Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
References to the “Company,” “us,” “our” or “we” refer to Data Knights Acquisition Corp. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and related notes included herein.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report including, without limitation, statements under this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward- looking statements. When used in this Report, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or the Company’s management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward- looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on the Company’s behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on February 8, 2021 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. While our efforts to identify a target business may span many industries and regions worldwide, we focus our search for prospects within the data center and technology industries. We intend to effectuate our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the private placement of the Private Units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial Business Combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete our initial Business Combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from inception through December 31, 2021 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for our Initial Public Offering, described below, and, after our Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for an initial Business Combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Accounts. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.
For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had a net income of $5,135,790, which consists of interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $1,876, realized and unrealized gain of $19,097, change in fair value of warrant liability of $6,325,281, offset with non-operating expense of $625,059, other operation costs of $421,397 and franchise tax expense of $164,008.
Going Concern, Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $453,151 outside of the Trust Account. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete our initial business combination.
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For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $378,487.
As of December 31, 2021, we had investments of $117,320,973 held in the Trust Accounts. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Accounts, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Accounts (less taxes paid and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. During the period ended December 31, 2021, we did not withdraw any interest earned on the Trust Account. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Accounts will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which contemplates the continuation of the Company as a going concern and the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this uncertainty during the period leading up to the business combination; however, this cannot be guaranteed. The Company will have until May 11, 2022 (or up to November 11, 2022, as applicable) to consummate a business combination. If our initial business combination is not consummated by May 11, 2022 (or until November 11, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), less than one year after the date the financial statements are issued, then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account. The Company intends to complete a business combination before the liquidation date, and no no adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the company be required to liquidate after such date. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to consummate an initial business combination by May 11, 2022 and/or have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet its needs. Based upon the above analysis, management determined that these conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with our initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units identical to the Placement Units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender.
Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2021. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee up to $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support services. We began incurring these fees on May 7, 2021 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination and our liquidation. From inception to December 31, 2021, we have incurred $80,000 in fees under this agreement.
The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $4,025,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Accounts solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
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Critical Accounting Policies
This management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our unaudited financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these unaudited financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our unaudited financial statements. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to fair value of financial instruments and accrued expenses. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Warrant Liabilities
The Company accounts for the Public Warrants (as defined in Note 3) and the Private Placement Warrants (collectively, with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40 under which the Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment and must be recorded as liabilities. Accordingly, the Company classifies the Warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjusts the Warrants to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the statements of operations. The Warrants for periods where no observable traded price was available are valued using a binomial/lattice model. For periods subsequent to the detachment of the Public Warrants from the Units, the Public Warrant quoted market price will be used as the fair value as of each relevant date.
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our Class A Common Stock subject to possible conversion in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Shares of Class A Common Stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our Class A Common Stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheet.
Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the re-measurement from initial book value to redemption amount, which approximates fair value. The change in the carrying value of the redeemable Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit and Class A Common Stock.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable common stock are affected by charges against additional paid in capital and accumulated deficit.
Net Income per Common Share
Net income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding common shares previously subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 375,000 shares of Class B Common Stock that were previously subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option was not exercised by the underwriters. As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted income per share is the same as basic income per share for the period presented.
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current U.S. GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings
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per share calculation in certain areas. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
As of December 31, 2021, we were not subject to any market or interest rate risk. Following the consummation of our Initial Public Offering, the net proceeds received into the Trust Accounts, have been invested in U.S. government treasury bills, notes or bonds with a maturity of 185 days or less or in certain money market funds that invest solely in US treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.
None.
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
In accordance with the SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of the Company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. The Company had previously classified 9,660,700 shares and 10,597,751 shares of Class A Common Stock in temporary equity on May 11, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Although the Company did not specify a maximum redemption threshold, its charter provides that currently, the Company will not redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
Management reviewed the Company’s initial application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of public shares and determined that the public shares include certain redemption provisions outside of the Company’s control that require the public shares to be presented as temporary equity regardless of the minimum net tangible asset required by the Company to complete its initial business combination.
In accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 99, “Materiality,” and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 108, “Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements;” the Company evaluated the changes and has determined that the related impact was material to any previously presented financial statements. Therefore, the Company, in consultation with its Audit Committee, concluded that its previously issued financial statements should be restated to report all public shares as temporary equity. As such the Company reported upon restatements to those periods in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Period Ended September 30, 2021.
