SPACInsider

The Winter Olympics and the World Cup are not the only international competitions kicking off this year. The Enhanced Games is gearing up for a May debut as well, with the injection of some SPAC cash and potentially some other performance enhancing substances.

This week, we speak with Maximilian Martin, CEO and Co-founder of The Enhanced Games. It announced a $1.3 billion combination with A Paradise Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:APAD) in November.

Max explains why he has endeavored to create this new competition where athletes may use banned, but otherwise legal substances to up their game, and how the company plans to parlay this event into a broader consumer business. How do you get athletes to walk away from their existing careers for this experimental idea and what kind of precedent is there for such a venture?

Quantum computing companies have been among the highest performing de-SPAC sectors in years. And, SPACs have made a major impact on quantum computing by being the listing and financing mechanism for a large portion of the publicly traded cohort.

But, the market wasn’t always so bullish on quantum.

This week we return to a conversation we had with Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave (NYSE:QBTS) in February 2025.

At the time, Quantum computing stocks had just begun their recent revival and Alan helped break down the ups and downs of the previous years as well as what had changed in the technology.

He shares valuable advice from how D-Wave rolled with the punches in an unfavorable market after closing with DPCM Capital Inc. in 2022, and also how investors should interpret the news of technological advancements coming out the industry.

This week, we speak with Xanadu founder and CEO Dr. Christian Weedbrook and Bill Fradin, CEO of Crane Harbor Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:CHAC). The two announced a $3.1 billion business combination in November.

Is it possible to build a business model that combines features of Amazon Web Services, NVIDIA and a biotech drug developer? Well, Xanadu aims to find out, and it is funding that path via a SPAC.

Christian explains how Xanadu differentiates itself from other players in the quantum computing space by focusing on specific hardware advantages as well as a software approach that allows its machines to work in conjunction with other quantum or traditional computers.

Bill also explains the market has changed since the last wave of SPAC deals in quantum computing and how Xanadu matched the major proving points that Crane Harbor was looking for.

It is rare to find a SPAC deal that launches hundreds or even thousands of mergers in the future, but this one might be it. Teamshares has built a system for the programmatic acquisition of EBITDA-positive businesses that are typically too small to meet the criteria of private equity buyers. Now, it aims to accelerate these efforts with a $746 million combination with Live Oak Acquisition Corp. V’s (NASDAQ:LOKV).

This week, we speak with Teamshares CEO Michael Brown along with Live Oak V CEO Rick Hendrix and CFO Adam Fishman. Michael explains how the company has honed an approach that has seen it absorb targets from a diverse set of industries efficiently, and how this merger can reduce the company’s cost of capital for that mission.

Rick and Adam also lay out how Teamshares fits their own merger criteria that values opportunities that are first-of-their kind for the US market, and how they put a valuation on this unique business.

This week, we speak with Asheesh Birla, CEO of Evernorth. Evernorth is a crypto treasury focused on XRP, a cryptocurrency that is used in decentralized financial structures and payments. It aims to power that endeavor through its business combination with Armada Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ:XRPN), announced in October.

Crypto treasury deals were one of the major themes of 2025 SPAC dealflow, but they are far from being all the same.  Asheesh explains how the company plans to leverage its XRP holdings to generate yield over the long term and how XRP’s unique appeal in international markets presents a fresh opportunity for the crypto treasury model.

Give it a listen.

This interview contains forward-looking statements. See linked press release for important disclaimers: https://www.evernorth.xyz/press-release-10-20-2025

Driverless trucks have officially made it to the road and everyday operations of many shippers, but there is still plenty of room for innovation in the field. For instance, if there is no driver, why keep the driver’s compartment at all?

This week, we speak with Roozbeh Charli, CEO of Einride, which is introducing fully cabless autonomous trucks into customer fleets and accelerating that rollout through its business combination with Legato Merger Corp. III (NYSE:LEGT).

Roozbeh explains how Einride has sped up commercialization by integrating autonomous operations into its existing fleet electrification services, and why he believes now is the right moment for the industry to move past incremental steps and embrace what fully autonomous logistics can ultimately look like.

Give it a listen.

In this episode, we examine how the SPAC market evolved in 2025 and what sponsors, issuers, and investors should be thinking about as the calendar turns to 2026.

Joining the discussion are Ed Kovary, Head of Capital Markets at BTIG, and Jerry Serowik, Head of Capital Markets at Cohen & Company, two firms that were among the most active in the SPAC ecosystem in 2025.

Drawing on firsthand experience, the conversation covers how deal structures, investor expectations, and sponsor strategies shifted over the course of the year and how capital markets conditions shaped issuance and deal execution.

The episode concludes with a forward-looking discussion on what these trends imply for SPAC activity in 2026, including where opportunities may emerge and what risks remain for the asset class.

Many firms chasing autonomous ground-vehicles have relied on SPACs to reach the public markets, and now Merlin Labs wants to bring autonomy to the skies. The Boston-based startup is developing an AI-powered “pilot,” the Merlin Pilot, designed to manage full “takeoff-to-touchdown” flights across a wide range of aircraft, from light planes to heavy transports.

This week, we talk with Merlin Labs CEO Matt George about why the company sat out the first wave of SPAC-driven aerospace mania, and why partnering with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. IV (Nasdaq: BACQ) feels like the right moment to go public.

Matt explains that, in aviation, the use cases for autonomy can be more immediate and valuable than on the ground, from reducing crew needs on cargo and transport flights to enabling fully uncrewed operations in military and civil aviation.

We also explore the broader macro conditions driving demand higher, and where the market for autonomous flight stands today. How fast could it grow, and how high could it fly?

With Ranjeet Sundher, CEO of Tactical Resources, and Kanishka Roy, CEO and Chairman of Plum Acquisition Corp. III

SPACs have played a big role in the race to develop US-based sources of rare earth materials, but few available target companies are within a few years having an operational mine. Tactical Resources aims to be the exception.

This week, we speak with Ranjeet Sundher, CEO of rare earth miner Tactical Resources, and Kanishka Roy, CEO and Chairman of Plum Acquisition Corp. III (OTC:PLMJF). They came together in a $589 million business combination announced in August.

Ranjeet explains how the unique qualities of his company's Peak Project could lend itself to a much earlier commercial launch. And Kanishka lays out how that timeline impacts the value case for this transaction in an environment where the demands and supply limits don’t look to ease anytime soon.

Affordability has become a major theme of 2025 and of all the areas where technology has sped up processes and brought down costs, housing has been a stubborn exception.

One company that is trying to bring a new technology-based approach to this is BOXABL, and it has partnered with a SPAC to accelerate that vision. This week, we speak with Galiano Taramani, founder and co-CEO of BOXABL and Larry Swets Jr., CEO of FG Merger Corp. II (NASDAQ:FGMC). The two announced a $3.5 billion combination in August.

Galiano explains how BOXABL has found an edge in how it ships its modular homes and how it hopes to eventually manufacture them at a rate of one house per minute. Larry explains how BOXABL’s unique crowdfunding path gives FG Merger II confidence in the company’s journey after listing and how adding financial services angles to its platform could potentially take it to the next level.