting compensation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Total liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Commitments and contingencies |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Shareholder's deficit: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Preferred shares, $ |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
Ordinary shares |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Class A Ordinary Shares, $ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Class B Ordinary Shares, $ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Additional paid-in capital |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Accumulated deficit |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
( |
) |
Total shareholder's deficit |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
( |
) |
Total liabilities and shareholder's deficit |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
||
(1)
(2)
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
74
GORES HOLDINGS X, INC.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Year Ended |
|
|
Year Ended |
|
||||
|
December 31, 2025 |
|
|
December 31, 2024 |
|
||||
Professional fees and other expenses |
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
— |
|
Net loss from operations |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Other income/(expense) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Change in fair value of public warrant liabilities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Allocated expense for warrant issuance cost |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Other income - Interest earned on investments held in Trust Account |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Total other income/(expense) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Net income |
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net loss per ordinary share: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding of Class A redeemable ordinary shares |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class A redeemable ordinary shares |
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
— |
|
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding of Class A non-redeemable ordinary shares |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class A non-redeemable ordinary shares |
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
— |
|
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class B ordinary shares(1)(2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class B ordinary shares |
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
— |
|
(1)
(2)
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
75
GORES HOLDINGS X, INC.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31, 2025 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Class A Ordinary Shares |
|
|
Class B Ordinary Shares(1)(2) |
|
|
Additional |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Shareholders' |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
Paid-In Capital |
|
|
Deficit |
|
|
Deficit |
|
||||||||||||
Balance at January 1, 2025 |
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|||
Proceeds from Class A Private Placement Shares |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Accretion for Class A ordinary shares to redemption amount |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
( |
) |
Increase in redemption value of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
( |
) |
Net income |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Balance at December 31, 2025 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31, 2024 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Class A Ordinary Shares |
|
|
Class B Ordinary Shares(1)(2) |
|
|
Additional |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Shareholders' |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
Paid-In Capital |
|
|
Deficit |
|
|
Deficit |
|
||||||||||||
Balance at January 1, 2024 |
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|||
Net income |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Balance at December 31, 2024 |
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|
$ |
|
( |
) |
|||
(1)
(2)
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
76
GORES HOLDINGS X INC.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2025 |
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31, 2024 |
|
||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net income |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
— |
|
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Allocated expense for warrant issuance cost |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Interest reinvested in the Trust Account |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Loss from change in fair value of public warrant liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Prepaid expenses |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Accrued expenses, formation and offering costs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
( |
) |
Cash flows from investing activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash deposited in Trust Account |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Cash withdrawn from Trust Account as tax and regulatory withdrawal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Cash flows from financing activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Proceeds from sale of Units in initial public offering |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Shares to Sponsor |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Change in deferred offering costs |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Payment of underwriter's discounts and commissions |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Proceeds from notes payable - related party |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Repayment of notes payable - related party |
|
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
— |
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Net change in cash |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Cash at beginning of year |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash at end of year |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Offering costs included in accrued expenses |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
||
Advisory fee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Deferred underwriting compensation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Offering costs charged to additional paid in capital |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Initial classification of warrant liability - public |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
1See accompanying notes to financial statements.
77
GORES HOLDINGS X, INC.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Organization and Business Operations
Organization and General
Gores Holdings X, Inc. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of completing a Business Combination, the Company intends to capitalize on the ability of its management team to identify and combine with a business or businesses that can benefit from its management team’s established global relationships and operating experience. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 relates to the Company’s formation and the Initial Public Offering, which is described below, and subsequently searching for a target. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsor is Gores Sponsor X LLC, a Cayman Islands exempted limited liability company (the “Sponsor”).
Financing
On May 5, 2025, the Company consummated the IPO of
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, pursuant to the Private Placement Shares Purchase Agreement, the Company completed the private sale of an aggregate of
Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments was comprised solely of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities, or a combination thereof. The Company classifies its U.S. Treasury and equivalent securities as held-to-maturity in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 320 “Investments - Debt and Equity Securities.” Held-to-maturity securities are those securities which the Company has the ability and intent to hold until maturity. Held-to-maturity treasury securities are recorded at amortized cost on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts. Money market funds are presented at fair value at the end of each reporting period.
78
The Company’s amended and restated memorandum provides that, except with respect to permitted withdrawals and up to $
Business Combination
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement shares, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward completing a Business Combination. The Company must complete one or more Business Combinations with having an aggregate fair market value equal to at least
The Company will provide its public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A Ordinary Shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned thereon (net of up to $
If the Company seeks shareholder approval, the Company will complete a Business Combination only if it receives an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law approving a Business Combination, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the Company’s ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the Company. If a shareholder vote is not required under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior
79
to completing a Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its founder shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased in or after the IPO in favor of approving a Business Combination and to waive its redemption rights with respect to any such shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its Public Shares, without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against a proposed Business Combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem
The Company has until May 4, 2027 (or August 4, 2027 if the Company has executed a definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination by May 4, 2027) or until such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve, to consummate the Company’s initial business combination. As a result, as described in more detail in the prospectus, The Company will have up to 27 months from the closing of the IPO to consummate the Company’s initial business combination. If the Company is unable to complete its Business Combination by until May 4, 2027 (or August 4, 2027 if the Company has executed a definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination May 4, 2027), or such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve, from the closing of the IPO, the Company will redeem
If the Company anticipates that it may be unable to consummate its initial business combination within such 24-month (or 27-month) period, the Company may seek shareholder approval to amend its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to further extend the date by which the Company must consummate its initial Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval for an extension, and the related amendments are implemented by the Company’s board of directors, holders of the Company’s public Class A Ordinary Shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares, subject to applicable law. The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the founder shares and private placement shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the IPO, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window. The underwriter has agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window 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 Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the IPO price per share ($
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company, if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or by a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or Business Combination agreement,
80
reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (1) $
2. Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the accounting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the year ended December 31, 2025 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other period.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an 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 statement with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that 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 U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods.
