Business context and reporting period
This is Ivanhoe Capital Acquisition Corp.’s unaudited Form 10-Q for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2021, filed November 15, 2021. The registrant was a SPAC, not yet SES AI Corp.; it had no operating business or revenue and was pursuing a business combination with SES Holdings Pte. Ltd. Under the proposed transaction, Ivanhoe would domesticate as a Delaware corporation and be renamed SES AI Corporation.
Financial results and liquidity
- Revenue and margins: No operating revenue; the company stated it would not generate operating revenue until after a business combination. Operating margins are not meaningful.
- Profit/loss: Q3 2021 net income was $3.37 million, versus a $5.54 million net loss for the nine months. Q3 income principally reflected a $5.86 million gain from the change in fair value of warrant liabilities; nine-month results included a $1.39 million such gain, offset by operating and offering expenses.
- Expenses: General and administrative expense was $2.47 million for Q3 and $5.92 million for the nine months; related-party administrative expense was $30,000 and $90,000, respectively.
- Cash flow: Operating activities used $2.16 million and investing activities used $276.0 million in the nine months; financing activities provided $278.25 million. Cash at September 30 was $254,887.
- Liquidity and debt: Management reported working capital of approximately $765,000. The trust account held $276.05 million. A related-party convertible note had $945,000 drawn and a reported fair value of $1.06 million; it is non-interest-bearing and due at the earlier of the business-combination effective date or January 11, 2023. Total liabilities were $36.22 million, including $9.66 million of deferred underwriting commissions and $20.76 million of warrant liabilities. All 27.6 million public Class A shares, totaling $276.0 million at redemption value, were classified as temporary equity.
Material changes and transaction developments
- On July 12, 2021, Ivanhoe agreed to combine with SES for stated consideration of $2.81 billion in shares valued at $10 per share. A September amendment addressed earn-out eligibility and provided that the founder group’s earn-out shares would carry 10 votes per share.
- The transaction also included an initial $200 million PIPE commitment at $10 per share. An additional $75 million subscription agreement was signed October 22, 2021, bringing stated commitments to $275 million; these were commitments, not reported proceeds as of quarter-end.
- Up to 30 million additional earn-out shares were contemplated if the post-combination share price reaches $18 during the specified period. The proposed transaction remained subject to closing conditions and shareholder redemptions.
- The company revised its presentation of redeemable Class A shares to classify all such shares as temporary equity. The revision increased accumulated deficit by approximately $29.6 million and reclassified shares from permanent equity; it did not affect total assets, total liabilities, or net income (loss).
Outlook, risks, and unusual items
- Management said available working capital and potential sponsor or insider borrowing should meet needs through the earlier of a business-combination closing or one year from the filing. Additional working-capital loans were possible but not committed.
- If no business combination is completed by January 11, 2023, the company must cease operations, redeem public shares from the trust (subject to stated adjustments), and liquidate. The warrants could expire worthless.
- Management said COVID-19 could negatively affect the company’s financial position, results, or target search, but the specific impact was not determinable.
- Q3 profit was materially influenced by noncash fair-value movements in warrant liabilities. Private warrant and convertible-note valuations use significant unobservable inputs.
- The company reported that a material weakness identified in Q2 accounting controls was remediated by September 30. Management concluded disclosure controls were effective; no legal proceedings were reported.
Key facts for investors to verify
- Whether and when the SES business combination closed, and final transaction terms, redemptions, and financing.
- Actual PIPE funding versus the $275 million of stated commitments, and the resulting cash available at closing.
- Underlying noncash fair-value effects and assumptions for warrant and convertible-note valuations.
- Liquidity needs, any further related-party or working-capital borrowing, and the status of the $945,000 convertible-note draw.
- The revised temporary-equity presentation and the status of the disclosed control-weakness remediation.