SPACInsider

Betting on U.S. Uranium: A Conversation with Eagle Energy Metals and Spring Valley II

SPACs have been highly active lately in taking public a new generation of nuclear technology companies, but in order for those companies to meet the power demand being driven by the boom in datacenter deployments, they are going to need a steady supply of uranium.

This week, we speak with Mark Mukhidja, CEO of uranium mining firm Eagle Energy Metals, and Chris Sorrells, Chairman and CEO of Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ:SVII).

The two announced a $312 million dollar combination back in July that would create a unique stock that is a pure play on US-based uranium production.

Mark explains how the US went from being a leading uranium producer to one that imports nearly all of its uranium and how Eagle Energy’s Aurora project has the potential to start turning that around.

Chris tells us why this upstream nuclear play is a logical follow-up to Spring Valley I’s successful combination with small nuclear reactor developer NuScale (NYSE:SMR) and why he believes this transaction is structured with both Eagle Energy’s short-term and long-term financing needs in mind.

 

Kodiak CEO Don Burnette on Autonomous Trucking and Going Public with Ares II (AACT)

This week, we return to the subject of autonomous trucking with a SPAC target that already logged months of its trucks operating autonomously in an industrial setting with rollouts on public highways and defense applications inbound.

That company is Kodiak, which announced a $2.6 billion combination with Ares Acquisition Corporation II (NYSE:AACT) in April. Kodiak CEO Don Burnette joins us to explain how the company has sought to blaze a trail to commercialization for the company while burning a fraction of the R&D cash that some of its peers have to get to this same point.

Don explains how the company has looked to apply that same capital efficiency to the structure of its SPAC combination and what opportunities he sees on the other side of the company’s drive into the public markets.

 

Replay: Revisiting SPACs in 2022 with Niccolo de Masi from the dMY Team

In this SPACInsider Podcast REPLAY, we go back to January 2022 when the abrupt end of 2021’s SPAC euphoria was setting in, and new strategies were needed to weather the storm.

We sat down with Niccolo de Masi of the dMY SPACs to get his takes on how SPACs were going to roll with the punches and his own vision for when a refreshed SPAC cycle would reemerge.

Now that SPACs are back, which of these predictions came to fruition and what lessons from the down market have teams brought into the new cycle?

Give it a listen

Inside ReserveOne's Deal with M-3 Brigade V (MBAV)

An in-depth discussion with Sebastian Bea, President & Head of Investments at ReserveOne, and Vik Mittal, Managing Member at Meteora Capital Partners

If there has been one hot summer trend among SPACs, it has been the crypto treasury business combination.

To help better understand this new genre of SPAC deal, we sat down with Sebastian Bea, President and Head of Investments at ReserveOne, which announced a $1 billion combination with M3-Brigade Acquisition V Corp (Nasdaq: MBAV) last month.

We're also joined by Vik Mittal, Managing Member at Meteora Capital Partners. They discuss why this particular play has come to the forefront of the market now and how the market has reacted as more and more entries of this deal type have been announced.

Sebastian also explains how ReserveOne plans to generate returns greater than the value of its underlying assets and are earmarking a portion of its portfolio for private investments.

How will ReserveOne and other companies of this type continue to differentiate themselves as their cohort grows? And what happens if the US government changes its attitude on crypto once again?

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IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell securities, or a solicitation of any kind. The views and opinions expressed by the guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective firms or affiliates.

Past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including potential loss of principal. Any performance figures mentioned have not been independently verified and may not reflect actual client experiences or net returns after fees and expenses.

The guests may have financial interests in companies, securities, or investment strategies discussed. Sebastian Pedro Bea is associated with the M3-Brigade V/ReserveOne transaction mentioned in this discussion. Vik Mittal serves as Managing Member of Meteora Capital, LLC and principal of numerous SPACs.  These relationships may create conflicts of interest.

Nothing in this podcast should be construed as personalized investment advice. Listeners should consult with qualified financial professionals before making investment decisions. Market predictions and forward-looking statements are speculative and subject to significant uncertainty.

Simon Irish, CEO Terrestrial Energy, and Shawn Matthews, CEO & Chairman HCM II, Discuss Emerging Trends and Nuclear Power

What many of the biggest trends in emerging technology today have in common is that they require significantly more electricity and reliable means of receiving it efficiently.

This week, we speak with Simon Irish, CEO of nuclear plant developer Terrestrial Energy, and Shawn Matthews, CEO and Chairman of HCM II Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:HOND). The two announced a $1.3 billion combination in March.

Terrestrial Energy is developing designs for small modular nuclear reactors that produce heat for industrial clients along with power. Simon explains why he believes this approach is tailor-made for the demands of the times and how he sees the technology scaling.

Shawn discusses how the public markets have picked up enthusiasm for nuclear power lately and how this helped informed his evaluation of the opportunity with Terrestrial Energy.

