UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
For the quarterly period
ended
OR
For the transition period from _________ to _________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer |
(Address Of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
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Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class: | Trading Symbol: | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered: | ||
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, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
☒ | Smaller reporting company | ||
Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check
mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting
standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
As of May 12, 2023,
PONTEM CORPORATION
Form 10-Q
For the Quarter ended March 31, 2023
Table of Contents
i
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed Financial Statements
PONTEM CORPORATION
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
March 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2023 | 2022 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
Assets | ||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||
Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
Prepaid expenses | ||||||||
Total current assets | ||||||||
Cash and Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||
Total Assets | $ | $ | ||||||
Liabilities, Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Redemption and Shareholders’ Deficit | ||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
Accrued expenses | ||||||||
Extension loan - related party, at fair value | ||||||||
Working capital loans - related party, at fair value | ||||||||
Total current liabilities | ||||||||
Deferred legal fees | ||||||||
Deferred underwriting commissions | ||||||||
Derivative liabilities | ||||||||
Total Liabilities | ||||||||
Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||
Shareholders’ Deficit: | ||||||||
Preference shares, $ |
||||||||
Class A ordinary shares, $ |
||||||||
Class B ordinary shares, $ |
||||||||
Accumulated deficit | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||
Total shareholders’ deficit | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||
Total Liabilities, Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption and Shareholders’ Deficit | $ | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
1
PONTEM CORPORATION
UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
2023 | 2022 | |||||||
General and administrative expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
General and administrative expenses - related party | ||||||||
Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Other income (expense) | ||||||||
Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||
Change in fair value of the forward purchase agreement | ( | ) | ||||||
Change in fair value of extension loans | - | |||||||
Change in fair value of working capital loans | ||||||||
Investment income on Trust Account | ||||||||
Total other income, net | ||||||||
Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
$ | $ | |||||||
$ | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
2
PONTEM CORPORATION
UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023
Class B Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Shareholder’ | |||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||
Balance - December 31, 2022 | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||
Remeasurement of redemption value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net income | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance – March 31, 2023 | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) |
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2022
Class B Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Shareholder’ | |||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||
Balance - December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||
Net income | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance – March 31, 2022 | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
3
PONTEM CORPORATION
UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
2023 | 2022 | |||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||||||
Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||
Change in fair value of the forward purchase agreement | ( | ) | ||||||
Change in fair value of working capital loans | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Change in fair value of extension loans - related party | ( | ) | ||||||
Income from cash and investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses | ( | ) | ||||||
Accounts payable | ( | ) | ||||||
Accrued expenses | ||||||||
Deferred legal fees | ( | ) | ||||||
Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||||||
Investment of cash into Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||
Cash withdrawn from Trust Account in connection with redemption | ||||||||
Net cash provided by investing activities | ||||||||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||||||
Proceeds from extension loan - related party | ||||||||
Proceeds from working capital note - related party | ||||||||
Redemption of Class A ordinary shares | ( | ) | ||||||
Net cash used in financing activities | ( | ) | ||||||
Net change in cash | ( | ) | ||||||
Cash - beginning of the period | ||||||||
Cash - end of the period | $ | $ | ||||||
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
Remeasurement of Class A ordinary shares to redemption value | $ | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.
4
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 - Description of Organization and Business Operations
Pontem Corporation (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on October 15, 2020. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses that the Company has not yet identified (“Business Combination”).
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from October 15, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation, and since the closing of the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”), the search for a prospective initial business combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income on its investments held in the trust account (the “Trust Account”) from the proceeds of its Initial Public Offering.
The Company’s sponsor is Pontem LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was
declared effective on January 12, 2021. On January 15, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial
Public Offering, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering
and the Private Placement, $
The Company’s management has broad discretion
with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of its Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants,
although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. The Company’s
initial Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least
The Company will provide its holders of the Public
Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion
of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means
of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender
offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for
a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company’s
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 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
5
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company’s Sponsor, executive officers,
directors and director nominees agreed not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of its Public
Shares in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem
On January 13, 2023, the Company held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the “Extraordinary General Meeting”) to vote on the Extension Amendment Proposal, the Trust Amendment Proposal, and an adjournment proposal, each as described in the definitive proxy statement of the Company relating to the Extraordinary General Meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 16, 2022. At the Extraordinary General Meeting, the Company’s shareholders approved a proposal (the “Trust Amendment Proposal”) to amend the Company’s investment management trust agreement, dated as of January 12, 2021 (the “IMTA”), by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), to extend the date by which the Company has to consummate a business combination from January 15, 2023 to July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) to be in the best interests of the Company (the “Extension”). Following such approval by the Company’s shareholders, the Company and CST entered into the Amendment No. 1 to the IMTA on January 13, 2023 (the “IMTA Amendment”).
