SPACInsider

Building the Defense Backbone: Precision Aerospace & Defense and FACT II Acquisition Corp.

The work of maintaining and supplying the US armed forces is now front and center in the daily news, but Precision Aerospace & Defense has been long been carrying out a strategy to acquire critical manufacturers and suppliers in this area. Now, it is taking that platform to the public markets in a SPAC deal.

This week, we speak with Brent Borden, CEO of Precision Aerospace & Defense Group and Adam Gishen, CEO of FACT II Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:FACT). The two announced a $310 million business combination last December.

Brent explains how his company has selected with unique capabilities to build an EBITDA-positive network of subsidiaries that differs from traditional private equity roll-up plays.

Adam explains how the company’s backlog provides significant visibility into its future revenue and how the FACT II team will continue to advising the company through its next wave of growth and beyond.

 

Horizon Quantum and dMY Squared (DMYY) on Building the Quantum Tech Stack

SPACs have populated the public markets with a variety of quantum computing hardware technology companies, and now one is poised to list the first quantum software company.

This week, we speak with Dr. Joe Fitzsimons, CEO of Horizon Quantum, and Harry You, Chairman of dMY Squared Technology Group, Inc (OTC:DMYY). The two announced a $546 million combination in September.

Joe explains how Horizon is endeavoring to create the first universal operating system for quantum computers and why that presents both challenges and opportunities while these machines are still in the error correction phase.

Harry gives his perspective on how the development of the quantum computing space could mimic the trajectory of classical computing and which layers of this emerging tech stack could offer the greatest upside to public investors at this early stage.

Maximilian Martin on The Enhanced Games, Where Banned Substances Are the Point

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?

Podcast REPLAY: D-Wave, SPACs, and the Quantum Revival

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.

 

Dr. Christian Weedbrook and Bill Fradin on Xanadu’s $3.1B Quantum SPAC Deal

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.

 

Teamshares and Live Oak V (LOKV) on Building a Programmatic M&A Platform

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.

 

Asheesh Birla, CEO of Evernorth, on Building an XRP-Focused Crypto Treasury

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

Roozbeh Charli, CEO of Einride, on Designing Trucks for a Driverless Future

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.

2025 SPAC Market Review and 2026 Outlook, with Ed Kovary and Jerry Serowik

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.

 

Merlin Labs and Inflection Point IV - Bringing Autonomy to the Skies

With Matt George, CEO of Merlin Labs

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?