Item 1. Business.
Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated as an exempted company under the laws of the Cayman Islands on February 9, 2024, which will seek to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this Annual Report as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to focus on industries that complement our management team’s and board of director’s background and network, and to capitalize on the ability of our management team and board of directors to identify and acquire a business, focusing on the food and beverage industry. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
Our management team is comprised of individuals who bring a wealth of experience across diverse domains, including the food and beverage industry, financial services, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and leadership roles in publicly traded firms. Each member of our team has a robust professional background that spans several decades, and their collective expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries.
Throughout their extensive careers, our management team has not only accumulated a deep understanding of their respective fields but has also earned the trust and respect of key stakeholders, including founders, executives, investors, and industry leaders. These relationships have been nurtured through their multifaceted roles as operators, private equity investors, and merger and acquisition specialists across a wide range of sectors.
As a result, our management team and board of directors possesses a unique vantage point within these industries, allowing us to access valuable insights, forge strategic partnerships, and identify promising investment opportunities that align with our objectives.
During their extensive careers, our management team and board of directors has earned the trust and respect of founders, executives, investors, and trendsetters in a wide range of sectors, including but not limited to the food and beverage industry, financial services, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and leadership roles in publicly traded firms. These relationships have been cultivated by our management team through their various roles as operators, investors and investment bankers.
All of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to the PRC. Our ties to China present legal and operational risks to us and our investors, including significant risks related to actions that may be taken by China in the areas of regulatory, liquidity and enforcement, which exist and are independent of the legal and operational risks that ties to China or Hong Kong may present in connection with effecting an initial business combination. For example, if these ties were to cause China to view us as subject to their regulatory authority, China could take actions that could materially hinder or prevent our offering of securities to investors, materially change our operations and/or the value of the securities we are registering, and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
In addition, our executive officers’ and directors’ ties to China may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC than a non-PRC related SPAC. As a result, we are more likely to acquire a company based in China in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we will not consider or undertake an initial business combination with any company with financial statements audited by an accounting firm that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) has been unable to inspect for two consecutive years. Further, due to (i) the risks associated with acquiring and operating a business in the PRC and/or Hong Kong, and (ii) the fact that our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to China, it may make us a less attractive partner to certain potential target businesses, including non-China- or non-Hong Kong-based target companies.
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In the event that we determine to pursue a business combination with a target company based in China or Hong Kong, we may become subject to legal and operational risks resulting from Chinese laws and regulations that are sometimes vague and uncertain, and which may therefore, present risks that may result in a material change in the combined company’s principal operations in China, significant depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or which may materially hinder or prevent the offering of securities by the combined company to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. For example, if we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in China, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of PCAOB inspection of its auditors or the auditors of the target business. In addition, the combined company may be subject to legal and operational risks associated with having substantially all of its operations in China, including risks related to the legal, political and economic policies of the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United States, or Chinese or United States regulations, which risks could result in a material change in the combined company’s operations and/or the value of the securities of the combined company.
As indicated above, while we intend to focus our search on businesses in Asia, we are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Because our management team has a substantial network in the PRC, we may pursue a business combination with a company doing business in China, which may have legal and operational risks associated with such a decision. These risks could result in a material change in the target company’s post-combination operations or could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless. However, we will not consummate our initial business combination with an entity or business with China operations consolidated through a variable interest entity (“VIE”) structure.
Since all of our executive officers and directors are located in or have significant ties to the PRC, we may be a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC, thereby limiting our pool of acquisition candidates. This would impact our search for a target company and make it harder for us to complete an initial business combination with a non-China-based target company. For example, a combination with a U.S. target company may be subject to review by a U.S. government entity or may ultimately be prohibited. Furthermore, the additional time that could be required for governmental review of the transaction or complete prohibition of the transaction could prevent us from completing an initial business combination and require us to liquidate. In the event of liquidation, investors would lose their investment opportunity in potential target companies, any price appreciation in a combined company, and their financial investment in the rights, which would expire worthless.