81
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 highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $
Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) Topic 5A – “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs amounted to $
Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 470-20, “Debt with Conversion and Other Options,” addresses the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt into its equity and debt components. The Company applies this guidance to allocate Initial Public Offering proceeds from the Units between Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants, using the residual method by allocating Initial Public Offering proceeds first to assigned value of the Warrants and then to the Class A Ordinary Shares. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to temporary equity, and offering costs allocated to the Public Warrants were charged as an expense as Public Warrants, after management's evaluation, were accounted for under liability treatment.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheets as current or noncurrent based on whether or not settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. The Warrants are deemed to be a freestanding financial instrument accounted for as a liability pursuant to ASC 815.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under 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
82
Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2025, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The Company is considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the periods presented.
Investments Held in Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments was comprised solely of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities, or a combination thereof. The Company classifies its U.S. Treasury and equivalent securities as held-to-maturity in accordance with ASC Topic 320 “Investments - Debt and Equity Securities.” Held-to-maturity securities are those securities which the Company has the ability and intent to hold until maturity. Held-to-maturity treasury securities are recorded at amortized cost on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts. Money market funds are presented at fair value at the end of each reporting period.
The Company’s amended and restated memorandum provides that, except with respect to permitted withdrawals and up to $
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment Reporting” (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating officer decision maker (“CODM”), as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. The ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2023-07 on January 1, 2024.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Liquidity and Going Concern Consideration
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the Company has executed a definitive agreement for an initial Business Combination by May 5, 2027) or until such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve, to consummate the Company’s initial business combination. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. If the Company does not complete its Business Combination in that time, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem
In addition, at December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had current liabilities of $
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 initial public offering price per unit in the Public Offering. In addition, if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination in the time allowed, there will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless. 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 initial public offering price per unit in the Public Offering. In addition, if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination in the time allowed, there will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless.
Due to the amount of time left to complete a Business Combination, funds available for operating costs via the regulatory and tax withdrawal rights, management believes that substantial doubt is alleviated.
Critical Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following as our critical accounting policies:
Net loss per common share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has two classes of ordinary shares, which are referred to as Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of ordinary shares. This presentation assumes a business combination as the most likely outcome. Net loss per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period. The accretion or remeasurement is treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a
84
reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). The Company has recognized these changes, resulting in a net loss per common share. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares, which assumes a business combination as the most likely outcome.
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For the Year Ended December 31, 2025 |
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For the Year Ended December 31, 2024 |
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Class A Redeemable |
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Class A Non-redeemable |
Class B |
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Class A Redeemable |
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Class A Non-redeemable |
Class B(1)(2) |
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Basic and diluted net loss per common share: |
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Numerator: |
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Basic and diluted allocation of net loss including accretion of temporary equity |
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$ |
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( |
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$ |
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( |
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$ |
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( |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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- |
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Denominator: |
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Basic and diluted weighted-average shares outstanding |
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- |
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Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
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$ |
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( |
) |
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$ |
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$ |
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( |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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- |
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$ |
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- |
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Fair Value Measurement
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 accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature. U.S. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
- Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
- Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
3. Public Offering
Public Units
Pursuant to the Public Offering, on May 5, 2025, the Company sold
85
registered the offer of the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act as part of the Registration Statement, and the Company does not plan on keeping a prospectus current until after the closing of the initial business combination in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement.
Under the terms of the warrant agreement, the Company has agreed that as soon as practicable following the closing of the initial business combination, but in no event later than
The Company paid an upfront underwriting discount of $
In addition to the deferred underwriting discounts, the Company will engage Santander US Capital Markets LLC to provide advisory services from time to time. As compensation for the services provided under an engagement letter, the Company shall pay Santander US Capital Markets LLC a fee equal to
The public warrants issued as part of the Units are accounted for as liabilities as there are terms and features do not qualify for equity classification in FASB ASC Topic 815-40, “Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity.” The fair value of the public warrants at May 5, 2025 was a liability of $
All of the
Class A Ordinary Shares are subject to SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or to recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement is treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital).
As of December 31, 2025, the Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption reflected on the balance sheets are reconciled in the following table:
86
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As of December 31, 2025 |
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Gross proceeds |
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$ |
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Less: |
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Proceeds allocated to public warrants |
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( |
) |
Class A Ordinary Shares issuance costs |
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( |
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Plus: |
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Accretion for Class A Ordinary Shares to redemption amount |
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Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value |
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Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption |
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$ |
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4. Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On June 30, 2023, the Sponsor paid $
After taking into account the issuance of the private placement shares, the initial shareholders beneficially owns an aggregate of
Except as described in the prospectus, the Sponsor and the Company’s initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell (i) any of their founder shares until the earlier of (A)
Private Placement
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, pursuant to the Private Placement Shares Purchase Agreement, the Company completed the private sale of an aggregate of
Related Party Loans
Prior to the completion of the IPO, the Sponsor loaned the Company an aggregate of $
87
expenses and expenses related to the Public Offering. The Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2025 or the completion of the IPO. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the outstanding balance on the Note was $
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company entered into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which it agreed to pay to an affiliate of the Sponsor $
For the years ending December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company incurred and paid the affiliate $
5. Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement shares and shares that may be issued upon conversion 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 IPO requiring the Company to register a sale of any of the securities held by them, including any other securities of the Company acquired by them prior to the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggyback” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriter was paid a commission of $
The underwriter will also be entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of $
In addition to the deferred underwriting discounts, the Company will engage Santander US Capital Markets LLC to provide advisory services from time to time. As compensation for the services provided under an engagement letter, the Company shall pay Santander US Capital Markets LLC a fee equal to
Risks and Uncertainties
88
United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, conflict in the Middle East and South America and other geopolitical conflicts. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and continuing conflicts in the Middle East and South America and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and its neighboring states and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing conflicts are highly unpredictable, they could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions and increased cyberattacks against U.S. companies. Additionally, any resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Any of the above-mentioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from, among others, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East and South America and subsequent sanctions or related actions, could adversely affect the Company’s search for an initial Business Combination and any target business with which the Company may ultimately consummate an initial Business Combination.