In connection with the vote to approve the
Extension Amendment Proposal and the Trust Amendment Proposal, the holders of
If the Company is unable to complete a Business
Combination by July 15, 2023, or such earlier date as determined by the Company’s board of directors (taking account into the extension
described in Note 10), (the “Combination Period”), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding
up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the
Trust Account (less taxes payable and up to $
In connection with the redemption of
The Initial Shareholders agreed to waive their
liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
However, if the Initial Shareholders should acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating
distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within
the Combination Period. The underwriters agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the
Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such
amounts will be included with the funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Company’s
Public Shares.
Liquidity and Going Concern
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had approximately
$
Prior to the Initial Public Offering, the Company’s
liquidity needs were satisfied through a contribution of $
6
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, the
Company’s liquidity needs have been satisfied with the proceeds of $
Management believes that the Company may need additional loans from the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or the end of the Combination Period. Over this time period, the Company will be using these funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Management intends to complete the Business Combination prior to the liquidation date. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the Company’s projected cash needs and mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after the end of the then current Combination Period. The unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine and the surrounding region on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that these risks and uncertainties could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these unaudited condensed financial statements. The unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the balances and results for the periods presented. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected through December 31, 2023.
The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K April 3, 2023.
Emerging growth company
As an emerging growth company, the Company 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 of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial 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.
7
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Use of Estimates
The preparation of unaudited condensed financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the unaudited condensed 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.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject
the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times, may exceed the Federal
depository insurance coverage of $
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had no cash equivalents as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
Cash and Investments Held in Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments is comprised of cash and 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 and generally have a readily determinable fair value, or a combination thereof. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of U.S. government securities, the investments are classified as trading securities. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of money market funds, the investments are recognized at fair value. Trading securities and investments in money market funds are presented on the balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these securities is included in investment income on Trust Account in the accompanying statements of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under the FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements,” equals or approximates their carrying amounts represented in the balance sheets.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. 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 consist of:
● | 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.
Derivative Instruments
The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants and forward purchase agreements, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as assets, liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
The Company is committed to issue Forward Purchase Units (defined in Note 5), which are recognized as derivative assets or liabilities depending on the fair value in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the Company recognizes Forward Purchase Agreement (defined below) instruments as assets or liabilities at fair value and adjusts the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The assets or liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the statements of operations. The fair value of the Units associated with the Forward Purchase Agreement (defined in Note 5) have been estimated utilizing a forward pricing model.
8
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the “Public Warrants”) and the Private Placement Warrants are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjusts the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the statements of operations. The fair value of Public Warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering are measured based on the listed market price of such warrants. As the transfer of Private Placement Warrants to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the Private Placement Warrants having substantially the same terms as the Public Warrants, the Company determined that the fair value of each Private Placement Warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant. As a result, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants is based on the observable listed prices for the Public Warrants. The determination of the fair value of the warrant liability may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly. Derivative warrant liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the Initial Public Offering that were directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with warrant liabilities are expensed as incurred, presented as non-operating expenses in the statements of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares were included in temporary equity along with accretion of the Class A ordinary shares. The Company classified deferred underwriting commissions as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Extension Loans - Related Party
The Company has elected the fair value option to account for its Extension Loans - related party with its Sponsor and HSM-Invest as defined and more fully described in Note 5. As a result of applying the fair value option, the Company records each draw at fair value with a gain or loss recognized at issuance, and subsequent changes in fair value are recorded as change in the fair value of its Extension Loans - related party on the statements of operations. The fair value is based on prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. These inputs reflect management’s and, if applicable, an independent third-party valuation firm’s own assumption about the assumptions a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability.
Working Capital Loans - Related Party
The Company has elected the fair value option to account for its Working Capital Loans - related party with its Sponsor and HSM-Invest as defined and more fully described in Note 5. As a result of applying the fair value option, the Company records each draw at fair value with a gain or loss recognized at issuance, and subsequent changes in fair value are recorded as change in the fair value of its Working Capital Loans - related party on the statements of operations. The fair value is based on prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. These inputs reflect management’s and, if applicable, an independent third-party valuation firm’s own assumption about the assumptions a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability.
Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary
shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value.
Conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within
the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control)
are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s
Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject
to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022,
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of the Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Effective with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes,” which prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
The Company is considered an exempted Cayman Islands company 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.
9
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Net Income (Loss) per Ordinary Shares
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has two classes of 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 shares. Net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted-average shares of ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period.
The calculation of diluted net income per ordinary
share does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement to
purchase an aggregate of
The following table reflects presents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic and diluted net income per ordinary share for each class of ordinary shares:
For the three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||
Class A | Class B | Class A | Class B | |||||||||||||
Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||
Allocation of net income | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted weighted average ordinary shares outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted net income per ordinary share | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions”. The ASU amends ASC 820 to clarify that a contractual sales restriction is not considered in measuring an equity security at fair value and to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value. The ASU applies to both holders and issuers of equity and equity-linked securities measured at fair value. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. The Company is considering the impact of this pronouncement on the unaudited condensed financial statements.