In connection with the preparation of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Period Ended September 30, 2021, and in light of the SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, we revised our prior position on accounting for our complex financial instruments. We restated our May 11, 2021 audited balance sheet included in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2021 and June 30, 2021 Financial Statements filed on Form 10-Q filed on August 16, 2021 (the “Prior Financials”) to reclassify 11,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock in temporary equity.
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Certifying Officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, solely due to the Company’s restatement of temporary equity of its Prior Financials, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 (e) and 15d-15 (e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective as of December 31, 2021.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In connection with the evaluation of the SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, and management’s subsequent re-evaluation of its Prior Financials, the Company determined that there were errors in its accounting for its temporary equity. Management concluded that a deficiency in internal control over financial reporting existed relating to the accounting treatment for complex financial instruments and that the failure to properly account for such instruments constituted a material weakness. This material weakness resulted in the need to restate the Prior Financials.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021 covered by the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Period Ended September 30, 2021 that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting, with the exception of the below.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer performed additional accounting and financial analyses and other post-closing procedures including consulting with subject matter experts related to the accounting for the temporary equity and the restatement of the Prior Financials. The Company’s management has expended, and will continue to expend, a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation of the material weakness and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to properly identify and evaluate the appropriate accounting technical pronouncements and other literature for all significant or unusual transactions, we have expanded and will continue to improve these processes to ensure that the nuances of such transactions are effectively evaluated in the context of the increasingly complex accounting standards.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
This Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by the rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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Item 9B.Other Information.
None.
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PART III
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Directors and Executive Officers
As of the date of this Report, our directors and officers are as follows:
Name Age Position
Barry Anderson 44 Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar 48 Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
Syed Musheer Ahmed 37 Director
Julianne Huh 52 Director
Annie Damit Undikai 59 Director
The experience of our directors and executive officers is as follows:
Barry Anderson has served as our chairman and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Mr. Anderson has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Present D’Lloyd Technologies Ltd since September 2019, where he has conceptualized and implemented the business development strategy that has yielded significant results in raising the company profile. From October 2011 to September 2019, Mr. Anderson served as the Managing Director of Serba Dinamik International Ltd, where he provided leadership and vision to the organization by assisting the board of directors with the development of long range and annual strategies and planning. From July 2013 to September 2019, Mr. Anderson served as the Non-Executive Director of Quantum Offshore Ltd, where he was assisting and identifying new areas for development and providing guidance on capital raising activities. Mr. Anderson currently sits on the board of directors and contributes his years of experience to develop new areas for growth by creating meaningful and lasting relationships with key customers for future business. From January 2007 to August 2011, Mr. Anderson served as the Business Development Manager of Serba Dinamik Sdn Bhd, where he developed and managed a sales team to promote nitrogen generation, turbine, and compressor services. Mr. Anderson effectively implemented sales strategies to achieve targets, and generated key accounts and term contracts with clients globally. From January 2007 to September 2008, Mr. Anderson served as the Business Development Manager of RAM Global Ltd, where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of advanced polymer products. In 1998, Mr. Anderson received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Asian Studies at Manchester University.
Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar has served as our Chief Financial Officer and secretary since inception. Mr. Mokhtar has been serving as the Senior Vice President, Special Project of Group CEO Office, of Serba Dinamik Holdings Berhad. In May 2012, Mr. Mokhtar joined PBJV Group Sdn Bhd (PBJV) as the Chief Financial Officer with the primary task to list the group in Bursa Malaysia. PBJV was successfully listed in Bursa Malaysia in November 2013 under a new investment holding company, Barakah Offshore Petroleum Berhad (Barakah). Mr. Mokhtar was also transferred from PBJV to Barakah as group Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining PBJV, Mr. Mokhtar was employed by TidalMarine Engineering Sdn Bhd (TidalMarine) as Director of Corporate Affairs and Finance since May 2007. TidalMarine is one of the leading marine engineering companies in Malaysia specializing in marine and infrastructure services. In October 2005, Mr. Mokhtar joined PECD Berhad as a Manager in its Investment Division, where he was primarily responsible for evaluating and acquiring concession type assets in the water, infrastructure, power, oil and gas sectors. Subsequently in October 2006, he was promoted to Head of Corporate Affairs (Group CEO Office). In May 2003, Mr. Mokhtar joined Ranhill Berhad (RB) as the Senior Manager of Corporate Planning, where he was instrumental in the acquisition and debt restructuring of Ranhill Power Berhad (formerly known as EPE Power Corporation Berhad) and Ranhill Utilities Berhad. Upon receiving his Bachelor Degree (Honours) in Accountancy in July 1997 from International Islamic University Malaysia, Mr. Mokhtar started his career at PwC Malaysia in the Corporate Finance/Recovery Department before he moved to the Corporate Finance Department at Alliance Investment Banks in July 1999. Mr. Mokhtar is also a Certified Public Accountant registered with the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.