6. Shareholders' Deficit
Class A Ordinary Shares
The Company is authorized to issue
Class B Ordinary Shares
The Company is authorized to issue
Preferred Shares
The Company is authorized to issue
7. Public Shareholder Warrants
Pursuant to the Public Offering, on May 5, 2025, there were
The warrants will become exercisable
89
the Company has agreed that as soon as practicable following the closing of the initial business combination, but in no event later than twenty (
The Company accounts for the
The Company will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A Ordinary Shares is available throughout the
8. Fair Value Measurement
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 accompanying balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature. U.S. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used sin measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).
The Company has determined that warrants issued in connection with the IPO are subject to treatment as a liability. The Company utilized a Monte Carlo simulation methodology to value the warrants for periods prior to public warrant trading and will use observable transactions for subsequent periods, with changes in fair value recognized in the statements of operations. The estimated fair value of the warrant liability is determined using Level 1 and Level 2 inputs. The key assumptions in the option pricing model utilized are assumptions related to expected share-price volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The expected volatility as of the IPO Closing Date was derived from observable public warrant pricing on comparable ‘blank-check’ companies that recently went public. Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period. The risk-free interest rate is based on the interpolated U.S. Constant Maturity Treasury yield. The expected term of the warrants is assumed to be
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recent transactions of the warrants and other factors to value the warrants due to a lack of adequate trading volume in the Company's public warrants on that date. The Public Warrants were valued at $
The Warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The subsequent measurement of the Public Warrants as of December 31, 2025, is classified as Level 3 due to inadequate trading volume and the use of both observable inputs in an active market , quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and liabilities.
As of December 31, 2025, the aggregate value of the Public Warrants was approximately $
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December 31, 2025 |
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Class A ordinary share price |
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$ |
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Exercise price |
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$ |
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Simulation term (years) |
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Risk-free rate (continuous) |
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Selected volatility |
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% |
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As of May 5, 2025, the aggregate value of the Public Warrants was approximately $
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May 5, 2025 |
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Implied Class A ordinary share price |
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$ |
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Exercise price |
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$ |
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Simulation term (years) |
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Risk-free rate (continuous) |
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Selected volatility |
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% |
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The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2025 and initial recording at May 5, 2025 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value. In general, fair values determined by Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize data points that are observable such as quoted prices, interest rates and yield curves. Fair values determined by Level 3 inputs are unobservable data points for the asset or liability, and includes situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability:
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December 31 |
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2025 |
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(Level 1) |
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Investments held in Trust Account |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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— |
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$ |
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— |
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Public warrants |
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$ |
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$ |
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— |
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$ |
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$ |
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May 5 |
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2025 |
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(Level 1) |
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(Level 2) |
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(Level 3) |
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Investments held in Trust Account |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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— |
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$ |
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— |
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Public warrants |
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$ |
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$ |
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— |
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$ |
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— |
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$ |
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Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 are recognized at the end of the reporting period. Transfers can be found in the folling table:
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Public Warrants |
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Level |
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Value |
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Initial Measurement 5/5/2025 |
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3 |
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$ |
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Change in Fair Value |
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Fair Value at 6/30/2025 |
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1 |
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Change in Fair Value |
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Fair Value at 9/30/2025 |
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1 |
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Change in Fair Value |
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Fair Value at 12/31/2025 |
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3 |
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$ |
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9. Risk and Uncertainties
United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, conflicts in the Middle East and South America and other geopolitical conflicts. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the conflicts in the Middle East and South America and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and its neighboring states and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing conflicts are highly unpredictable, they could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions and increased cyberattacks against U.S. companies. Additionally, any resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Various macroeconomic, geopolitical and regulatory uncertainties and challenges pose risks to economic conditions in the U.S. and globally, including, among others, any resurgence in inflation; changes to trade and tariffs, immigration, energy and other policies resulting from the new U.S. administration; changes in interest rate policies; the Russia-Ukraine war; conflicts in the Middle East and South America; and economic conditions and tensions involving China.
These and other risks could negatively impact economic growth rates and unemployment levels in the U.S. and other countries and result in volatility and disruptions in financial markets. Such risks could also adversely affect the Company’s search for an Initial Business Combination and any target business with which the Company may ultimately consummate an Initial Business Combination.
10. Segment Information
ASC Topic 280, “Segment Reporting,” establishes standards for companies to report in their financial statement information about operating segments, products, services, geographic areas, and major customers. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Company’s chief operating decision maker, or group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance.
