On January 24, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted new final rules relating to special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”). The new rules affect both initial public offerings (“IPOs”) for...more
The 2023 Technology and Life Sciences PIPE and RDO Report presents analysis related to 177 private investments in public equity (PIPEs) and registered direct offerings (RDOs) by U.S.-based technology and life sciences...more
With SPAC IPOs virtually gone but SPAC mergers (aka de-SPACs) continuing at a steady pace since the beginning of the year, the questions around getting a deal done boil down to the following: How and where can companies get...more
In a long-anticipated decision, the Delaware Court of Chancery answered several pending questions regarding the treatment of special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”) sponsors and directors under Delaware corporate law. In...more
What could Aristotle possibly have to say about SPACs? In remarks on Thursday before the Healthy Markets Association, SEC Chair Gary Gensler shared his thoughts on the regulation of SPACs with a theme drawn from antiquity:...more
It is a reasonable extrapolation – and we are nothing at Cooley if not wildly reasonable – that, since the beginning of time, more operating companies are considering going public through a merger with a SPAC (Special Purpose...more
On September 17, 2021, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (“SEHK”) published a consultation paper on the proposed Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPAC”) listing regime in Hong Kong, setting out the initial framework with...more
Gary Gensler was sworn in as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 17, 2021. Chairman Gensler has promised to strengthen transparency and accountability in the financial markets. Under Chairman Gensler, we...more
In the financial world, 2020 was the year of the SPAC. During the past few years, many Silicon Valley start-ups were chomping at the bit to get listed and cash out via initial public offering (IPO). And in 2020, over half of...more
On January 27 and 28, 2021, over 300 participants joined Morrison & Foerster’s webinars on “SPAC 101- Is 2021 the Year of SPACs in Asia?” where Partners Mitchell S. Presser, Justin R. Salon, and Ruomu Li led an in-depth...more
Transactions by special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, exploded in 2020, resulting in a 320% increase in the number of SPAC initial public offerings (IPOs) compared to 2019. SPACs have been around for 15 years and...more
Private companies go public for a variety of reasons, including: •raising capital- •providing liquidity for existing owners- •establishing publicly traded currency for acquisitions... ...more
It is a reasonable extrapolation – and we are nothing at Cooley if not wildly reasonable – that more operating companies are considering going public through a merger with a SPAC (commonly referred to as a backdoor IPO) since...more
On July 16, 2020, the Italian Government enacted Law Decree No. 76/2020 introducing permanent and temporary measures aimed at simplifying rights issues and accelerating the approval of certain equity transactions....more