We believe that our management team and board of directors is well positioned to identify and execute compelling business combination opportunities. Our objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and enhance value through identifying a high-quality target, negotiating favorable acquisition terms for our shareholders, and leveraging our expertise and network to improve business performance of the newly-publicly listed company.
While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to focus on industries that complement our management team’s background and network, and to capitalize on the ability of our management team and board of directors to identify and acquire a business. With respect to the foregoing experiences of our management team and board of directors, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance as indicative of our future performance. For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see Item 10. – Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. In addition, for a list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to Item 10. – Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
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Business Strategy
Our strategy is centered around three core pillars:
● Creative Transaction Sourcing: We are committed to identifying unique and innovative
approaches to sourcing potential transactions. Leveraging our extensive network, we aim to seize a wide range of opportunities in
terms of asset quality, market size, profitability, development prospects, value-added opportunities and targets that have a strong
foundation in its management team and governance structure.
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● Leveraging Management Expertise: The collective experience
and expertise of our management team and board of directors serve as invaluable assets. We will leverage this wealth of knowledge to
provide guidance and attention to potential business combination targets, ensuring they align with our strategic vision.
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● Financial Market Insights: Our deep understanding
of financial markets, financing options, and overall corporate strategy positions us to make informed decisions. We will harness this
knowledge to further our objectives.
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Our approach to target selection will be greatly enhanced by our management team’s and board of director’s vast network of industry experts, venture capital investors, private equity sponsors, credit investors, members of the lending community, and relationships with management teams of both public and private companies. These relationships are expected to yield a diverse array of business combination opportunities.
We are committed to adopting a proactive and thematic sourcing strategy, concentrating our efforts on companies where we believe our leadership experience, relationships, capital, and expertise in capital markets can serve as catalysts for transformation. Our aim is to accelerate the growth and performance of our target companies.
Following the completion of our initial public offering, our management team and board of directors has engaged with their extensive network of relationships to articulate our initial business combination criteria. This has included defining the parameters of our search for a target business. We have initiated a disciplined and thorough process of pursuing and evaluating promising leads.
Investment Criteria
Our investment strategy is guided by a set of high-level, non-exclusive criteria designed to help us identify and evaluate target businesses. These criteria are indicative of our commitment to seeking out opportunities that align with our strategic vision and provide compelling value for our investors. While these criteria provide a foundational framework for our investment decisions, they are by no means exhaustive, and we remain flexible and adaptable in our approach. Our overarching goal is to identify businesses that can thrive within the public markets and leverage our collective capabilities for mutual success.
● Target Size: We intend to focus on businesses with an aggregate enterprise value ranging from
$500 million to $3.0 billion. This deliberate size range allows us to identify opportunities that align with our
investment strategy and provide attractive prospects for growth and value creation.
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● Scalable Growth Platform: Our interest lies in businesses that possess the inherent potential
for scalable growth. We are drawn to companies that can efficiently expand their operations, enabling them to capture new markets,
respond effectively to increased demand, and sustain growth over time. We recognize that scalability is a key driver of long-term
success and value creation.
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● Strong Competitive Positioning: We seek businesses with a robust competitive edge,
underpinned by factors such as defensible technologies, a strong intellectual property portfolio, and distinct advantages that
protect their competitive position and foster a culture of innovation. We understand the importance of differentiation and
innovation in maintaining a leading market presence.
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● Committed and Capable Management Team: The management team of our target business is of
paramount importance. We aim to acquire companies led by professional management teams whose interests are harmoniously aligned with
those of our investors. We view the synergy between our management team and that of the target business as a vital component of our
investment strategy. If necessary, we are open to enhancing and complementing the capabilities of the target’s management team
or board by leveraging our extensive network to recruit additional talent.
