SPACInsider

Sky Harbour CFO Francisco Gonzalez

SPAC deals have provided a variety of ways to try and ride the growth in the private aviation space. One of the most successful so far has been to approach it not through the aircraft or sales of flights, but as an infrastructure play.

This week, we speak with Francisco Gonzalez, CFO of private hangar operator Sky Harbour (NYSE:SKYH).

Francisco explains why he believes Sky Harbour has traded consistently up from its valuation in its $777 million combination with Yellowstone two years ago.

Why are hangars such a high-demand and profitable part of the aviation space? And how has Sky Harbour gained investor confidence in its plans yet to come while much of the industry faces skepticism?

 

Stardust Power CEO Roshan Pujari and Global Partner II (GPAC) CEO & Chairman Chandra Patel

Spot lithium prices may be down, but Stardust Power believes that makes now an even more important time to build new US-based lithium refineries.

This week, we speak with Roshan Pujari, Co-founder and CEO of Stardust Power and Chandra Patel, CEO and Chairman of Global Partner Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ:GPAC).

The two announced a $490 million business combination in November of 2023.

Roshan explains how its plans to build its lithium refinery in Oklahoma are progressing and why he believes the company’s methods should command a premium for its resources.

Chandra meanwhile tells us how his team is working through a dealmaking playbook involving both SPAC IPOs and those that they can take over post-IPO like Global Partner II.

 

Abpro Chairman & CEO Ian Chan and Shahraab Ahmad, Chairman & CEO of Atlantic Coastal II

Developing new medical treatments takes time and money, which is generally where investors come in. But, Abpro has managed to resolve many of those questions before SPAC investors will join the show.

This week, we speak with Abpro Chairman and CEO Ian Chan and Shahraab Ahmad, Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp II (Nasdaq: ACAB). The two announced a $500 million combination in January.

Shahraab explains how Abpro came onto Atlantic Coastal II’s radar after the SPAC had originally been fishing in the mobility space, and why the particularities of its capital needs could be a fit for the current market conditions.

Ian also walks through Abpro’s clinical path moving forward and how it can use a mix of its internal discovery engines and M&A to expand its portfolio.

Ian also walks through Abpro’s clinical path moving forward and how it can use a mix of its internal discovery engines and M&A to expand its portfolio.

 

Solidion and Nubia Brand International CEO Jaymes Winters

Not all SPAC officers get involved in order to ride the process all the way to a seat as CEO of the combined company, but Jaymes Winters walks us through his journey of how he started Nubia Brand International Corp as a newcomer to the asset class and why he is now leading its target company, Solidion (Nasdaq: STI).

This week we’ll speak with Jaymes about the changing set of options SPACs have at their disposal to raise funding and find a deal the market can appreciate in the current climate.

And, how Solidion has the potential to bring greener, US-based materials to the EV battery space after its SPAC-led spinoff from the Global Graphene Group.

Abacus Life Chairman and CEO Jay Jackson

Should de-SPAC’d companies consider buying back their shares rather than making offers for their warrants? Abacus Life (NASDAQ:ABL) believes the answer is yes.

This week, we catch up with with Abacus Life Chairman and CEO Jay Jackson. He tells us why he thinks his company’s stock has managed to perform well in the six months since closing its SPAC combination and why he has taken the unorthodox decision to buy back shares rather than deal immediately with Abacus Life’s warrant overhang.

We also discuss the future of the company’s business of acquiring life insurance policies and how it is now engaging directly with policy holders and the insurance issuers as clients.

With many years at work investing in such policies, what has the data told Abacus Life about longevity and long-term health itself?

 

Breaking Down the New SEC SPAC Rules with Legal Experts

In this special edition of the SPACInsider podcast on the SEC’s new SPAC rules, Kristi Marvin, from SPACInsider, spoke with a panel of SPAC legal experts to help unpack the hefty 581 pages included in the release.

This originally aired as a live webinar, which may be viewed on SPACInsider's website HERE.

Joining Kristi is Derek Dostal, a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Doug Ellenoff, partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, and Christian Nagler, partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

The panel discusses which new measures are likely and unlikely to provoke changes in approach by SPACs moving forward. What questions still remain, and how will this affect the state of the SPAC market in 2024?

 

Michael Zacharski, CEO of BEN and Chris Gaertner, Co-CEO & CFO of DHC Acquisition Corp.

AI was one of the big themes for SPACs in 2023. Now in 2024, investor appetite and the market opportunity around AI is just as strong.

This week, we speak with Michael Zacharski, CEO of BEN and Chris Gaertner, Co-CEO and CFO of DHC Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: DHCA). The two announced a $358 million combination in September.

Michael explains how BEN has built an AI customer engagement tool focused on the auto sales and health care spaces and why those sectors were particularly ripe for disruption.   

Chris describes DHC’s process in pulling together a PIPE with strategic investment in a difficult market and how the SPAC is further supporting the transaction through to close.

Both also touch on why they welcome increased scrutiny towards how companies going public describe their AI technologies, or lack thereof.

 

Zapata AI's CEO & Co-Founder Christopher Savoie

Buzz around generative AI has been off to the races lately and that is exactly where Zapata AI has put many of its tools to work.

This week, we speak with Christopher Savoie, CEO and Co-founder of Zapata AI and Bill Sandbrook, Co-CEO and Chairman of Andretti Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: WNNR). The two announced a $283 million deal in September.

Bill explains how the Andretti team’s experience with Zapata AI on the competitive racetrack grew into the decision to take them public, while Christopher walks us through how Zapata’s number-based generative AI can create designs or scenarios for applications ranging from racing efficiency to financial portfolio optimization.

Chat GPT may be able to convincingly generate text and images, but could Zapata AI generate bridge blueprints, molecular formulas and new financial instruments?

 

Omeed Malik, Chairman & CEO of the Colombier SPACs

This week, in a special edition of the SPACInsider Podcast, SPACInsider founder Kristi Marvin speaks with Omeed Malik, Chairman and CEO of the Colombier SPACs.

She asks Omeed what brought him into the SPAC market and how his first SPAC, Colombier I, navigated the rapidly changing market as it closed in on its combination with PublicSquare (NYSE:PSQH).

He discusses the opportunity and risks at play in targeting companies in the "patriot economy" in a politically-charged environment. And, as a part of the new crop of serial SPAC sponsors that recently priced a second IPO with Colombier II (NYSE: CLBR.U), how does he see the product developing into 2024 and what changes could benefit sponsors, investors and targets alike?

iLearningEngine’s CEO Harish Chidambaran & Matt Safaii, Chairman/CEO of Arrowroot Acq. Corp.

This week, we speak with iLearningEngine’s CEO Harish Chidambaran and Matt Safaii, Chairman and CEO of Arrowroot Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ARRW). The two announced a $1.4 billion deal in April.

AI may be the major buzzword of 2023, but iLearningEngines has been working on AI tools since 2010. Now, it hopes to use a SPAC transaction as its next step.

Harish explains how the company has developed a profitable AI platform with very little outside funding through the years, and how SPAC cash and public share capital can accelerate its growth through an M&A campaign.

Additionally, Matt tells us how Arrowroot’s long relationship with iLearningEngines gives it confidence in how the company will be valued in the public markets.