 

SPACs Halfway through 2025: What’s Working, What’s Changing, What’s Next

Harry You, Brandon Sun, and Vik Mittal break down the SPAC landscape

On this special edition of the SPACInsider Podcast, we bring together a panel of SPAC veterans to explore the state of the market from the perspectives of sponsors, investors, and underwriters.

Joining us are serial SPAC sponsor Harry You, Brandon Sun, Head of SPAC Investment Banking at Cohen & Company, and Vik Mittal, Managing Director at Meteora Capital.

Together, they unpack how the complexion of the 2025 SPAC market is shifting and which strategies are rising to the top. How have crypto-focused deals reshaped the landscape, and how many more iterations of that playbook can succeed?

We also get into how macro headwinds and tailwinds affect the traditional IPO window and SPAC deal flow, and whether activity is poised to accelerate in the second half of the year.

It’s a wide-ranging, mid-year pulse check-in on SPACs. 

Give it a listen.

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IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell securities, or a solicitation of any kind. The views and opinions expressed by the guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective firms or affiliates.

 

Past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including potential loss of principal. Any performance figures mentioned have not been independently verified and may not reflect actual client experiences or net returns after fees and expenses.

 

The guests may have financial interests in companies, securities, or investment strategies discussed. Harry You is associated with multiple SPACs mentioned in this discussion. Vik Mittal serves dual roles as Managing Member of Meteora Capital, LLC and CFO of Berto Acquisition Corp. Brandon Sun represents Cohen & Company Capital Markets. These relationships may create conflicts of interest.

 

Nothing in this podcast should be construed as personalized investment advice. Listeners should consult with qualified financial professionals before making investment decisions. Market predictions and forward-looking statements are speculative and subject to significant uncertainty.

Inside Kyivstar’s $2.2B SPAC Deal: Rebuilding Ukraine, One Tower at a Time

 

This week, we speak with Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov about the company’s $2.2 billion dollar combination with Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I (NASDAQ:CCIR).

Few companies have been had to forge themselves in the flames recently quite like Ukraine’s leading telecom and digital services provider Kyivstar. Now, Kyivstar is not only telling that story but pitching it to public market investors.

Oleksandr explains how the company has maintained high EBITDA margins despite the many disruptions unleashed by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. 

He gets into why he decided now was the right time to make Kyivstar the first pureplay Ukraine stock to be listed in the US, and how its listing would give investors a chance to participate in the company’s industry consolidation plans as well as the eventual reconstruction of Ukraine.

 

David Liu on Plus’ $1.3B SPAC Deal and the Future of Driverless Freight

After years of investment and excitement, the dawn of self-driving cars and trucks is now here. The question now is which business model among autonomous driving technology companies will win out?

This week, we speak with David Liu, CEO of autonomous trucking company Plus. Plus announced a $1.3 billion combination with Churchill Capital Corp. IX (NASDAQ:CCIX) last month.

David explains how both Plus’ strategy and the autonomous driving landscape have changed since the company last considered a SPAC listing and why the company is betting on a software-first approach - partnering with truck manufacturers rather than building hardware in-house. He also breaks down how this model could position Plus for better scalability and higher margins in the years ahead.

Inside Colombier II’s $197M GrabAGun Deal

CEO Marc Nemati and Colombier II’s Omeed Malik break down the deal, timing, and the strategy.

Despite its moniker as the “the everything store” you can’t buy everything on Amazon, and firearms are one of those things. But, GrabAGun has spent years building a platform for regulated online firearms purchases, and soon, consumers will be able to buy GrabAGun stock as well.

This week, we speak with Marc Nemati, CEO of GrabAGun and Omeed Malik, CEO and Chairman of Colombier Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE:CLBR). The two announced a $197 million dollar combination in January of this year that is now nearing close.

Marc explains why GrabAGun’s platform and the inroads it has already made with Gen Z consumers would be difficult to replicate. And, why a public listing presents a unique opportunity in the traditionally fragmented and illiquid space.

Omeed lays out how the market has already reacted to the transaction as well as others that share a similar investment thesis, and how Colombier II has built its strategy around the enthusiasm the parties are already seeing.

Note: Subsequent to this interview, the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by GrabAGun Digital Holdings Inc. was declared effective. Trading using the PEW ticker is anticipated to occur as soon as practicable following the July 15, 2025 shareholders' meeting.

Replay: From Boom to Reset - Revisiting Harry Sloan’s 2022 SPAC Outlook

On this week’s SPACInsider REPLAY, we revisit a 2022 conversation with Harry Sloan of the Eagle SPACs.

At the time, Harry had already completed seven SPACs and was closing in on his eighth. As markets cooled and the SPAC boom waned, Harry offered a prescient take on where the market was headed—and what a “post-boom” SPAC cycle might look like.

Two years later, his words still resonate. Tune in for a thoughtful look back at a key inflection point in SPAC history.