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● Public Company Benefits: We intend to acquire businesses that can maximize the
advantages of being publicly traded. This includes access to broader capital markets and increased visibility, both of which can
contribute significantly to the company’s growth and overall success. We recognize that the transition to a public company is
a critical juncture, and we aim to support businesses in harnessing the potential that comes with this transformation.
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● Sourced through Proprietary Channels: Our approach to sourcing opportunities is distinctive.
We do not anticipate participating in broadly marketed processes. Instead, we rely on our proprietary network and extensive
relationships to source potential business combinations. This approach allows us to access unique opportunities that may not be
readily available through conventional channels.
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● Leveraging Unique Capabilities: One of our core strengths lies in our collective
capabilities, encompassing a wealth of experience, industry knowledge, and a diverse network of contacts. We are committed to
identifying businesses where these collective capabilities can be leveraged to create tangible improvements in operations and market
positioning. We believe that our ability to add substantial value is a cornerstone of our investment strategy.
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It is essential to note that while these criteria provide a foundational framework, our evaluation process extends beyond these general guidelines. We remain open to considering other factors, considerations, and criteria that our management deems relevant to the merits of a particular initial business combination. Our flexibility and adaptability in evaluating opportunities are indicative of our commitment to securing investments that offer substantial growth potential and value for our investors. As we embark on our journey, we are dedicated to upholding these principles and maintaining the highest standards of diligence and strategic acumen.
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 on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
We have reviewed, and continue to review, a number of opportunities to enter into an initial business combination, but we are not able to determine at this time whether we will complete an initial business combination with any of the target businesses that we have reviewed or with any other target business. We also have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based on our business activities, the Company is a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
On March 19, 2024, our sponsor paid $25,000 for 8,625,000 founder shares, for a purchase price of approximately $0.003 per share. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expected total size of the initial public offering (the “IPO”) would be a maximum of 34,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent approximately 20% of the outstanding shares following our IPO. As a result of the underwriters’ election to fully exercise their over-allotment option on September 4, 2024, no founder shares were forfeited resulting in the sponsor holding 8,625,000 founder shares.
On August 2, 2024, we consummated our initial public offering of 30,000,000 units (the “Units”) at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $300,000,000. Additionally, on September 4, 2024, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in the amount of 4,500,000 Units, generating additional gross proceeds of $45,000,000, for a total of $345,000,000 (the “Base Offering”). Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A ordinary shares” or “Public Shares”) and one half of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”) of the Company, with each whole Public Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Base Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 759,000 private placement units (the “Private Placement Units” and, together with the Public Units, the “Units”) to the sponsor, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, or $7,590,000 in the aggregate. Each Private Placement Unit is identical to the Public Units.
Subsequently, on September 4, 2024, the underwriters fully exercised the over-allotment option (the “Over-Allotment” and collectively with the Base Offering, the “IPO”)) and the closing of the issuance and sale of the additional Units occurred on September 5, 2024. The total aggregate issuance by the Company of 4,500,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit resulted in total gross proceeds of $45,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Over-Allotment, pursuant to the private placement unit purchase agreement, dated July 31, 2024, between the Company and AA Mission Acquisition Sponsor Holdco LLC, the Company completed the private sale of 90,000 Private Placement Units to the Sponsor at a purchase price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit generating gross proceeds to the Company of $900,000.
A total of $346,725,000 of the proceeds from IPO and Private Placement, was placed in the trust account (the “Trust Account”). The funds held in the Trust Account are invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
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Initial Business Combination
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account at the time of execution of the definitive agreement for such business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects.
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 of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80% fair market value test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Pursuant to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we will have until 18 months (or up to 24 months with both extensions) from the closing of our IPO, or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to complete an initial business combination. However, we may hold a shareholder vote at any time to amend our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity). As described herein, our initial shareholders, executive officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
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.
Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets
We believe that our management team’s deep-rooted relationships and extensive network within the food and beverage industry positions us favorably to identify and pursue unique opportunities in the private company landscape. Our approach to selecting target businesses is founded on leveraging these invaluable relationships, which include connections with founders of private companies, executives from both private and public corporations, venture capitalists, and private equity and growth equity funds. Through these relationships, we aim to access a diverse range of prospective target businesses that align with our investment strategy.