The Company’s management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards updates, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements.
Note 3 – Initial Public Offering
On January 15, 2021, the Company consummated its
Initial Public Offering of
Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one
redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share
at an exercise price of $
Note 4 - Private Placement
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial
Public Offering, the Company consummated the Private Placement of
Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable
for one whole share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
10
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 5 - Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On October 19, 2020, the Company issued
The Initial Shareholders agreed not to transfer,
assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) three years after the completion of the initial Business
Combination or (ii) the date following the completion of the initial Business Combination on which the Company completes a liquidation,
merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary
shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals
or exceeds $
Working Capital Related Party Loans
On October 16, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company
up to $
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs
in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, members of the Company’s founding team or any of their affiliates may, but
are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business
Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise,
the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does
not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds
held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation
of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $
On April 30, 2021, the Company entered a Working
Capital Loan Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to $
Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement,
the Company issued promissory notes (the “Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes”) for the principal amount
of $
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, approximately
$
Extension Related Party Loans
In connection with the shareholders’ approval
of the Extension, Pontem LLC, the Sponsor, and HSM-Invest will deposit into the Trust Account of $
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, approximately
$
11
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing on the date that the Company’s
securities were first listed on NYSE through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and the liquidation, the
Company agreed to pay the Sponsor $
In addition, the Sponsor, officers and directors, or their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. The Company’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by the Company to the Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial Business Combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account.
Consulting Agreement
On October 15, 2020, the Company entered into
an agreement to obtain consulting services from an affiliate of its Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to which the Company agreed to pay
such affiliate of its Chief Financial Officer $
Forward Purchase Agreement
On January 12, 2021, the Company entered into
a forward purchase agreement with QVIDTVM Management LLC (the “Forward Purchase Agreement”) providing for the purchase of
up to
Note 6 - Commitments and Contingencies
Registration and Shareholder Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans) were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement signed upon the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The holders of these securities were entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company registered such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to use its reasonable best efforts (i) to file within 30 days after the closing of a Business Combination a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of the Forward Purchase Shares and the Forward Purchase Warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares), (ii) to cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the initial filing, (iii) to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which the Sponsor or its assignees cease to hold the securities covered thereby and (B) the date all of the securities covered thereby can be sold publicly without restriction or limitation under Rule 144 under the Securities Act and (iv) after such registration statement is declared effective, cause us to conduct firm commitment underwritten offerings, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the Forward Purchase Agreement provides that these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company.
12
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Underwriting Agreement
The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day
option from the date of our final prospectus to purchase up to
Deferred Legal Fees
The Company engaged a legal counsel firm for legal
advisory services, and the legal counsel agreed to defer their fees in excess of $
Note 7 - Derivative Warrant Liabilities
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the
Company had
Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder (or the Company permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under certain circumstances). The Company agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC and have an effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, it will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
The warrants have an exercise price of $
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or such purchasers’ permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the Initial Shareholders or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
13
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00:
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
● | in whole and not in part; | |
● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; | |
● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and | |
● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00:
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
● | in whole and not in part; | |
● | at a price of $0.10 per warrant; | |
● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; | |
● | if, and only if, the closing price of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per Public Share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within the 30 trading-day period ending three trading days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; | |
● | if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted), the Private Placement Warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above; | |
● | provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to an agreed table based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of Class A ordinary shares |
The “fair market value” of Class A ordinary shares for the above purpose shall mean the volume weighted-average price of Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment).
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
Note 8 - Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature
certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain
future events. The Company is authorized to issue
The Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption reflected on the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2021 | $ | |||
Plus: | ||||
Remeasurement of redemption value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2022 | $ | |||
Less: | ||||
Redemptions | ( | ) | ||
Plus: | ||||
Remeasurement of redemption value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, March 31, 2023 | $ |
14
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 9 - Shareholders’ Deficit
Preference Shares - The Company
is authorized to issue
Class B Ordinary Shares - The Company
is authorized to issue
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically
convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of the initial Business Combination on
a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the
like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities
are issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion
of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate,
Note 10 - Fair Value Measurements
The following table presents information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
Fair Value Measured as of March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||
Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
Investments held in Trust Account - cash | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities - Public Warrants | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities - Private Placement Warrants | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities - Forward Purchase Agreement | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Total derivative liabilities: | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Extension loans – related party | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Working capital loans - related party | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Fair Value Measured as of December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||
Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
Investments held in Trust Account - money market funds | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities - Public Warrants | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities - Private Placement Warrants | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Derivative liabilities - Forward Purchase Agreement | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Total derivative liabilities: | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Working capital loans - related party | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period. The estimated fair value of the Public Warrants transferred from an initial Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 fair value measurement as the Public Warrants were separately listed and traded in March 2021. The estimated fair value of the Private Placement Warrants was transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 2 fair value measurement in July 2021, as the transfer of Private Placement Warrants to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the Private Placement Warrants having substantially the same terms as the Public Warrants.