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regarding resource allocation, the CODM reviews several key metrics included in net income (loss) and total assets, which include the following:
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December 31, |
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December 31, |
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2025 |
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2024 |
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Cash |
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$ |
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$ |
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Cash and investments held in Trust Account |
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$ |
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Professional fees and other expenses are reviewed and monitored by the CODM to manage and forecast cash to ensure enough capital is available to complete a Business Combination within the business combination period. The CODM also reviews professional fees and other expenses to manage, maintain and enforce all contractual agreements to ensure costs are aligned with all agreements and budget. Professional fees and other expenses, as reported on the statements of operations, are the significant segment expenses provided to the CODM on a regular basis. All other segment items included in net income or loss are reported on the statements of operations and described within their respective disclosures.
11. Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the audited financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the audited financial statements.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer have concluded that during the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level and, accordingly, provided reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
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Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no material changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the most recently completed fiscal quarter that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
During the period covered by this Annual Report, none of the Company's directors or executive officers has
Item 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
None.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Our current directors and officers are as follows:
Name |
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Title |
Alec Gores |
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72 |
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Chairman |
Mark R. Stone |
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62 |
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Chief Executive Officer |
Andrew McBride |
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45 |
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Chief Financial Officer and Secretary |
Randall Bort |
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61 |
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Director |
Nancy Tellem |
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73 |
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Director |
Elizabeth Marcellino |
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68 |
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Director |
Alec Gores has been our Chairman since July 2023. Mr. Gores is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Gores Group, a global investment firm focused on acquiring businesses that can benefit from the firm’s operating expertise. Mr. Gores implemented an operational approach to private equity investing when he founded The Gores Group in 1987 by operating businesses alongside management, or in some cases in lieu of management, to build value in those entities. Since then, Mr. Gores and the firm have invested in over 135 businesses worldwide. Mr. Gores began his career as a self-made entrepreneur and operating executive. In 1978, he self-funded and founded Executive Business Systems (EBS), a developer and distributor of vertical business software systems. Within seven years, EBS had become a leading value-added reseller in Michigan and employed over 200 people. In 1986, CONTEL purchased EBS, and Mr. Gores subsequently began acquiring and operating non-core businesses from major corporations and building value in those entities, a decision that ultimately led to the founding of what has evolved into The Gores Group today. Under his leadership, The Gores Group has continued to acquire businesses in need of operational and financial resources, while creating value and working with management teams to establish an entrepreneurial environment as a foundation for sustainable growth. This philosophy has served the firm well. Mr. Gores served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings I from its inception in June 2015 until completion of the Hostess acquisition in November 2016, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings II from its inception in August 2016 until completion of the Verra acquisition in October 2018 and as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings III from its inception in October 2017 until the completion of the PAE acquisition in February 2020. Additionally, Mr. Gores served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Gores Metropoulos from its inception in August 2018 until the completion of the Luminar acquisition in December 2020 and has served as a director of Luminar since December 2020. In addition, Mr. Gores served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings IV from its inception June 2019 until the completion of the UWM acquisition in January 2021, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings V from its inception in June 2020 until the completion of the AMP acquisition in August 2021 and as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings VI from its inception in June 2020 until the completion of the Matterport acquisition in July 2021. Additionally, Mr. Gores served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings VII from its inception in September 2020 until liquidation in December 2022, Gores Holdings VIII from its inception in September 2020 until liquidation in December 2022, Gores Technology I from its inception in December 2020 until liquidation in December 2022 and Gores Technology II from its inception in December 2020 until liquidation in December 2022. Mr. Gores also served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Gores Metropoulos II from its inception July 2020 until the completion of the Sonder acquisition in January 2022, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Guggenheim from its inception in December 2020 until the completion of the Polestar acquisition in June 2022, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gores Holdings IX since its inception in January 2021 until liquidation in December 2024. Mr. Gores holds a degree in Computer Science from Western Michigan University. Mr. Gores’ significant investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Mark Stone has been our Chief Executive Officer since July 2023. Mr. Stone is a Senior Managing Director of The Gores Group. Mr. Stone is a member of the Investment Committee and a member of the Office of the Chairman of The Gores Group. Mr. Stone has worked at The Gores Group for more than fifteen years. Mr. Stone served as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings I from its inception in June 2015 until completion of the Hostess acquisition in November 2016 and served as a director of Hostess until April 2018. Additionally, Mr. Stone served as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings II from its inception in August 2016 until completion of the Verra Mobility acquisition in October 2018, as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings III from its inception in October 2017 until the completion of the PAE acquisition in February 2020, as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings IV from
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its inception in June 2019 until the completion of the UWM acquisition in January 2021, as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings V from its inception in June 2020 until the completion of the AMP acquisition in August 2021, as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings VI from its inception in June 2020 until the completion of the Matterport acquisition in July 2021, as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings VII from its inception in September 2020 until liquidation in December 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings VIII from its inception in September 2020 until liquidation in December 2022, and as Chief Executive Officer of Gores Guggenheim from its inception in December 2020 until the completion of the Polestar acquisition in June 2022. Mr. Stone served as the Chief Executive Officer of Gores Holdings IX since its inception in January 2021 until liquidation in December 2024. From 2005 until 2013, Mr. Stone primarily focused on worldwide operations of Gores’ portfolio companies and Gores’ operational due diligence efforts. He has been a senior team member with key responsibility in several turnaround, value-oriented investment opportunities, including Stock Building Supply, a supplier of building materials and construction services to professional home builders and contractors in the Unites States; United Road Services, a provider of finished vehicle logistics services; and