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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 a finder’s fee 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. Any such payments prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account.
We are not prohibited from paying any fees (such as advisory fees), reimbursements or cash payments to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, including the following payments, all of which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account:
● Payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of $10,000 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;
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● Reimbursement for any out of-pocket expenses related to identifying,
investigating and completing an initial business combination;
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● Payment of a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting
fee or success fee for any services they render in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business combination; and
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● Repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made
by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and 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 units of the post-business combination
entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private placement units. Except
for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions stating that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view and a majority of our disinterested and independent directors approve such transaction.
Certain members of our management team (including our independent directors) directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement units 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. The low price that our sponsor and/or our 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the founder shares and private placement units may expire worthless, except to the extent the holders thereof receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor and our executive officers and directors to complete any transaction, regardless of its ultimate value. 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.
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Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our second 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 for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders 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 an initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 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 underwriters.
Our initial shareholders, 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 and public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will only consummate an initial business combination if our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. 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 initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares in connection with such initial business combination, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following our IPO, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial 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 applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company (other than with a 90% subsidiary of ours) and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), we will be required to comply with the NYSE’s shareholder approval rules.
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The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on the NYSE. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution of our shareholders, which is a resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares, held by the shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company and includes a unanimous written resolution.
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a general meeting, we will:
● 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
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● file proxy materials with the SEC.
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If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution under our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law, which is a resolution passed by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote at a general meeting of the company and includes a unanimous written resolution. In accordance with our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, a quorum for such meeting will be holders of one-third of the shares in the capital of the company being individuals present in person or by proxy or if a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorized representative or proxy at the general meeting. Our initial shareholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our IPO (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 12,937,500, or approximately 37.5% of the 34,500,000 public shares sold in our IPO to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised and applicable law does not require approval by a greater majority than an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company, voting together as a single class). Assuming that the holders of only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares are present in person or by proxy, representing a quorum under our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and all such shares are voted, we would not need any of the 34,500,000 public shares sold in our IPO to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the overallotment option is not exercised and applicable law does not require approval by a higher threshold than an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, this requires the affirmative vote of a majority of ordinary shares, which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company voting together as a single class). 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, against or abstain from the proposed transaction or whether they were a shareholder on the record date for the shareholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
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:
● conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E
of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
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● 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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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. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only consummate an initial business combination if our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, 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, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
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We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, 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. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will only consummate an initial business combination if our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. 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 initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares in connection with such initial business combination, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following our IPO, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will have only until the end of the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such completion window, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of 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), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window or any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, if our initial shareholders, sponsor or management team acquire public shares in or after our 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 completion window.
Our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 the completion window or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares if our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,0001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.
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 the $417,897 held outside the trust account, although there may not 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 income taxes or make other permitted withdrawals, 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.
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If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any permitted withdrawals or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.05. 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 $10.05. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we may not have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, 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 consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. 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. The underwriters of our IPO and our independent registered public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. 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. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.05 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less permitted withdrawals, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not 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 $10.05 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less permitted withdrawals, 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 in any particular instance. Accordingly, due to claims of creditors, the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.05 per 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 vendors, service providers (except our 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 underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2024, we have access to $417,897 held outside the trust account. 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 may not be able to return $10.05 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 preference, conveyance or disposition”. As a result, a bankruptcy or other court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors 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 (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 the completion window or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our 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. These provisions of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other special purpose acquisition companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies 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 us. 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 shareholders who exercise or are forced to 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.
Employees
We currently have two executive officers, Qing Sun and Shibin Fang. These individuals 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 they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual 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 proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents 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, or reconciled to, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
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We are required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business 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 business combination.
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 30 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 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 our 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 Class A ordinary shares that are 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.