Level 1 assets include investments in cash and money market funds that invest solely in U.S. Treasury securities. The Company uses inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, quoted market prices from dealers or brokers, and other similar sources to determine the fair value of its investments.
15
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Level 3 Valuations
Forward Purchase Agreement
The fair value of the Units associated with the Forward Purchase Agreement have been estimated utilizing a forward pricing model with Level 3 inputs. The Company determined that the initial fair value of the Units (including shares and warrants) associated with the Forward Purchase Agreement as of January 15, 2021, was insignificant.
Inherent in a forward pricing model are assumptions related to expected life and risk-free interest rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the Units associated with the Forward Purchase Agreement. The expected life of the Units associated with the Forward Purchase Agreement is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term.
The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements inputs for Forward Purchase Agreement as their measurement dates:
As of December 31, 2022 | As of March 31, 2023 | |||||||
Forward Purchase Agreement: | ||||||||
Expected term | ||||||||
Risk-free interest rate | % | % | ||||||
Probability of Business Combination | % | % |
Warrants
The fair value of the Public Warrants issued in connection with the Public Offering and Private Placement Warrants were initially measured at fair value using a Monte Carlo simulation model and subsequently, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants have been estimated using a Modified Black-Scholes model.
Inherent in a Monte Carlo simulation model, Modified Black-Scholes Model, and a forward pricing model are assumptions related to expected stock-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock warrants based on implied volatility from the Company’s traded warrants and from historical volatility of select peer company’s common stock that matches the expected remaining life of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates remaining at zero.
Change in Fair Value of Derivative Liabilities – Level 3 inputs
The change in the fair value of the derivative liabilities, measured using Level 3 inputs, for the period ended March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, is summarized as follows:
Derivative liabilities at December 31, 2021 - Level 3 measurement | $ | |||
Change in fair value of forward purchase agreement - Level 3 measurement | ( | ) | ||
Derivative (asset) at March 31, 2022 - Level 3 measurement | ( | ) | ||
Change in fair value of forward purchase agreement - Level 3 measurement | ||||
Derivative liabilities at December 31, 2022 - Level 3 measurement | ||||
Change in fair value of forward purchase agreement - Level 3 measurement | ||||
Derivative liabilities at March 31, 2023 - Level 3 measurement | $ |
Working Capital Loan - Related Party
The estimated fair value of the Working Capital Loan - Related Party was estimated utilizing a Black-Scholes model with Level 3 inputs.
The following table provides quantitative information regarding the inputs for the fair value measurement of the Working Capital Loan - Related Party as of their measurement dates:
Working capital loans | As of December 31, 2022 | As of March 31, 2023 | ||||||
Exercise price | $ | $ | ||||||
Volatility | % | % | ||||||
Expected term | ||||||||
Risk-free interest rate | % | % | ||||||
Probability of Business Combination | % | % |
16
PONTEM CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The change in the fair value of the working capital loans - related party, measured utilizing Level 3 measurements for the period ended March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, is summarized as follows:
Working capital loans – related party at December 31, 2021 - Level 3 measurement | $ | |||
Change in fair value of working capital loans - Level 3 measurement | ( | ) | ||
Working capital loans – related party at March 31, 2022 - Level 3 measurement | ||||
Proceeds from working capital loan - related party | ||||
Change in fair value of working capital loans - Level 3 measurement | ( | ) | ||
Working capital loans – related party at December 31, 2022 - Level 3 measurement | ||||
Proceeds from working capital loan - related party | ||||
Change in fair value of working capital loans - Level 3 measurement | ( | ) | ||
Working capital loans – related party at March 31, 2023 - Level 3 measurement | $ |
Extension Loan - Related Party
The estimated fair value of the Extension Loan - Related Party was estimated utilizing a discounted cash flow model with Level 3 inputs.
The following table provides quantitative information regarding the inputs for the fair value measurement of the Extension Loan - Related Party as of their measurement dates:
Extension loans | As of March 31, 2023 | |||
Spread | % | |||
Expected term | ||||
Risk-free interest rate | % | |||
Probability of Business Combination | % |
The change in the fair value of the Extension loans - related party, measured utilizing Level 3 measurements for the period ended March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, is summarized as follows:
Extension loans – related party at December 31, 2022 - Level 3 measurement | $ | |||
Proceeds from extension loan - related party | ||||
Change in fair value of extension loans - Level 3 measurement | ( | ) | ||
Extension loans – related party at March 31, 2023 - Level 3 measurement | $ |
Note 11 - Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred up to the date the condensed financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, other than the below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the condensed financial statements.
