UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 16, 2022
Zanite Acquisition Corp.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 001-39704 | 85-2549808 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
25101 Chagrin Boulevard, Suite 350
Cleveland, Ohio 44122
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (216) 292-0200
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☒ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange | ||
| Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant | ZNTEU | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share | ZNTE | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, each at an exercise price of $11.50 per share | ZNTEW | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
As previously announced, on December 21, 2021, Zanite Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Zanite” or the “Company”), entered into a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Embraer S.A., a Brazilian corporation (sociedade anônima) (“Embraer”), Embraer Aircraft Holding, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Embraer (“EAH”), and EVE UAM, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of EAH (“Eve”). In addition, as previously announced, on December 21, 2021, December 24, 2021 and March 9, 2022, Zanite entered into subscription agreements (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors (collectively, the “PIPE Investors”), including certain strategic PIPE Investors and/or investors with existing relationships with Embraer (collectively, the “Strategic Investors”), pursuant to, and on the terms and subject to the conditions of which, Zanite agreed to issue and sell to the PIPE Investors an aggregate of 31,730,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 (“Common Stock”) at $10.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $317,300,000, in private placements to close substantially concurrently with the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the “Closing”) (the “PIPE Investment”).
On March 16, 2022, Zanite entered into Subscription Agreement with an additional Strategic Investor, Acciona Logistica, S.A. (“Acciona”), pursuant to which Acciona subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock for an aggregate purchase price of $30,000,000. As a result, as of March 16, 2021, Zanite has agreed to issue and sell an aggregate of 34,730,000 shares of Common Stock to the PIPE Investors in the PIPE Investment for an aggregate purchase price of $347,300,000.
As previously disclosed, the Subscription Agreement provides for certain registration rights. In particular, the Company is required to, as soon as practicable but no later than 30 calendar days following the Closing, submit to or file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement registering the resale of such shares of Common Stock. Additionally, the Company is required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, but no later than the earlier of: (i) the 90th calendar day following the filing if the SEC notifies the Company that it will “review” such registration statement following the Closing; and (ii) the 10th business day after the date the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the SEC that the registration statement will not be “reviewed” or will not be subject to further review. The Company must use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the registration statement effective until the earliest of: (i) three years from the date of effectiveness of the registration statement; (ii) the date the PIPE Investors no longer hold any registrable shares; and (iii) the date all registrable shares held by the PIPE Investors may be sold without restriction under Rule 144. The Subscription Agreement will terminate, and be of no further force and effect, upon the earliest to occur of (i) such date and time as the Business Combination Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms, (ii) upon the mutual written agreement of Zanite and the applicable PIPE Investor, (iii) if the conditions set forth therein are not satisfied or are not capable of being satisfied prior to the Closing (as defined in the Subscription Agreements) and, as a result thereof, the transactions contemplated therein will not be or are not consummated at the Closing (as defined in the Subscription Agreement), and (iv) September 21, 2022.
On March 16, 2022, concurrently with the execution of the new Subscription Agreement, Zanite also entered into a Strategic Warrant Agreement with Acciona and EAH (the “Strategic Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which, subject to the consummation of the business combination, Zanite has agreed to issue to Acciona new warrants to acquire 4,500,000 shares of Common Stock, each with an exercise price of $0.01 per share. Each warrant is exercisable for a period of five years following its issuance or first permitted exercise date. The Strategic Warrant Agreement provides for certain registration rights with respect to the resale of the shares of Common Stock underlying the warrants which are substantially similar to the registration rights provided under the Subscription Agreement. In addition, on March 16, 2022, Acciona entered into a lock-up agreement with Zanite, pursuant to which Acciona will be restricted from transferring warrants to acquire 900,000 shares of Common Stock issued at the Closing and the shares of Common Stock issued upon the exercise of such new warrants until the date that is two years after the Closing Date.
Out of the warrants that Zanite has agreed to issue pursuant to the Strategic Warrant Agreement, (i) warrants to acquire 900,000 shares of Common Stock will be issued and exercisable at the Closing, (ii) warrants to acquire up to 3,600,000 shares of common stock will be issued upon the achievement of certain UAM Business (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) milestones, including upon achievement of certain vertiport operation thresholds and upon receipt of the first type certification for eVTOL in compliance with certain airworthiness authorities.
The Strategic Warrant Agreement also provides Acciona with the non-transferable right to designate a Class I director of the Company, who shall be Mr. José Manuel Entrecanales, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Acciona. In addition, the Strategic Warrant Agreement provides that Acciona may designate a member to a non-board advisory committee following the consummation of the business combination, to the extent that the Company chooses, in its sole discretion, to form such a committee.
The foregoing descriptions of the Subscription Agreement and the Strategic Warrant Agreement are not complete and are subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to the form of Subscription Agreement and the form of Strategic Warrant Agreement, copies of which are filed as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 hereto and the terms of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
The disclosure set forth above in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock in the business combination and the PIPE Investment and the issuance of warrants pursuant to the Strategic Warrant Agreement is incorporated by reference herein. Neither the shares of Common Stock issuable in connection with the business combination and the PIPE Investment, nor the warrants issuable pursuant to the Strategic Warrant Agreement, will be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.