Sage Automotive Interiors, the largest North American manufacturer of high-performance automotive seat fabrics. Mr. Stone has also been involved with the acquisitions, successful carve-outs and transformations of Lineage Power and VincoTech, manufacturers of telecom conversion products, electronic OEMs, power modules, GPS products and electronic manufacturing services, from TE Connectivity Ltd.; Therakos, a global leader in advanced technologies for extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), from Johnson & Johnson; and Sagem Communications, a Paris-based manufacturer of set-top boxes, residential terminals, printers and other communications equipment, from the Safran Group. He has served as Executive Chairman and/ or CEO of several portfolio companies including Siemens Enterprise Communications, a leading Munich-based global corporate telephony (PBX) and unified communications (UC) solutions provider, and Enterasys Networks, a global network solutions provider. Prior to joining The Gores Group, Mr. Stone spent nearly a decade as a chief executive transforming businesses across the services, industrial and technology sectors. Mr. Stone spent five years with The Boston Consulting Group as a member of their high technology and industrial goods practices and served in the firm’s Boston, London, Los Angeles and Seoul offices. Mr. Stone earned a B.S. in Finance with Computer Science and Mathematics concentrations from the University of Maine and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew McBride has been our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary since July 2023. Mr. McBride has served as Director, Finance and Tax at The Gores Group since February 2010, where he is responsible for tax due diligence and structuring of acquisitions, compliance, planning, financial management and portfolio company reporting. Mr. McBride also served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Gores Holdings I from January 2016 until completion of the Hostess acquisition in November 2016. Additionally, Mr. McBride served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Gores Holdings II from its inception in August 2016 until completion of the Verra acquisition in October 2018, as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Gores Holdings III from its inception in October 2017 until the completion of the PAE acquisition in February 2020, the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Metropoulos from its inception in August 2018, until the completion of the Luminar acquisition in December 2020, as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Gores Holdings IV since its inception in June 2019 until the completion of the UWM acquisition in January 2021, as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Holdings V since its inception in June 2020 until the completion of the AMP acquisition in August 2021, as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Holdings VI since its inception in June 2020 until the completion of the Matterport acquisition in July 2022 and as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Metropoulos II from its inception in July 2020 until the completion of the Sonder acquisition in January 2022. Additionally, Mr. McBride served as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Holdings VII from its inception in September 2020 until liquidation in December 2022, Gores Holdings VIII from its inception in September 2020 until liquidation in December 2022, Gores Technology I from its inception in December 2020 until liquidation in December 2022 and Gores Technology II from its inception in December 2020 until liquidation in December 2022. Mr. McBride has also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Guggenheim from its inception in December 2020 until the completion of the Polestar acquisition in June 2022 and the Chief Financial Officer of Gores Holdings IX from its inception in January 2021 until liquidation in December 2024. Previously, from January 2008 to January 2010, Mr. McBride worked in the High Net Worth group at Ehrhardt, Keefe, Steiner, and Hottman, P.C. From January 2004 to January 2008, Mr. McBride was with KPMG, LLP, assisting international corporations with tax planning, structuring and compliance issues. Mr. McBride holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Notre Dame and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Colorado.
Randall Bort has served on our board of directors since May 2025. Mr. Bort is the Chief Strategy and Capital Markets Officer for Serverfarm Holdings LLC, a global data center developer and operator, and has served in that capacity since September 2023. Mr. Bort is also a Co-Founder of SandTree Holdings, LLC, a private commercial real estate investment firm, and has been a partner at SandTree since November 2012. Previously, Mr. Bort was an
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investment banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert, BT Securities, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Credit Suisse First Boston, The Mercanti Group and Imperial Capital. Mr. Bort has significant financial, transactional and capital markets experience across multiple industries and has worked both domestically and in Asia. Mr. Bort earned a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College and an M.B.A. in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Bort served as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings I from August 2015 until completion of the Hostess acquisition in November 2016, as a member of the board of directors of Verra Mobility Corp. (formerly Gores Holdings II) from January 2017 until June 2019, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings III from September 2018 until the completion of the PAE acquisition in February 2020, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Metropoulos from February 2019 until the completion of the Luminar acquisition in December 2020, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings IV from June 2019 until the completion of the UWM acquisition in January 2021, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings V from June 2020 until the completion of the AMP acquisition in August 2021, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings VI from June 2020 until the completion of the Matterport acquisition in July 2021, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Metropoulos II from January 2021 until the completion of the Sonder acquisition in January 2022, and as a member of the board of directors of Gores Guggenheim from March 2021 until the completion of the Polestar acquisition in June 2022. Mr. Bort also served as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings VII from February 2021 until December 2022, as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings VIII from March 2021 until December 2022, and as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings IX from January 2022 until December 2024. Mr. Bort also is a member of the Board of Trustees of All For Kids (f/k/a Children’s Bureau), a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles focused on foster care and the prevention of child abuse. Mr. Bort’s significant investment and financial expertise make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Nancy Tellem has served on our board of directors since May 2025. Since 2014, Ms. Tellem is the Executive Chairperson of Eko (formerly Interlude), a visual e-commerce company using its proprietary interactive and AI technology to drive deeper and immersive customer engagements and sales; its technology enhances customer engagement, boosts conversion rates, and reduces cart abandonment and returns. From 2012 to 2014, Ms. Tellem, as President of Xbox Entertainment Studios, oversaw Microsoft’s TV strategy and created a studio focused on developing and producing interactive programming. Ms. Tellem was President of the CBS Network Television Entertainment Group from 1997 to 2012, where she oversaw both CBS Entertainment Network and CBS Studios. As President, she evaluated business and strategic opportunities: content partnerships, new production models, developing technologies, and emerging media. She also oversaw all programming, development, production, business and legal operations, and the network’s primetime, daytime and late-night lineups. During her tenure at CBS, Ms. Tellem helped revive the network by championing “Survivor”, “CSI” and “Everybody Loves Raymond”, and played an important role in the company’s early efforts to expand its content and distribution across digital and mobile platforms. Before CBS, Ms. Tellem shepherded in such hits as “ER” and “Friends” as Executive Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs for Warner Brothers. In 2006, Ms. Tellem was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame for her contributions to the electronic arts. Two years later, Forbes ranked her 32nd on its list “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.” Simultaneously, Entertainment Weekly named her the third-smartest person in TV for quickly restoring CBS’s entire primetime lineup after the 100-day writers’ strike. The National Association of Television Program Executives awarded Ms. Tellem a Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award in recognition of her “extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating TV programming.” In 2020, Ms. Tellem founded BasBlue Inc., a nonprofit organization and first ever women’s space in Detroit dedicated to promoting a diverse and inclusive community of women by fostering authentic