As of the date of the filing, the Company borrowed
an aggregate of $
On April 10, 2023, a member of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company notified the Board of his decision to resign as a director of the Company effective immediately. Effective as of April 10, 2023, the Board appointed David Hagen to serve on the Board. Mr. Hagen will serve as a Class III director of the Company. In connection with Mr. Hagen’s appointment as a director, on April 10, 2023, the Company entered into a letter agreement with Mr. Hagen (the “Letter Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, Mr. Hagen has agreed (i) to vote any Class A ordinary shares held by him in favor of the Company’s initial business combination; (ii) to facilitate the liquidation and winding up of the Company if an initial business combination is not consummated; and (iii) to certain transfer restrictions with respect to the Company’s securities. The Letter Agreement contains substantially similar provisions to the letter agreement entered into by the Company with its other insiders at the time of the Company’s initial public offering. The Company also entered into an indemnification agreement with Mr. Hagen in connection with his appointment to the Board.
17
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
References to the “Company,” “Pontem Corporation” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Pontem Corporation. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, those described in our other SEC filings.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on October 15, 2020 for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we intend to focus our search on global and regional consumer brands businesses.
We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement of the Private Placement Warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, equity and debt.
The issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of our existing investors, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
● | may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares; |
● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt or otherwise incur significant debt, it could result in:
● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; | |
● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
● | our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares; |
18
● | 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 Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
Our Sponsor is Pontem LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The registration statement for our Initial Public Offering became effective on January 12, 2021. On January 15, 2021, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 69,000,000 units, which includes 9,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, at $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $690.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $38.9 million, of which approximately $24.2 million and approximately $213,000 was for deferred underwriting commissions and deferred legal fees, respectively.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the Private Placement of 10,533,333 Private Placement Warrants, at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, a Switzerland simple partnership, generating gross proceeds of $15.8 million.
Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $690.0 million ($10.00 per unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement were placed in a Trust Account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or 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, as determined by us, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
If we are unable to complete a Business Combination by July 15, 2023, or such earlier date as determined by our board of directors (taking account into the extension described below), 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 (less taxes payable 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 the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law.
Extension, Redemptions, Trust Deposits and Promissory Notes
On January 13, 2023, our Company held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the “Extraordinary General Meeting”) to vote on the Extension Amendment Proposal, the Trust Amendment Proposal, and an adjournment proposal, each as described in the definitive proxy statement of our Company relating to the Extraordinary General Meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 16, 2022. At the Extraordinary General Meeting, our shareholders approved a proposal (the “Trust Amendment Proposal”) to amend the our investment management trust agreement, dated as of January 12, 2021 (the “IMTA”), by and between our Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), to extend the date by which we have to consummate a business combination from January 15, 2023 to July 15, 2023 or such earlier date as is determined by the our board of directors (the “Board”) to be in the best interests of our Company (the “Extension”). Following such approval by our Company’s shareholders, our Company and CST entered into the Amendment No. 1 to the IMTA on January 13, 2023 (the “IMTA Amendment”).
In connection with the vote to approve the Extension Amendment Proposal and the Trust Amendment Proposal, the holders of 43,652,840 Class A ordinary shares of our Company properly exercised their right to redeem their shares for cash at a redemption price of approximately $10.16 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $443,355,210.
In connection with the shareholders’ approval of the Extension, Pontem LLC, our Sponsor, and HSM-Invest have notified us of their intention to effect a monthly deposit into the Trust Account of $833,333 (up to $5.0 million for six months) as loans to us (each, a “Contribution”) on or prior to the 15th of each month during the Extension, unless the Board otherwise determines to liquidate our Company earlier.
On January 13, 2023, we issued unsecured promissory notes (the “Notes”) each in the principal amount of up to $2.5 million to our Sponsor and HSM-Invest. The Notes are repayable in full upon the date of our initial Business Combination. If we do not complete an initial business combination, the Notes will not be repaid, and all amounts owed under them will be forgiven except to the extent that the Company has funds available to it outside of its Trust Account. The Notes are subject to customary events of default, including cross-default of each Note, the occurrence of which automatically triggers the unpaid principal balance of the Notes and all other sums payable with regard to the Notes becoming immediately due and payable. The Notes were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
19
Results of Operations
Our entire activity since inception up March 31, 2023, was in preparation for our formation and the Initial Public Offering and after the IPO, searching for a target. We will not be generating any operating revenues until the closing and completion of our initial Business Combination.
For the three months ended March 31, 2023, we had net income of approximately $1.9 million, which consisted of change in fair value of extension loans of approximately $2.0 million, investment income on the Trust Account of approximately $2.5 million, and change in fair value of Working Capital Loans of approximately $1.4 million, partially offset by change in fair value of derivative liabilities of approximately $3.0 million, general and administrative expenses of approximately $638,000, general and administrative expenses to related party of approximately $30,000, and change in fair value of the Forward Purchase Agreement of approximately $200,000.