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Syed Musheer Ahmed was appointed to our Board in May 2021. Mr. Ahmed co-founded FinStep Asia based in Hong Kong and has been serving as its Managing Director since October 2019. FinStep Asia is a venture builder where Mr. Ahmed facilitated fintech partnerships across Asia, Europe and the U.S. for a Singaporean e-commerce Unicorn, and provided market entry strategy and growth advisory services to fintech firms across Asia, with a focus on Hong Kong, India and Singapore. From October 2017 to October 2019, Mr. Ahmed co-founded the Fintech Association based in Hong Kong and has been serving as its General Manager. The Fintech Association of Hong Kong is the representative body for Hong Kong’s Fintech Industry, where Mr. Ahmed developed strategic, digital and policy frameworks for the financial services and fintech industry in Hong Kong. From January 2016 to July 2017, Mr. Ahmed served as the Senior Consultant and Co-head of Risk and Regulations at GreySpark Partners based in Hong Kong. GreySpark is a global management consulting firm with a focus on financial services technology. From July 2005 to June 2014, Mr. Ahmed served as the Country Head of Hertshten Group and its subsidiaries. Hertshten Group is one of the world’s largest firms in fixed income and commodities futures trading. In August 2015, Mr. Ahmed received his MBA degree with a focus on Finance and Strategy, from the London Business School and the University of Hong Kong. In June 2005, Mr. Ahmed received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from R.V.C.E. in India. We believe Mr. Ahmed is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his experience in fintech and the financial services industry, and his network of contacts and relationships.
Julianne Huh was appointed to our Board in May 2021. Since October 2017, Dr. Huh has been serving as the Director of S&I F&B Management Sdn, Bhd based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she manages the overall business, operations and marketing of 2 Ox French Bistro. From June 2016 to August 2017, Dr. Huh served as the Vice President of The Mall of Korea based in Bangkok, Thailand, where she managed projects for business set-up, construction of department stores and nine restaurants. Dr. Huh also managed the overall business, operations and marketing while serving as the Vice President during this time. From November 2013 to June 2016, Dr. Huh served as the Director of Business Development of Juna International Ltd based in Shanghai, China and Seoul, Korea, where she oversaw China Business Development in the entertainment and music industry. From August 2006 to June 2016, Dr. Huh founded the Wonderful World of Learning (WWL) and served as its General Manager based in Shanghai, where she managed the overall business and operations of the preschool, curriculum development and teacher training. From October 2011 to May 2014, Dr. Huh served as the Managing Partner as well as Vice President of Pronovias Korea based in Seoul, Korea, where she launched the wedding dress brand “Pronovias” of the Spain flagship store as the sole franchise for the Korean market. Dr. Huh also oversaw and managed operations, marketing, PR and bi-annual buying and merchandising. From September 2009 to September 2019, Dr. Huh founded Only Natural Organic Bath Products based in Shanghai, China, where she was in charge of brand development and sales for charity purposes. In May 2005, Dr. Huh received her Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree at the University of Massachusetts in the U.S. In May 1995, Dr. Huh received her Master’s of Education (M.Ed) degree from the University of Massachusetts in the U.S. In June 1993, Dr. Huh completed two semesters of courses at the MBA program at the Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. In February 1991, Dr. Huh received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea. We believe Dr. Huh is well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her experience in global finance, as well as her network of contacts and relationships.
