SPACs have brought a number of sustainability companies to market, but the economics of carbon credits have always been on the edge of those specific opportunities. Focus Impact Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:FIAC) aims to change that with its $213 million combination with DevvStream, a Canadian company focused on generating carbon credits with proprietary technology-based approaches. This week, we speak with Sunny Trinh, co-founder and CEO of DevvStream and Carl Stanton, CEO of Focus Impact. Sunny explains how DevvStream has worked to build confidence in carbon assets by consulting its w ..read more

SPAC deals have provided a variety of ways to try and ride the growth in the private aviation space. One of the most successful so far has been to approach it not through the aircraft or sales of flights, but as an infrastructure play. This week, we speak with Francisco Gonzalez, CFO of private hangar operator Sky Harbour (NYSE:SKYH). Francisco explains why he believes Sky Harbour has traded consistently up from its valuation in its $777 million combination with Yellowstone two years ago. Why are hangars such a high-demand and profitable part of the aviation space? And how has S ..read more

Spot lithium prices may be down, but Stardust Power believes that makes now an even more important time to build new US-based lithium refineries. This week, we speak with Roshan Pujari, Co-founder and CEO of Stardust Power and Chandra Patel, CEO and Chairman of Global Partner Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ:GPAC). The two announced a $490 million business combination in November of 2023. Roshan explains how its plans to build its lithium refinery in Oklahoma are progressing and why he believes the company’s methods should command a premium for its resources. Chandra meanwhile ..read more

Developing new medical treatments takes time and money, which is generally where investors come in. But, Abpro has managed to resolve many of those questions before SPAC investors will join the show. This week, we speak with Abpro Chairman and CEO Ian Chan and Shahraab Ahmad, Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp II (Nasdaq: ACAB). The two announced a $500 million combination in January. Shahraab explains how Abpro came onto Atlantic Coastal II’s radar after the SPAC had originally been fishing in the mobility space, and why the part ..read more

Not all SPAC officers get involved in order to ride the process all the way to a seat as CEO of the combined company, but Jaymes Winters walks us through his journey of how he started Nubia Brand International Corp as a newcomer to the asset class and why he is now leading its target company, Solidion (Nasdaq: STI). This week we’ll speak with Jaymes about the changing set of options SPACs have at their disposal to raise funding and find a deal the market can appreciate in the current climate. And, how Solidion has the potential to bring greener, US-based materials to the EV battery space ..read more

Should de-SPAC’d companies consider buying back their shares rather than making offers for their warrants? Abacus Life (NASDAQ:ABL) believes the answer is yes. This week, we catch up with with Abacus Life Chairman and CEO Jay Jackson. He tells us why he thinks his company’s stock has managed to perform well in the six months since closing its SPAC combination and why he has taken the unorthodox decision to buy back shares rather than deal immediately with Abacus Life’s warrant overhang. We also discuss the future of the company’s business of acquiring life insurance policies and how it is ..read more

In this special edition of the SPACInsider podcast on the SEC’s new SPAC rules, Kristi Marvin, from SPACInsider, spoke with a panel of SPAC legal experts to help unpack the hefty 581 pages included in the release. This originally aired as a live webinar, which may be viewed on SPACInsider's website HERE. Joining Kristi is Derek Dostal, a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Doug Ellenoff, partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, and Christian Nagler, partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. The panel discusses which new measures are likely and unlikely to provoke changes in ap ..read more

AI was one of the big themes for SPACs in 2023. Now in 2024, investor appetite and the market opportunity around AI is just as strong. This week, we speak with Michael Zacharski, CEO of BEN and Chris Gaertner, Co-CEO and CFO of DHC Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: DHCA). The two announced a $358 million combination in September. Michael explains how BEN has built an AI customer engagement tool focused on the auto sales and health care spaces and why those sectors were particularly ripe for disruption.    Chris describes DHC’s process in pulling together a PIPE with strategic investment in ..read more

This week, in a special edition of the SPACInsider Podcast, SPACInsider founder Kristi Marvin speaks with Omeed Malik, Chairman and CEO of the Colombier SPACs. She asks Omeed what brought him into the SPAC market and how his first SPAC, Colombier I, navigated the rapidly changing market as it closed in on its combination with PublicSquare (NYSE:PSQH). He discusses the opportunity and risks at play in targeting companies in the "patriot economy" in a politically-charged environment. And, as a part of the new crop of serial SPAC sponsors that recently priced a second IPO with Colombier II ..read more

This week, we speak with iLearningEngine’s CEO Harish Chidambaran and Matt Safaii, Chairman and CEO of Arrowroot Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ARRW). The two announced a $1.4 billion deal in April. AI may be the major buzzword of 2023, but iLearningEngines has been working on AI tools since 2010. Now, it hopes to use a SPAC transaction as its next step. Harish explains how the company has developed a profitable AI platform with very little outside funding through the years, and how SPAC cash and public share capital can accelerate its growth through an M&A campaign. Additionally, Matt tells u ..read more