For the three months ended March 31, 2022, we had net income of approximately $18.6 million, which consisted of change in fair value of derivative liabilities of approximately $18.8 million, investment income on the Trust Account of approximately $66,000, change in fair value of the Forward Purchase Agreement of approximately $734,000, change in fair value of Working Capital Loans of approximately $15,000 partially offset by general and administrative expenses of approximately $921,000 and general and administrative expenses to related party of approximately $45,000.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $205,000 in its operating bank account and a working capital deficit of approximately $451,000, excluding the balance of the working capital note outstanding with a fair value of approximately $1,381,000.
Prior to the Initial Public Offering, our liquidity needs to date have been satisfied through a contribution of $25,000 from our Sponsor to cover certain expenses in exchange for our issuance of the Founder Shares, a loan of up to approximately $300,000 from our Sponsor pursuant to a promissory note, of which approximately $227,000 was outstanding just prior to repayment. We repaid the promissory note in full on January 18, 2021.
Subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, the Company’s liquidity needs have been satisfied with the proceeds of $2.0 million from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account, as well as the proceeds from the Working Capital Loans. In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors have the ability and intent to provide us Working Capital Loans.
As more fully described in the Notes to our financial statements included herein as Item 1, on April 30, 2021, we entered into a working capital loan agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to which we may borrow up to $1.2 million from our Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to our business and the consummation of the Business Combination. All unpaid principal under the working capital promissory note will be due and payable in full on the effective date of the Business Combination. On September 30, 2021, we entered into an Amended and Restated Agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, that amended the amount we can borrow to be up to $4.0 million. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the principal amount of approximately $3.35 million and $1.85 million, respectively, was borrowed and outstanding under the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans are presented at fair value on the accompanying balance sheets and were approximately $791,000 and $709,000 at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. At March 31, 2023, there was $0.65 million remaining of borrowing capacity under the Working Capital Loans. We believe we may need additional loans from our Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors to meet our needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or the end of the Combination Period.
Over this time period, we would be using the funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Management intends to complete the Business Combination prior to the liquidation date. In connection with management’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined that the Company’s projected cash needs and mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after the end of the then current Combination Period. The unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine and the surrounding region on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that these risks and uncertainties could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these unaudited condensed financial statements. The unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On October 19, 2020, we issued 14,375,000 Class B ordinary shares to our Sponsor in exchange for the payment of $25,000 from our Sponsor to cover certain expenses on our behalf. Shares and the associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the shares capitalizations on December 23, 2020, January 8, 2021 and January 15, 2021, resulting in an aggregate of 17,250,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. The holders of the Founder Shares agreed to surrender and cancel up to an aggregate of 2,250,000 Founder Shares, on a pro rata basis, to the extent that the option to purchase additional units was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the Founder Shares would represent approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering. On January 15, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised the over-allotment option; thus, these 2,250,000 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
The Initial Shareholders agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) three years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or (ii) the date following the completion of the initial Business Combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least one year after the initial Business Combination, the Founder Shares will be released from the lockup.
Related Party Loans
On October 16, 2020, our Sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 pursuant to a promissory note. The promissory note was non-interest bearing, unsecured and due upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. We borrowed approximately $181,000 through December 31, 2020 and approximately $227,000 prior to the Initial Public Offering under the Note. We repaid the Note in full on January 18, 2021.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our Sponsor, members of our founding team or any of our affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we will repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
On April 30, 2021, we entered into the Agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to which we may borrow up to $1.2 million from the Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to the business of us and the consummation of the Business Combination. On April 30, 2021, pursuant to the Agreement, we issued a Working Capital Promissory Note for the principal amount of $600,000 to the Sponsor and HSM-Invest, respectively. The Working Capital Promissory Note does not bear any interest. All unpaid principal under the Working Capital Promissory Note will be due and payable in full on the Maturity Date. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, we were not required to repay the Working Capital Promissory Note if it fails to complete the Business Combination. The Sponsor and HSM-Invest would have the option, at any time on or prior to the Maturity Date, to convert up to $1.5 million under the Working Capital Promissory Note into warrants to purchase our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, at a conversion price of $1.50 per warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the same adjustments applicable to the Private Placement Warrants sold concurrently with our Initial Public Offering.
On September 30, 2021, we entered into the Amended and Restated Agreement with our Sponsor and HSM-Invest, pursuant to increase the amount we may borrow up to $4.0 million in the aggregate from the Sponsor and HSM-Invest for ongoing expenses reasonably related to the business of us and the consummation of any business combination by us. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement, we issued restated promissory notes (the “Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes”) in the principal amount of $2.0 million to each of the Sponsor and HSM-Invest. The promissory notes do not bear any interest. All unpaid principal under the Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes will be due and payable in full on the Maturity Date. Pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Agreement, we are not required to repay the Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes if we fail to complete the Business Combination. The Sponsor and HSM-Invest will have the option, at any time on or prior to the Maturity Date, to convert up to $1.5 million under the Amended and Restated Working Capital Promissory Notes into warrants to purchase our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, at a conversion price of $1.50 per warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to the same adjustments applicable to the Private Placement Warrants sold concurrently with our Initial Public Offering.