Annie Damit Undikai was appointed to our Board in May 2021. Since August 2005, Ms. Undikai has been serving as a Director of Brighton Management Limited, an underwriting and insurance management firm. Since November 2007, Ms. Undikai has been serving as a Director of Brighton International Management SDN BHD, an affiliate of Brighton Management Limited providing management and support services. Since September 2010, Ms. Undikai has been serving as a Director of Brighton International Group Limited, an affiliate of Brighton Management Limited. Since August 2013, Ms. Undikai has been serving as a Director of Brighton Management Singapore PTE Ltd., an affiliate of Brighton Management Limited providing management and support services. Since December 2019, Ms. Undikai has also been serving as a Director of Park Lane PCC Limited, a captive insurance company. In July 1983, Ms. Undikai received her Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Accounting and Computing from the University of Kent at Canterbury in the United Kingdom. Ms. Undikai is a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We have four directors. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Mr. Ahmed will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Dr. Huh, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Mr. Anderson and Ms. Undikai, will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders.
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Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, Nasdaq rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and Nasdaq rules require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. Dr. Huh, Mr. Ahmed, and Ms. Undikai serve as members of our audit committee, and Ms. Undikai chairs the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Each of Messrs. Dr. Huh, Mr. Ahmed, and Ms. Undikai meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that that Ms. Undikai qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
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Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Dr. Huh, Mr. Ahmed, and Ms. Undikai serve as members of our compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent. Each of Dr. Huh, Mr. Ahmed, and Ms. Undikai are independent and Dr. Huh chairs the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
● reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the payment to ARC Group Ltd of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. Our independent directors will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
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The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit and compensation committee charters with the SEC and copies are available on our website. You are able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Item 11.Executive Compensation
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
None of our officers has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Other than the payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of $10,000 per month described elsewhere in this Report, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors or any affiliate of our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, advisors or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The compensation committee has reviewed and discussed this Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management and, based upon its review and discussions, the compensation committee recommended to the board of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Report.
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Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 1, 2022 based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of common stock, by:
● all our executive officers and directors as a group.
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 14,960,275 shares of our common stock, consisting of (i) 12,085,275 shares of our Class A Common Stock, and (ii) 2,875,000 shares of our Class B Common Stock, issued and outstanding as of November 12, 2021. On all matters to be voted upon, holders of the shares of Class A Common Stock and shares of Class B Common Stock vote together as a single class. Currently, all of the shares of Class B Common Stock are convertible into Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this Report.
Class A Class B
Common Stock Common Stock Approximate
Number of Number of Percentage of
Shares Approximate Shares Approximate Outstanding
Beneficially Percentage Beneficially Percentage Common
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) Owned of Class Owned(2) of Class Stock
Syed Musheer Ahmed — * 5,000 * *
Julianne Huh — * 5,000 * *
Annie Damit Undikai — * 5,000 * *
* less than 1%
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Table
None.
Changes in Control
None.
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Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
On February 25, 2021 , our sponsor purchased 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. On February 25, 2021, our sponsor transferred 15,000 shares to Barry Anderson, 15,000 shares to Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar, 5,000 shares to Syed Musheer Ahmed and 5,000 shares to Julianne Huh. On March 23, 2021, our sponsor transferred 5,000 shares to Annie Damit Undikai. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering (excluding the placement units and underlying securities). The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the Company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 375,000 founder shares held by our sponsor were subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised. The founder shares (including the Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering on May 11, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 585,275 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,852,750. Each private placement unit consists of one share of Class A Common Stock and one redeemable private placement warrant. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the private placement units were added to the proceeds from our initial public offering held in the trust account. If we do not complete an initial business combination by May 11, 2022 (or until November 11, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), the proceeds from the sale of the private placement units will be used to fund the redemption of the public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the private placement units and all underlying securities will expire worthless.
Commencing on October 5, 2021, we pay Arc Group Ltd, an affiliate of members of our sponsor, a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. From inception to December 31, 2021, we have incurred $80,000 in fees under this agreement. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Other than the foregoing, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors or any affiliate of our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or our or their affiliates and determines which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
On February 26, 2021 our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of our initial public offering and we issued an unsecured promissory note to our sponsor. The promissory note was non-interest bearing and was payable on the earlier of (i) July 31, 2021 and (ii) the completion of our initial public offering. At December 31, 2021, there was no outstanding balance under the promissory note.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest bearing basis as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the private placement units. Other than as described above, the terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under the any such loans.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to
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consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
The holders of the founder shares, private placement units, and units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable) have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering. These holders are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us.
