SPACInsider

As another special bonus episode, we spoke with Mark Stone, the CEO of the Gores Team SPACs.

Mark discusses how both the SPAC market and the Gores playbook have evolved over their transactions dating back to the Team's first deal with Hostess Brands, back in 2016.

We also talk about how the Gores team dealt with difficult macro conditions in 2021, and what Mark thinks the SPAC market will look like in the future.

This week, we speak with Dan Wagner, Founder and CEO of Rezolve.

Rezolve entered into a $1.8 billion dollar combination agreement with Armada Acquisition Corp. I, in December of 2021.

Rezolve has partnered with some of the world’s largest payments processors to provide AdTech tools in China and India with entries into the US and Latin American markets on the horizon.

We discuss how mobile advertising is under-utilized, particularly by small businesses and why retailers are missing out. Wagner also talks about how Rezolve engaged with multiple SPACs but ultimately narrowed down on Armada I as its partner of choice.

This week we'll be speaking with Dave Waiser, CEO and Founder of Gett, which agreed to a $1 billion merger with Rosecliff Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:RCLF) in November.

Gett is pioneering a new form of ground transportation software to help companies manage their travel policies and expensing, and individual trips both locally and internationally. Gett also operates its own consumer-focused ride-hailing service.

Rosecliff CEO Mike Murphy also joins us to discuss his team’s process and why he likes Gett as a bet on a return to post-pandemic travel.

This week, we speak with Lily Shen, CEO and President of Transfix. Transfix entered into a $1.1 billion dollar combination agreement with G Squared Ascend I in September. It is disrupting the freight trucking industry with software tools helping both shippers and carriers manage their operations. We talk about how the past year’s supply chain challenges have put a spotlight on the logistics technology space. G Squared Ascend I CEO Ward Davis also joins us to discuss some of the longer-term financial alignment features that his SPAC included in the deal and why Transfix stood out from the pack.

This week we speak with Robert Piconi, co-founder and CEO of Energy Vault. Energy Vault entered into a $1.1 billion combination agreement with Novus Capital II in September. It has developed a unique energy storage technology that uses simple gravity and pulleys to hold and release stored energy from renewable sources. We discuss Energy Vault’s process for rolling out its first projects this year and how it has added financial security to the transaction despite the challenging market.

As another special bonus episode, Niccolo de Masi, the CEO of the dMY Technology SPACs, is back to discuss the 2022 SPAC market.

Niccolo previously spoke with us in November to give us his views on the challenging SPAC environment in the fourth quarter of 2021. However, the first quarter of 2022 has proven to be even more difficult so Niccolo returned to gives us his thoughts on why and where he thinks the SPAC market will be headed.

This week, we speak with Marc Bell, CEO and co-founder of Terran Orbital. Terran Orbital entered into a $1.5 billion combination with Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp. (NYSE:TWNT) in October. Terran is building the world’s largest satellite manufacturing facility in Florida and it aims to be the first pure play space company that is vertically integrated all the way from its supply chain to the cosmos. Tailwind Two Co-CEO and CFO Matt Eby also joins us to discuss the SPAC side of the transaction and its unique mix of financing tools. We also get into how to best evaluate space targets now that there are suddenly multiple publicly listed space ventures.

This week, we speak with SeatGeek co-founder and CEO Jack Groetzinger. SeatGeek entered into a $1.35 billion dollar combination agreement with RedBall Acquisition Corp. in October. Event venues have traditionally had an adversarial relationship with ticket scalpers and the secondary market. But, SeatGeek is part of a new generation of companies managing those marketplaces on behalf of the venues. We talk about how SeatGeek weathered the pandemic and what event patrons can expect now that the latest variant is waning. We also discuss how SeatGeek’s software tools are going deeper inside venue operations and what advantages a SPAC transaction can still bring in the current market.

As another special bonus episode, we spoke with Harry Sloan, who has been CEO or Chairman on eight of the Eagle SPACs, including Diamond Eagle, which combined with DraftKings in 2020. Harry's most recent SPAC, Screaming Eagle, recently raised $750 million at its IPO despite a very challenging SPAC market.

Harry gives us his view on the wild SPAC years of 2020 and 2021 and where he thinks the current market is headed for 2022. We also discuss the novel structure of "Spinning Eagle", his other SPAC currently in registration, and why he thinks it makes sense for SPAC sponsors.

This week we will be speaking with Chet Kanojia, co-founder of Starry, which announced a business combination with FirstMark Horizon Acquisition Corp. in October.

Starry is an internet service provider deploying home internet with wireless broadband. We talk about the economic advantages to this approach and why legacy internet players have held off disruptors for decades.

We also speak with Amish Jani, President and Chairman of FirstMark Horizon, to get the SPAC-side view of the transaction, as well as some of the unique terms that this merger includes.