Important Information about the Business Combination and Where to Find It
In connection with the business combination, on December 30, 2021, Zanite has filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement (as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the preliminary proxy statement, filed on February 9, 2022, as further amended by Amendment No. 2 to the preliminary proxy statement, filed on March 18, 2022) relating to the business combination. When available, Zanite will mail a definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents to its stockholders. This Current Report on Form 8-K does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed business combination and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the business combination. Zanite’s stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read the preliminary proxy statement and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement, when available, and documents incorporated by reference therein filed in connection with Zanite’s solicitation of proxies for its special meeting of stockholders to be held to approve the business combination and other matters, as these materials contain or will contain important information about Zanite, Eve and the business combination. When available, the definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials for the business combination will be mailed to stockholders of Zanite as of a record date to be established for voting on the business combination. Stockholders of Zanite may obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement, the definitive proxy statement (when available) and other documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC or that are incorporated by reference therein, without charge, once available, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Zanite Acquisition Corp. at 25101 Chagrin Boulevard Suite 350, Cleveland, Ohio 44122, Attention: Steven H. Rosen, or by calling (216) 292-0200.
This Current Report on Form 8-K is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act, or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements thereof.
Participants in the Solicitation
Zanite and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Zanite’s stockholders with respect to the proposed business combination. A list of the names of those directors and executive officers and a description of their interests in Zanite is contained in Zanite’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A and by Zanite’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 15, 2021, each of which was filed with the SEC and is available free of charge at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Zanite Acquisition Corp. at 25101 Chagrin Boulevard Suite 350, Cleveland, Ohio 44122, Attention: Steven H. Rosen, or by calling (216) 292-0200.
Eve, Embraer, EAH and their respective directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Zanite in connection with the proposed business combination.
Additional information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of Zanite’s stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination, including a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, which may be different than those of Zanite stockholders generally, may be obtained by reading Zanite’s preliminary proxy statement for the proposed business combination and, when it is filed with the SEC, the definitive proxy statement and any other relevant documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC relating to the proposed business combination. Stockholders, potential investors and other interested persons should read the preliminary proxy statement carefully and, when it becomes available, the definitive proxy statement and any other relevant documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC relating to the proposed business combination before making any voting or investment decisions. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Form 8-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target”, “may”, “intend”, “predict”, “should”, “would”, “predict”, “potential”, “seem”, “future”, “outlook” or other similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions) that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Zanite’s, Eve’s, Embraer’s and EAH’s expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the business combination, the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the business combination and the PIPE Investment, the level of redemptions by Zanite’s public stockholders, the timing of the completion of the business combination and the use of the cash proceeds therefrom. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified herein, and on the current expectations of Zanite’s, Eve’s, Embraer’s and EAH’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and may differ from assumptions, and such differences may be material. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Zanite, Eve, Embraer and EAH.
These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including: (i) changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; (ii) the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed business combination, including the risk that any required regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed business combination or that the approval of the stockholders of Zanite or Eve is not obtained and or that the proposed business combination and the private placement of common stock are not able to concurrently close; (iii) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination; (iv) risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Eve; (v) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Zanite, Embraer, EAH and/or Eve following the announcement of the business combination agreement and the transactions contemplated therein; (vi) future global, regional or local economic and market conditions; (vii) the development, effects and enforcement of laws and regulations; (viii) Eve’s ability to grow and manage future growth , maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its key employees; (ix) Eve’s ability to develop new products and solutions, bring them to market in a timely manner, and make enhancements to its platform; (x) the effects of competition on Eve’s future business; (xi) the amount of redemption requests made by Zanite’s public stockholders; (xii) the ability of Zanite or the combined company to issue equity or equity-linked securities in connection with the proposed business combination or in the future; (xiii) the outcome of any potential litigation, government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries; (xiv) the risk that the proposed business combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation, (xv) costs related to the business combination, (xvi) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and (xvii) those factors discussed in Zanite’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents of Zanite filed, or to be filed, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Eve nor Zanite presently know or that Eve and Zanite currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Eve’s and Zanite’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this Form 8-K. Eve and Zanite anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Eve’s and Zanite’s assessments to change. However, while Eve and Zanite may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Eve and Zanite specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Eve’s and Zanite’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1 | Form of Subscription Agreement (incorporated by reference to Annex S to the Registrant’s Preliminary Proxy Statement on Form PRER14A, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2022). | |
| 99.2 | Form of Strategic Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Annex R to the Preliminary Proxy Statement on Form PRER14A, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2022). | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| ZANITE ACQUISITION CORP. | ||||
| Dated: March 18, 2022 | By: | /s/ Steven H. Rosen | ||
| Name: Steven H. Rosen | ||||
| Title: Co-Chief Executive Officer | ||||