We have entered into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We have purchased a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Related Party Policy
We have adopted a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. We have filed a copy of our code of ethics with the SEC and a copy is available on our website. You are able to review our code of ethics by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the code of ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our code of ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we have adopted, is responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. We have filed a copy of our audit committee charter with the SEC and a copy is available on our website. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors or any affiliate of our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors prior to, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
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Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or our or their affiliates.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined Dr. Huh, Mr. Ahmed, and Ms. Undikai are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules.
Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum, for services rendered.
Audit Fees. For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were approximately $68,002, for the services Marcum performed in connection with our Initial Public Offering, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and the audit of our December 31, 2021 financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Audit-Related Fees. For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render assurance and related services related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements.
Tax Fees. For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render services to us for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
All Other Fees. For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, there were no fees billed for products and services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm other than those set forth above.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
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PART IV
Item 15.Exhibits, Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedules
(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Report:
(1) Financial Statements
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Balance Sheet F-3
Statement of Operations F-4
Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit F-5
Statement of Cash Flows F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7
(2) Financial Statements Schedule
All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the amounts are immaterial and not required, or the required information is presented in the financial statements and notes beginning on F-1 on this Report.
(3) Exhibits
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary
Not applicable.
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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID #688) F-2
Financial Statements:
Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2021 F-3
Notes to the Financial Statements F-7 - F-22
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Data Knights Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Data Knights Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has until May 11, 2022 to complete a business combination or the Company will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. Further, the Company’s cash and working capital as of December 31, 2021 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Boston, MA
April 1, 2022
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
BALANCE SHEET
December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets
Prepaid insurance 61,846
Total Current Assets 536,212
Investments in cash held in Trust Account 117,320,973
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
Current Liabilities
Franchise tax payable 164,008
Total Current Liabilities 289,980
Deferred underwriter fee payable 4,025,000
Commitments and Contingencies
Stockholders’ Deficit
Additional paid-in capital —
Total Stockholders’ Deficit (8,609,463)
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit $ 117,857,185
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
For the Period
from
(Inception)
Through
December 31,
Formation and operating costs $ 421,397
Franchise tax expense 164,008
Loss from operation costs (585,405)
Other income (expense):
Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account 1,876
Realized and Unrealized gain 19,097
Change in Fair value of warrant liability 6,325,281
Offering costs allocated to warrant liability (625,059)
Basic and diluted net income per common stock $ 0.44
Basic and diluted net income per common stock $ 0.44
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Class A Class B Additional Total
Common Stock Common Stock Paid in Accumulative Stockholders’
Shares Amounts Shares Amounts Capital Deficit Deficit
Balance — February 8, 2021 (inception) — $ — — $ — $ — $ — $ —
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 8, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
Cash flow from operating activities:
Interest earned on securities held in Trust Account (1,876)
Realized and Unrealized gain (19,097)
Offering costs allocated to warrant liability 625,059
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expense (83,061)
Franchise tax payable 164,008
Change in fair value of warrant liability (6,325,281)
Net cash used in operating activities (378,487)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Investment of cash held in Trust Account (117,300,000)
Net cash used in investing activities (117,300,000)
Cash flow from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of Class B Common Stock to Sponsor 25,000
Proceeds from sale of Units, net of underwriting discount paid 112,700,000
Proceeds from sale of private placement units 5,852,750
Payment of offering costs (446,112)
Proceeds from promissory note 78,925
Repayment of promissory note (78,925)
Net cash provided by financing activities 118,131,638
Cash at the beginning of the period —
Cash at the end of the period $ 453,151
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities:
Deferred underwriting fee payable $ 4,025,000
Initial classification of the warrant liability $ 11,176,949
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Data Knights Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on February 8, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity for the period February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 were related to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”).
On May 11, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 11,500,000 units (“Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A Common Stock included in the Units offered, the “Public Shares”), generating gross proceeds of $115,000,000, which is described in Note 4.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 585,275 private placement units (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement to Data Knights, LLC (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $5,852,750, which is described in Note 5.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on May 11, 2021, an amount of $117,300,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) which may be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below.