In the year ended December 31, 2022, we borrowed an additional $1.25 million under the Working Capital Loans. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, approximately $3.35 million and $1.85 million in principal balance, respectively, was drawn under the Working Capital Loans, presented at the estimated fair value of approximately $791,000 and $592,000, respectively, on the accompanying balance sheets. At March 31, 2023, there was $0.65 million remaining of borrowing capacity under these Working Capital Loans.
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Extension Related Party Loans
In connection with the shareholders’ approval of the Extension, our Sponsor and HSM-Invest will deposit into the Trust Account of $833,333 monthly (up to $5.0 million for six months) as loans to the Company on or prior to the 15th of each month during the Extension, unless the Board otherwise determines to liquidate the Company earlier. On January 13, 2023, we issued unsecured promissory notes (the “Notes”) each in the principal amount of up to $2.5 million to our Sponsor and HSM-Invest. The Notes are repayable in full upon the date of the Company’s initial Business Combination. If the Company does not complete an initial business combination, the Notes will not be repaid, and all amounts owed under them will be forgiven except to the extent that the Company has funds available to it outside of its Trust Account. The Notes are subject to customary events of default, including cross-default of each Note, the occurrence of which automatically triggers the unpaid principal balance of the Notes and all other sums payable with regard to the Notes becoming immediately due and payable. The Notes were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, approximately $2.5 million and $0 in principal balance, respectively, was drawn under the Notes, presented at the estimated fair value of approximately $590,000 and $0, respectively, on the accompanying balance sheets. At March 31, 2023, there was $2.5 million remaining of borrowing capacity under these Notes.
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing on the date that our securities were first listed on NYSE through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and the liquidation, we agreed to pay our Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of the management team. The Company incurred $30,000 in such fees included as general and administrative expenses to related party on the accompanying unaudited condensed statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there was no balance due.
In addition, our Sponsor, officers and directors, or our respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial Business Combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account.
Consulting Agreement
On October 15, 2020, we entered into an agreement to obtain consulting services from an affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to which we agreed to pay such affiliate of our Chief Financial Officer $5,000 per month. Consulting expenses resulting from such agreement were included within general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statements of operations. During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred $15,000 in consulting expenses. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we have prepaid expenses of $5,000 in connection with such services on the accompanying unaudited condensed balance sheets, respectively.
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Forward Purchase Agreement
On January 12, 2021, we entered into a Forward Purchase Agreement with QVIDTVM Management LLC providing for the purchase of up to 15,000,000 Forward Purchase Units, with each unit consisting of one Forward Purchase Share and one Forward Purchase Warrant, in a Private Placement to occur concurrently with the closing of the initial Business Combination. The number of Forward Purchase Units to be purchased by QVIDTVM Management LLC will be subject to the sole discretion of Mr. Alici, who has investment control over the capital committed to such entity, but in no event will be less than 5,000,000 Forward Purchase Units. The obligations under the Forward Purchase Agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares held by Public Shareholders are redeemed by us. The obligation to purchase the Forward Purchase Units is subject to customary closing conditions, including that the initial Business Combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with, and immediately following, the purchase of Forward Purchase Units. The Forward Purchase Shares and Forward Purchase Warrants will be issued only in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination. The proceeds from the sale of forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial Business Combination, expenses in connection with the initial Business Combination or for working capital in the post-transaction company. The Forward Purchase Agreement is accounted for as an asset or liability measured at fair value with changes in fair value reported each period in earnings.
Contractual Obligations
Registration and Shareholder Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans) were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement signed upon the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The holders of these securities were entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we registered such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement, we agreed to use our reasonable best efforts (i) to file within 30 days after the closing of a Business Combination a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of the Forward Purchase Shares and the Forward Purchase Warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares), (ii) to cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the initial filing, (iii) to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which our Sponsor or our assignees cease to hold the securities covered thereby and (B) the date all of the securities covered thereby can be sold publicly without restriction or limitation under Rule 144 under the Securities Act and (iv) after such registration statement is declared effective, cause us to conduct firm commitment underwritten offerings, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the Forward Purchase Agreement provides that these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us.
