5 things you need to know about…SPACS

SPACs (special purpose acquisition or “blank cheque” companies) have recently regained prominence in the US, with H1 2020 seeing record-breaking levels of activity, both in terms of value (Bill Ackman’s $4bn Pershing Square Tontine is the largest SPAC IPO to date, eclipsing previous records) and volume (SPACs accounted for around 30% of all US IPOs in H1 2020). One of the reasons for the revived interest is that experienced founder teams can benefit from a dislocated market to find good opportunities that yield attractive returns.

Private Equity Purchasers and SPACs May Be “Preferred” Divestiture Buyers under New DOJ Guidelines for Merger Remedies

On September 3, 2020, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a revised Merger Remedies Manual, which sets forth the Division’s framework for implementing remedies to resolve antitrust concerns in merger cases. The Manual specifically calls out Private Equity firms as potentially preferred buyers in certain situations. We believe the policy behind that announcement applies equally to Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”).

It Pays To Be A (SPAC) Winner

If you want to place a bet on who comes out on top in the next Disney (DIS) cartoon, bet on plucky little upstarts. The smaller, weaker outcasts defy the odds and win the day pretty much every day. That’s how it works in the movies. It’s not how it works in the world generally or in special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). As I wrote in SPAC Size Matters, the best opportunities are in the biggest SPACs.

Competitive mobile game maker Skillz will do a quick IPO at $3.5 billion valuation

Skillz is going public this fall on the New York Stock Exchange through a special public acquisition company (SPAC). This has become a popular way for fast-moving companies to go public without all the hassle of a traditional IPO. SPACs are set up by managers who raise money in a blind shell company, and the investors don’t know what they’re putting their money into.