Transaction costs of the Initial Public Offering amounted to $6,771,112 consisting of $2,300,000 of underwriting fees, $4,025,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $446,112 of other costs.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering $959,560 of cash was held outside of the Trust Account available for working capital purposes. As of December 31, 2021, we have available to us $453,151 of cash on our balance sheet and working capital of $246,232.
If a stockholder vote is not required and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, offer such redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. NASDAQ rules provide that the Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (as defined below) (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing of a definitive agreement to enter a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. In connection with a proposed Business Combination, the Company may seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against a Business Combination. The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.
The Company will have until May 11, 2022 (or up to November 11, 2022, as applicable) to consummate a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering at the election of the Company subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up $2,300,000 since the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit), into the Trust Account, or as extended by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation) (the “Combination Period”), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the Company, subject in each case to its obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law. The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00). There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Founder Shares (as defined below) or the shares of Class A Common Stock and the warrants that are included as components of the Private Placement Units. Such warrants will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the 12-month time period (or up to 18-month time period).
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or Business Combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the day of liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter of Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). However, the Company has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has the Company independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure its stockholders that the Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of the Company’s officers or directors will indemnify the Company for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern, Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $453,151 outside of the Trust Account. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate
F-8
Table of Contents
DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete our initial business combination. For the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $378,487.
As of December 31, 2021, we had investments of $117,320,973 held in the Trust Account. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less taxes paid and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. During the period ended December 31, 2021, we did not withdraw any interest earned on the Trust Account. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which contemplates the continuation of the Company as a going concern and the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this uncertainty during the period leading up to the business combination, however this cannot be guaranteed. The Company will have until May 11, 2022 (or up to November 11, 2022, as applicable) to consummate a Business Combination. If our initial business combination is not consummated by May 11, 2022 (or until November 11, 2022 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), less than one year after the date the financial statements are issued, then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account. The Company intends to complete a business combination before the liquidation date and no adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the company be required to liquidate after such date. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to consummate an initial business combination by May 11, 2022 and/or have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet its needs. Based upon the above analysis, management determined that these conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with our initial Business Combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial Business Combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Accounts to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Accounts would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units identical to the Placement Units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statement. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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Table of Contents
DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. Dollars and conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging growth company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates fair value. The Company had $453,151 in cash and no cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021.
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Table of Contents
DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable shares of common stock (including shares of common stock that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, shares are classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A Common Stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events.
On December 31, 2021, there are 585,275 shares of Class A Common Stock related to the Private Placement Unit (Note 5) outstanding, which are not subject to redemption, and 11,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding, which are subject to possible redemption.
If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or to recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement is treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital).
As of December 31, 2021, the Class A Common Stock reflected on the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:
Less:
Proceeds allocated to public warrants and private warrants (10,614,500)
Issuance costs related to Class A Common Stock (6,146,054)
Plus:
Re-measurement of carrying value to redemption value 19,060,554
Contingently redeemable Class A Common Stock 117,300,000
Net income per share
Net income per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common stock shares outstanding for the period. The calculation of diluted income per share does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering and warrants issued as components of the Private Placement Units (the “Placement Warrants”) since the exercise of the warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive.
The Company applies the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. The contractual formula utilized to calculate the redemption amount approximates fair value. The Class feature to redeem at fair value means that there is effectively only one class of stock. Changes in fair value are not considered a dividend for the purposes of the numerator in the earnings per share calculation. Net income per common share is computed by dividing the pro rata net loss between the redeemable shares and the non-redeemable shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for each of the periods. The calculation of diluted income per common stock does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the IPO since the exercise of the warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive. The warrants are exercisable for 12,085,275 shares of common stock in the aggregate.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income per common share:
For the period of
February 8, 2021 (inception)
Through
Redeemable Class A common shares
Numerator:
Denominator: weighted average number of redeemable common share 8,264,526
Basic and diluted net income per redeemable common share $ 0.44
Non-redeemable Class A and Class B common shares
Numerator:
Net income allocable to common stock not subject to redemption $ 1,464,132
Denominator: weighted average number of non-redeemable common shares 3,295,610
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. At December 31, 2021, the Company had not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Fair value of financial instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature, except warrant liabilities (See Note 9).
