Co-Sponsored by DLA Piper
A SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) is a company with no commercial operations that is formed strictly to raise capital through an initial public offering for the purpose of acquiring an existing company. These “blank check companies” have been around for decades, and in recent years they have gone mainstream. Summer 2020 months have seen a huge surge, with underwriters and investors raising a large amount of IPO money. How have SPACs evolved to become a significant part of the public capital markets and are SPACs here to stay? Our panel of experts will discuss what a SPAC can provide to an operating business and what board members should consider when thinking about becoming public through a SPAC.
SPEAKERS:
RALUCA DINU
Dr. Raluca Dinu is Managing Partner, CEO, BOD Member, GigCapital2. She is a visionary, global business executive, offering 20 years of achievements in the high-tech industry (semiconductors, electronics, media, cloud data management, and information technology), with an established track record of driving increased revenue and profitability, building and leading cross-functional teams, and delivering strong results in turnaround situations, strategic growth and consolidation, and fast-paced business environments.
PRIYA CHERIAN HUSKINS
Priya Cherian Huskins is Senior Vice President, Management Liability at Woodruff Sawyer. Priya is a recognized expert and frequent speaker and guest lecturer on D&O liability risk and its mitigation. In addition to consulting on D&O insurance, she counsels clients on corporate governance matters, including ways to reduce their exposure to shareholder lawsuits and regulatory investigations. Priya is the author and editor of the D&O Notebook blog. In addition to serving as a board member at Woodruff Sawyer, Priya is on the board of directors of Realty Income Corporation, The Monthly Dividend Company®, and also serves on the advisory board of the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance.
EKLAVYA SARAF
Eklavya Saraf is Global Head of SPAC, Managing Director of New Listings, Nasdaq. With over 10 years of capital markets industry experience, he manages Nasdaq’s efforts to attract new listings, coach early stage companies to leverage Nasdaq resources, and optimize financing opportunities and brand visibility. Eklavya helps develop Nasdaq’s relationships with venture capital, law firms, and other capital markets constituents.
JEFFREY SELMAN
Jeffrey C. Selman is a partner at DLA Piper. Jeffrey represents emerging and middle-market public and private technology and life sciences companies and investors on their formation, equity and debt financing, mergers and acquisitions, licensing, restructurings, board and management issues, and general corporate and commercial transactional matters. He has particular experience advising on the creation and funding of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), as well as advising on the use of SPACs as a means of taking companies public.
DANIEL SICILIANO, moderator
F. Daniel Siciliano is a successful technology CEO-founder and entrepreneur, as well as Chairman of the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and a recognized expert in corporate strategy and governance, capital financial markets, executive compensation, and technological disruption (including fintech, AI and cybersecurity). He is currently Chairman of SVDX and a fellow at Stanford University.