connections, and leadership and growth opportunities through educational seminars, mentorship programs, and other programming. Ms. Tellem has held and currently holds board and advisory positions at numerous digital and media-related companies, including Eko, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Rocket Companies Inc, Nielsen Holdings, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. and Sipur, an Israeli film and TV company, and several nonprofit organizations, including the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Museum, and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Ms. Tellem earned her B.A. from the University of California Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of California, San Francisco School of Law. Ms. Tellem’s business strategy, game-changing innovation and technology and insights on culture and branding make her well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Elizabeth Marcellino has served on our board of directors since May 2025. Ms. Marcellino is the strategic communications lead for the Chief Executive Office of Los Angeles County with a focus on the county’s nearly $50 billion annual budget. She previously worked for more than a dozen years as a writer and journalist reporting on a wide range of policy issues for Los Angeles-based City News Service. She was previously a managing director at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., where she worked from 1991 to 2004 in investment banking, portfolio management, and private
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equity. During her time with the firm’s Principal Investment Area, Ms. Marcellino managed operations and human resources in support of a global team investing $10 billion in corporate private equity funds. Prior to that, as a portfolio manager for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Elizabeth launched and managed the Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, a total return fund invested primarily in REITs. As an investment banker, Elizabeth advised primarily real estate clients in a wide range of public and private buy-side and sell-side transactions across all property types, including lodging and gaming. Ms. Marcellino has served as a member of the board of directors of AMP since August 2021. Additionally, Ms. Marcellino served as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings VI from June 2020 until the completion of the Matterport acquisition in July 2021, a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings VII from February 2021 until December 2022, a member of the board of directors of Gores Guggenheim from March 2021 until the completion of the Polestar acquisition in June 2022, and as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings IX from January 2022 until December 2024. Ms. Marcellino earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Marcellino’s significant investment and management experience make her well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of four members. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors at a general meeting in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders and approved, holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares (including holders of the private placement shares) and holders of our Class B Ordinary Shares, voting together as a single class, will have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Other than pursuant to the proviso in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by approval of a majority of our Class B Ordinary Shares then outstanding. Each of our directors will hold office for a two-year term. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders 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 amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that each of Randall Bort, Nancy Tellem and Elizabeth Marcellino are “independent directors” 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.
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on May 2, 2025, we have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, utilities
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and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In addition, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. These individuals will also be reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. In addition, on May 1, 2025, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors at their original purchase price. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any business combination target. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. Randall Bort, Nancy Tellem and Elizabeth Marcellino serve as members of our audit committee. Randall Bort serves as the chairman of the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Randall Bort, Nancy Tellem and Elizabeth Marcellino are independent.
Each member of the audit committee is financially sophisticated under the applicable Nasdaq listing standards and our board of directors has determined that Randall Bort qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
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the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
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pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
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reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to |
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evaluate their continued independence; |
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setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors; |
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setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
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obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
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reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
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reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Randall Bort, Nancy Tellem and Elizabeth Marcellino serve as members of our compensation committee. Elizabeth Marcellino serves as the chairman of the compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent. Randall Bort, Nancy Tellem and Elizabeth Marcellino are independent.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers;
• reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;
• implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
• assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
• approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
• if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
• reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
It is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the
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advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee. 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. 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 shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of shareholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of shareholders). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for election to the Board post business combination should follow the procedures set forth in our memorandum and articles of associations.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to our IPO registration statement. You will be able to review the code by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. Requests for a printed copy may be directed to us as follows: Gores Holdings X, Inc., 6260 Lookout Road, Boulder, CO 80301, ATTN: Secretary. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Clawback Policy
We have adopted a compensation recovery policy that is compliant with Nasdaq listing rules as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.
Insider Trading Policy
We have adopted an
Conflicts of Interest
The Gores Group manages several investment vehicles. Funds managed by Gores or its affiliates may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these funds decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated within Gores, including by Mr. Gores, may be suitable for both us and for a current or future Gores fund and may be directed to such investment vehicle rather than to us. Neither Gores nor members of our management team who are also employed by certain affiliates of The Gores Group have any obligation to present us with any business combination target of which they become aware, unless presented to such member solely in his or her capacity as an officer of the company. Gores and/or our management, in their capacities as officers or managing directors of Gores or in their other endeavors, may be required to present such
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business combination target to the related entities described above, current or future Gores investment vehicles, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Specifically, all of our officers and certain of our directors have fiduciary and contractual duties to The Gores Group and certain companies it has invested in or managed. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to search for our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity (including with respect to any business transaction that may involve another Gores entity) for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Accordingly, none of The Gores Group or our directors or officers will have obligations to present a business combination opportunity to us.
However, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our 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 shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
• None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities.
• In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
• Our initial shareholders purchased founder shares and our sponsor purchased private placement shares in a transaction that closed simultaneously with the closing of the IPO. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, after the closing of the IPO. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement shares held in the trust account will be used to
102
fund the redemption of our public shares, and our sponsor’s investment the private placement shares will be worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial shareholders until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the rights to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares following the IPO, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within 24 months (or 27 months if we have executed a definitive agreement for an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the IPO), or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, after the closing of the IPO.
• Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
• Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The private placement shares issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement shares sold in a private placement concurrently with the IPO.
• The low price of $25,000, or $0.003 per share, that the initial shareholders paid for 8,970,000 founder shares creates an incentive whereby the initial shareholders could potentially make a substantial profit even if the company selects an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.
On May 1, 2025, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors at their original purchase price.
• Our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us and will not be reimbursed for any loans extended, fees due or out-of-pocket expense if we do not complete an initial business combination.
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
• duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
• duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
• directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
• duty to exercise authority for the purpose for which it is conferred and a duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
• duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
• duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience
103
that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
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. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity (including with respect to any business transaction that may involve another Gores entity) for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
Name of Individual |
|
Entity Name |
|
Entity’s Business |
|
Affiliation |
Alec Gores |
|
The Gores Group |
|
Investments |
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
Luminar Technologies, Inc. |
|
Investments |
|
Chairman |
Mark Stone |
|
The Gores Group |
|
Investments |
|
Senior Managing Director |
Andrew McBride |
|
The Gores Group |
|
Investments |
|
Senior Vice President, Finance & Tax |
Randall Bort |
|
Serverfarm Holdings LLC |
|
Data Centers |
|
Chief Strategy and Capital Markets Officer |
|
|
SandTree Holdings, LLC |
|
Real Estate Investments |
|
Partner |
|
|
All for Kids (f/k/a Children’s Bureau) |
|
Non-Profit |
|
Trustee |
Elizabeth Marcellino |
|
Ardagh Metal Packaging S.A |
|
Metal Packaging |
|
Director |
|
|
Society of Professional Journalists, Greater Los Angeles Chapter |
|
|
|
Treasurer & Director |
Nancy Tellem |
|
Eko |
|
Media |
|
Executive Chairperson |
|
|
Sipur Studios |
|
Media |
|
Advisor |
|
|
Cranbrook Art Academy and Museum |
|
Non-Profit |
|
Director |
|
|
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy |
|
Non-Profit |
|
Director |
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, or from an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Further, commencing on May 2, 2025 pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. In addition, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased
104
during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto).
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Since May 2, 2025, we pay monthly recurring expenses of $20,000 to The Gores Group for office space, administrative and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of a Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In addition, we may pay our Sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigation and completing our Business Combination. The individuals will also be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors and our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed.
After the completion of our Business Combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed Business Combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a proposed Business Combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the Company's board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our Board.
105
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of a Business Combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after a Business Combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management team to remain with us after the consummation of a Business Combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential Business Combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
We have no compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance.
The following table sets forth information available to us at March 27, 2026 with respect to the beneficial ownership of our Class A Ordinary Shares held by:
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by them.
Name and Address of |
|
Number of Shares |
|
|
Percentage of Shares of |
|
|
||
Beneficial Owner(1) |
|
Beneficially Owned |
|
|
Outstanding Ordinary Shares |
|
|
||
Gores Sponsor X LLC(2)(3) |
|
|
9,120,000 |
|
|
|
20.2 |
|
% |
Alec Gores(3) |
|
|
9,120,000 |
|
|
|
20.2 |
|
% |
Tenor Capital Management Company, L.P.(4) |
|
|
1,812,567 |
|
|
|
5.1 |
|
% |
Mark R. Stone |
|
|
— |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
Andrew McBride |
|
|
— |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
Randall Bort |
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
Nancy Tellem |
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
Elizabeth Marcellino |
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
All directors and executive officers as a group (6 individuals) |
|
|
9,195,000 |
|
|
|
20.4 |
|
% |
* Less than one percent.
106
Our initial shareholders beneficially own an aggregate of 9,195,000 Class B Ordinary Shares or 20.40% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares and have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination by reason of their ownership of founder shares. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the appointment of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
The holders of the founder shares and private placement shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination (except with respect to any such public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto) and (B) not to redeem any founder shares or private placement shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor and our executive officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares
The founder shares and private placement shares and any Class A Ordinary Shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in letter agreements with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable, assignable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) 180 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement shares, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case; (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor or their affiliates and funds and accounts advised by such members, or any affiliates of our sponsor or any employee of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to such person’s immediate family, any estate planning vehicle, or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (g) pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement; (h) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (i) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (h); or (j) in the event of our liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (h) and (j) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
ITEM 13. |
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
On June 30, 2023, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of the Company’s offering costs in consideration of 11,500,000 founder shares. On February 3, 2025, the Sponsor surrendered for no consideration 4,025,000 founder shares. On May 1, 2025, the Company effected a stock dividend with respect to its Class B ordinary shares of 1,495,000 shares thereof, resulting in an aggregate of 8,970,000 outstanding shares of Class B ordinary shares. Up to 1,170,000 of the founder shares were subject to surrender for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment is exercised. Pursuant to the Public Offering, the Underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option;
107
therefore, the 1,170,000 shares are no longer subject to forfeiture. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding following the surrender on February 3, 2025 and dividend on May 1, 2025 was determined based on the total size of this offering of 35,880,000 shares (considering the exercise of the full underwriter’s over-allotment option), and therefore that such founder shares represent 20.00% of the outstanding shares (excluding the private placement shares).