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Income Taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
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Table of Contents
DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the United States is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals, or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 11,500,000 Units at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value, and one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 8).
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 585,275 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit for an aggregate purchase price of $5,852,750.
The Private Placement Units are identical to the Units, except that (a) the Private Placement Units and their component securities will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination except to permitted transferees and (b) the Placement Warrants, so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (ii) will be entitled to registration rights.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On February 25, 2021, the Company issued an aggregate of 2,875,000 shares of Class B Common Stock (the “Founder Shares”) to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On February 25, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 15,000 shares to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, 15,000 shares to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and 5,000 shares to two of the Company’s independent directors. Following the determination of the Company’s third independent director, on March 23, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 5,000 shares to such independent director. The Founder Shares which the Sponsor and its permitted transferees will collectively own, on an as-converted basis, represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering.
The Sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or similar transaction that results in the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last reported sale price of the Company’s Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Business Combination, the Founder Shares will be released from the lock-up.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On February 8, 2021, the Sponsor committed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). The Note was non-interest bearing and was payable on the earlier of July 31, 2021 or the completion of the Initial Public Offering. On June 1, 2021, the $78,925 outstanding under the promissory note was repaid in full. On December 31, 2021, there is no amount outstanding under the promissory note.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, or the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (the “Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The Units will be identical to the Private Placement Units. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. On December 31, 2021, there is no amount outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
If the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 12 months, the Company may, by resolution of the Company’s board if requested by the Sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a Business Combination), subject to the Sponsor depositing additional funds into the Trust Account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement entered into between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order for the time available for the Company to consummate the initial Business Combination to be extended, the Sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five business days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the Trust Account $1,150,000 since the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised in full ($0.10 per unit), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each of the available three month extensions, providing a total possible Business Combination period of 18 months at a total payment value of $2,300,000 since the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised in full ($0.10 per unit) (the “Extension Loans”). Any such payments would be made in the form of non-interest bearing loans. If the Company completes its initial Business Combination, the Company will, at the option of the Sponsor, repay the Extension Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company or convert a portion or all of the total loan amount into units at a price of $10.00 per unit, which units will be identical to the Private Placement Units. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the Company will repay such loans only from funds held outside of the Trust Account. Furthermore, the letter agreement among the Company and the Company’s officers, directors, and the Sponsor contains a provision pursuant to which the Sponsor will agree to waive its right to be repaid for such loans to the extent there is insufficient funds held outside of the Trust Account in the event that the Company does not complete a Business Combination. The Sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the Trust Account to extend the time for the Company to complete the initial Business Combination. The public stockholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on the extension of time to consummate an initial Business Combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions.
Administrative Services Arrangement
Commencing on the date of the prospectus and until completion of the Company’s Business Combination or liquidation, the Company may reimburse ARC Group Ltd., an affiliate of the Sponsor, up to an amount of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative support. As of December 31, 2021, the Company incurred $80,000 in expenses for these services.
NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on May 6, 2021, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Units (including the securities contained therein), the units (including the securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans, and any shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Placement Warrants and any shares of Class A Common Stock, warrants (and underlying Class A Common Stock) that may be issued upon conversion of the units issued as part of the working capital loans and Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriters Agreement
The Company granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the Initial Public Offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The aforementioned option was exercised on May 11, 2021.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The underwriter was paid a cash underwriting discount of two percent (2.00%) of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $2,300,000. In addition, the underwriter is entitled to a deferred fee of three and a half percent (3.50%) of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $4,025,000. The deferred fee was placed in the Trust Account and will be paid in cash upon the closing of a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Right of First Refusal
For a period beginning on May 7, 2021 and ending 12 months from the closing of a business combination, we have granted the underwriters a right of first refusal to act as lead-left book running manager and lead left manager for any and all future private or public equity, convertible and debt offerings during such period. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(E)(i), such right of first refusal shall not have a duration of more than three years from the effective date of our Registration Statement.