Non-binding Letter of Intent
We have entered into a non-binding letter of intent that sets forth the preliminary terms and conditions of a potential business combination with a Target operating a multinational industrial technology business that serves diversified end markets. The Target, which has been in operation for almost forty years, has a blue-chip customer base and is supported by strong shareholders. The Target had approximately $1 billion in revenues in 2021. In addition, the Company has teamed up with an affiliate of a premier alternative asset manager to support the transaction, which the Company expects will increase transaction certainty. The initial exclusivity period contemplated by the non-binding letter of intent expired and the parties are no longer actively engaged in discussions regarding the potential initial business combination.
Completion of the transaction is subject to, among other things, the negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement providing for the transaction, satisfaction of the closing conditions included therein and approval of the transaction by the Company’s shareholders. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be entered into or that the proposed transaction will be consummated.
Underwriting Agreement
We granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 9,000,000 additional units at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On January 15, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised the over-allotment option.
The underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $13.8 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per unit, or approximately $24.2 million in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Deferred Legal Fees
We engaged a legal counsel firm for legal advisory services, and the legal counsel agreed to defer their fees in excess of $350,000. The deferred fee will become payable in the event that we complete a Business Combination. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had Deferred Legal Fees of approximately $3.4 million and $4.1 million in connection with such services on the accompanying unaudited condensed balance sheet, respectively.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of unaudited condensed financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. A summary of our significant accounting policies is included in Note 2 to our condensed financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report. Certain of our accounting policies are considered critical, as these policies are the most important to the depiction of our unaudited condensed financial statements and require significant, difficult or complex judgments, often employing the use of estimates about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain. We believe that our critical accounting policies and estimates have a higher degree of inherent uncertainty and require our most significant judgments. In addition, had we used to estimate different from any of these, our unaudited condensed financial statements could have been materially different from those presented. Such policies are summarized below:
Derivative instruments
We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of our financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants and forward purchase agreements, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as assets, liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
We are committed to issue forward purchase units, which are recognized as derivative assets or liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, we recognize forward purchase agreement instruments as assets or liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The assets or liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the statement of operations. The fair value of the units associated with the forward purchase agreement have been estimated utilizing a forward pricing model.
The public warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering and the private placement warrants are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, we recognize the warrant instruments as liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations. The fair value of the public warrants issued in connection with the Public Offering and private placement warrants were initially measured at fair value using a Monte Carlo simulation model and subsequently, the fair value of the private placement warrants has been estimated using a Modified Black-Scholes model each measurement date. The fair value of public warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering have subsequently been measured based on the listed market price of such warrants. As the transfer of private placement warrants to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the private placement warrants having substantially the same terms as the public warrants, we determined that the fair value of each private placement warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant. The fair value of the Warrants as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 is based on observable listed prices for such warrants. The determination of the fair value of the warrant liability may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly. Derivative warrant liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the initial public offering that were directly related to the initial public offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the initial public offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with warrant liabilities are expensed as incurred, presented as non-operating expenses in the statement of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares were included in temporary equity along with accretion of the Class A ordinary shares. Of the total offering costs of the initial public offering, approximately $1.8 million is included in financing cost - derivative warrant liabilities in the statements of operations. The Company classified deferred underwriting commissions as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, 25,347,160 and 69,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, respectively, are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the balance sheet.
We recognize changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Effective with the closing of the initial public offering, we recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
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Net Income (Loss) per Ordinary Shares
We comply with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” We have two classes of 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 shares. Net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted-average shares of ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period.
The calculation of diluted net income (loss) per ordinary share does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering and the private placement to purchase an aggregate of 33,533,333 shares of ordinary shares in the calculation of diluted income (loss) per ordinary share, because their exercise is contingent upon future events. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A ordinary shares is excluded from earnings per ordinary share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, ASC Subtopic 820 “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions”. The ASU amends ASC 820 to clarify that a contractual sales restriction is not considered in measuring an equity security at fair value and to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value. The ASU applies to both holders and issuers of equity and equity-linked securities measured at fair value. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for both interim and annual financial statements that have not yet been issued or made available for issuance. The Company is considering the impact of this pronouncement on the financial statements.
Our management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards updates, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of March 31, 2023, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act and are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our unaudited condensed financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
As an “emerging growth company”, we are not required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our Initial Public Offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, including amounts in the Trust Account, will be invested in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
We have not engaged in any hedging activities since our inception, and we do not expect to engage in any hedging activities with respect to the market risk to which we are exposed.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Our management evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2023, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our certifying officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2023.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes to our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2023 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
None.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
As of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 3, 2023. We may disclose changes to such factors or disclose additional factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
None.
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
None.
Item 6. Exhibits.
* | Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 13, 2023. |
** | These certifications are furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and are deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing. |
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: May 12, 2023 | PONTEM CORPORATION | |
By: | /s/ Hubertus Muehlhaeuser | |
Name: | Hubertus Muehlhaeuser | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||
Dated: May 12, 2023 | By: | /s/ Nina Murphy |
Name: | Nina Murphy | |
Title: |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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