Our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 225,000 private placement shares for a purchase price of $10.00 per share in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of the IPO. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at approximately $2,275,000. The private placement shares may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder during the lock up period.
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 then- current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Commencing on May 2, 2025, we have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In addition, we may pay our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation in connection with identifying, investigating and completing our initial business combination. These individuals will also be reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which fees and expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on payments that may be made to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates.
Prior to the closing of the IPO, our sponsor had agreed to loan us up to $600,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the IPO. These loans were non-interest bearing, unsecured and were due at the earlier of December 31, 2025, or the closing of the IPO. The loan was repaid upon the closing of the IPO out of the estimated $2,000,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. 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. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement shares, at a price of $10.00 per share at the option of the lender. The private placement shares issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement shares sold in a private placement concurrently with the IPO. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. See also “Item 1. Business – Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Business Combination” of this Form 10-K for a description of the limited trust account indemnification that may be provided by our sponsor.
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 our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the private placement shares, including the private placement shares issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), and the Class A Ordinary Shares
108
issuable upon conversion of the founder shares
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Fees for professional services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm for the Year Ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024:
|
|
For the Year Ended |
|
|
For the Year Ended |
|
||||
|
|
December 31, 2025 |
|
|
December 31, 2024 |
|
||||
Audit Fees(1) |
|
$ |
|
194,824 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
Audit-Related Fees(2) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
||
Tax Fees(3) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
||
All Other Fees(4) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
||
Total |
|
$ |
|
194,824 |
|
|
$ |
|
0 |
|
Policy on Board Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of the Independent Auditors
The audit committee is responsible for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of the independent auditors. In recognition of this responsibility, the audit committee shall review and, in its sole discretion, pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors as provided under the audit committee charter.
109
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, and Financial Statement Schedules
Financial Statements: The financial statements listed in “Index to the Financial Statements” at “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
|
|
|
Exhibit Number |
|
Description |
3.1 |
|
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
4.1 |
|
Specimen Unit Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 filed with the Form S-1 filed by the Registrant on April 29, 2025). |
|
|
|
4.2 |
|
Specimen Class A Ordinary Share Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 filed with the Form S-1 filed by the Registrant on April 29, 2025). |
|
|
|
4.3 |
|
Specimen Warrant Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 filed with the Form S-1 filed by the Registrant on April 29, 2025). |
|
|
|
4.4 |
|
Warrant Agreement, dated May 5, 2025, by and between the Company, Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as warrant agent. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
Underwriting Agreement, dated May 1, 2025, by and between the Company and Santander US Capital Markets LLC. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.2 |
|
Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated May 5, 2025, between the Company and Computershare, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.3 |
|
Registration Rights Agreement, dated May 5, 2025, among the Company, Gores Sponsor X LLC and certain other security holders named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.4 |
|
Private Placement Shares Purchase Agreement, dated May 1, 2025, between the Company and Gores Sponsor X LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.5 |
|
Form of Letter Agreement by and between the Company and each of its officers and directors, and Gores Sponsor X LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
110
10.6 |
|
Administrative Services Agreement, dated May 1, 2025, between the Company and The Gores Group, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.7 |
|
Form of Indemnity Agreement between the Company and each of its officers and directors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 6, 2025). |
|
|
|
10.8 |
|
Securities Subscription Agreement, dated June 30, 2023, between the Registrant and Gores Sponsor X LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 filed with the Form S-1 filed by the Registrant on April 11, 2025). |
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19.1 |
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Code of Ethics (inclusive of Insider Trading Policy) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.1 filed with the Form S-1 filed by the Registrant on April 11, 2025) |
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24.1* |
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Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages herein). |
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31.1* |
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Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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31.2* |
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Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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32.1** |
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Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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32.2** |
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Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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97.1* |
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Incentive-Based Compensation Recovery Policy |
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101.INS |
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Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. |
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101.SCH |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema With Embedded Linkbase Documents |
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104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
None.
111
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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GORES HOLDINGS X, INC. |
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Date: March 27, 2026 |
By: |
/s/ Mark Stone |
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Mark Stone |
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Chief Executive Officer |
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(Principal Executive Officer)
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Mark Stone and Andrew McBride and each or any one of them, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name |
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Title |
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Date |
/s/ Alec Gores |
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Chairman |
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March 27, 2026 |
Alec Gores |
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/s/ Mark Stone |
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Chief Executive Officer |
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March 27, 2026 |
Mark Stone |
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(Principal Executive Officer) |
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/s/ Andrew McBride |
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Chief Financial Officer and Secretary |
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March 27, 2026 |
Andrew McBride |
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(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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/s/ Randall Bort |
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Director |
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March 27, 2026 |
Randall Bort |
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/s/ Nancy Tellem |
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Director |
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March 27, 2026 |
Nancy Tellem |
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/s/ Elizabeth Marcellino |
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Director |
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March 27, 2026 |
Elizabeth Marcellino |
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112
FAQ
What is Gores Holdings X, Inc. (GTEN) and what is its business purpose?
How much capital did Gores Holdings X (GTEN) raise in its IPO and how is it held?
What are the key deadlines for Gores Holdings X (GTEN) to complete a business combination?
How many Gores Holdings X (GTEN) shares are currently outstanding?
What is the trust account redemption value for Gores Holdings X (GTEN) public shareholders?
What was the market value of Gores Holdings X (GTEN) public float on June 30, 2025?
What is the financial position of Gores Holdings X (GTEN) outside the trust account?