NOTE 7. WARRANT LIABILITY
Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A Common Stock is available, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement or a new registration statement covering the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A Common Stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the Company’s initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company’s shares of Class A Common Stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, it may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event it does not so elect, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
● in whole and not in part;
● at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of Class A Common Stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Window and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.The Placement Warrants were identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Placement Warrants and the Class A Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A Common Stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Company’s initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of such initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Placement Warrants and the Class A Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
At December 31, 2021, the Company accounted for the aggregate 12,085,275 warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the 11,500,000 Public Warrants and the 585,275 Placement Warrants) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 8. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preferred shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s Board of Directors. At December 31, 2021, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2021, there were 12,085,275 shares of Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding, including 585,275 shares of non-redeemable Class A Common Stock issued in connection with the private placement (Note 4), and 11,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption.
Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class B Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share. On February 25, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 15,000 shares to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, 15,000 shares to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and 5,000 shares to two of the Company’s independent directors. Following the determination of the Company’s third independent director, on March 23, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 5,000 shares to such independent director. At December 31, 2021, there were 2,875,000 shares of Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding.
Holders of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as required by law.
The shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of the Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like. In the case that additional shares of Class A Common Stock, or equity linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B Common Stock shall convert into shares of Class A Common Stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B Common Stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering plus all shares of Class A Common Stock and equity linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination, and any private placement-equivalent units and its underlying securities issued to the Sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company).
The Company may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete its Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of its Business Combination.
NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company determines fair value based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels:
Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or instruments in active markets.
Level 2 Inputs: Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model derived valuations whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.
Level 3 Inputs: Significant inputs into the valuation model are unobservable.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The following table presents information about the Company's assets and derivative warrant liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques that the Company utilized to determine such fair value:
Quoted Prices in Significant Other Significant Other
Active Markets Observable Inputs Unobservable Inputs
Description (Level 1) (Level 2) (Level 3)
Asset:
Investments in cash held in Trust Account $ 117,320,974 $ — $ —
Warrant Liabilities:
Public Warrants $ 4,600,000 $ — $ —
Private Placement Warrants $ — $ — $ 251,668
The Warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The Public Warrants were valued initially and at each reporting period that the warrants were not actively traded, using a Monte Carlo simulation. As of December 31, 2021, the Public Warrants were valued using the instrument’s publicly listed trading price, which is considered to be a Level 1 measurement due to the use of an observable market quote in an active market. Private Placement Warrants were valued using a Monte Carlo valuation model using level 3 inputs at initial valuation and as of December 31, 2021.
At December 31, 2021, assets held in the Trust Account were comprised of $117,320,974 in U.S. Treasury Securities. The Company uses inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, quoted market prices from dealers or brokers, and other similar sources to determine the fair value of its investments.
The Warrants were accounted for as liabilities in accordance with ASC 815-40 and are presented within warrant liabilities in the accompanying balance sheet. The warrant liabilities are measured at fair value at inception and on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value presented within the statement of operations.
The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record a derivative liability upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Accordingly, the Company classified each warrant as a liability at its fair value and the warrants were allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value determined by the Monte Carlo simulation. This liability is subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.
The Company utilized a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the fair value of the warrants at each reporting period for its warrants that are not actively traded. Inherent in a Monte Carlo simulation are assumptions related to expected stock-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock based on historical volatility of select peer companies that matches the expected remaining life of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates remaining at zero.
Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2 and 3 are recognized at the end of the reporting period in which a change in valuation technique or methodology occurs. The estimated fair value of the Public Warrants transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 fair value measurement during the period from February 8, 2021 (inception) to December 31, 2021.
On June 22, 2021, the Public Warrants surpassed the threshold waiting period to be publicly traded. Once publicly traded, the observable input qualifies the liability for treatment as a Level 1 liability. As such, as of December 31, 2021, the Company classified the Public Warrants as Level 1.
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DATA KNIGHTS ACQUISITION CAPITAL CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The estimated value of the Public Warrants that transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 measurement from the initial measurement of May 11, 2021 through December 31, 2021 was $4,600,000 as presented in the changes in fair value of Level 3 warrant liabilities table below.
Warrant Liability
Fair value as of February 8, 2021 (inception) $ —
The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements inputs as their measurement dates:
December 31,2021 (Initial Measurement)
(Public Warrants
and
(Private Warrants) Private Warrants)