If you love sneakers and streetwear, you might be well-versed with Hypebeast. This is a Hong Kong-based company that manufactures sneakers and streetwear. It is a household name in Hong Kong and the entire East Asia region. The 16-year old company is better-known for setting the standards in the streetwear fashion industry, but it's also involved in technology, sports, art and food. The company prides itself in identifying emerging trends in culture and lifestyle to create an eco-system that promotes cultural discovery and connection.

Hypebeast Reverse Merger

The company is planning to list on the Nasdaq by merging a SPAC with an already-listed company Iron Spark. The merger will see the new entity listed on the Nasdaq with an already-identified ticker "HYPE". Merging a profitable or high-potential company with a public company that is not doing so well is the cheapest way of taking a company public. This is because the cost of taking a company public through an IPO is beyond the reach of many businesses. Through the merging of the SPAC and the public company, Hypebeast will become a publicly-listed company. It is important to note that the company is already listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, so it will be dual listed on the two major exchanges.

What Products and Services Does the Company Offer?

Founded by Kevin Ma in 2005, Hypebeast was originally just a sneaker blog. The company has now grown to be an e-commerce and digital media company that focuses on lifestyle, culture and fashion. It mainly focuses on streetwear fashion. The company has grown to become one of the trend-setters in Hong Kong.

Who is Involved in the SPAC?

The Hypebeast Reverse merger deal is backed by a star-studded pool of investors, including Naomi Osaka - the tennis star, Tom Brady - the famous quarterback, Kevin Durant - NBA star, Rich Kleiman, Adam Levine, Joe Gebbia and Tony Hawk among other stars.

Circle has doubled its valuation after inking a deal with blank-check company Concord. Concord is the latest so-called Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) - another name for a blank-check company or shell company - to agree a reverse merger with a crypto firm.

Circle, the cryptocurrency startup backed by Goldman Sachs, has agreed to a merger with blank-check company Concord. The deal will value Circle at $3B and the combined market cap of the new entity is expected to be $9B.

Financing of all types has been tough this year, but companies still need to grow. It’s a strange paradox that’s led to explosion of SPACs taking companies public through reverse mergers. TechCrunch understands that one of the latest big private tech companies to ink a deal with a SPAC is Circle, the crypto financial services and stable coin provider that boasts major institutional clients like Goldman Sachs, and is part of the Blockchain Association.

The Unique StableCoin

Circle, a United States-based company, is another popular option for Crypto users in search of a stablecoin. Circle has an especially unique approach to its Stablecoin when compared to other coins, including Tether. Circle takes the stance that transparency helps reassure users that the USD-pegged coin is legitimate. As a result, it opted to undergo frequent third-party audits from regulators and make the results available for public viewing.

Public Auditing by Armanino

After launching a US dollars-backed Stablecoin in September 2019, Circle has partnered with the Florida-based auditing firm Armanino to conduct bi-quarterly audits on its fully reserved dollar tokens.

There is no doubt that former president Donald J. Trump is a real estate mogul. He is a multi billionaire with many real estate holdings around the world, key among them being the iconic Trump Tower in New York. After vacating the office of the POTUS, not much has been heard from Trump except reposting of his press releases. Recently, however, major media outlets around the world have been flooded with stories and interviews about the Trump SPAC. This is one of Trump's major successes and is bound to make him a lot of money. Read further to learn more about the company.

Trump SPAC Explained

A special acquisition company (SPAC) is a type of blank check company, more closely related to an exchange traded fund than it is to a traditional company. A blank check company contains several types of securities that can be structured to fit the investment goals of the shareholders. One of these types of securities is called an "unit". A unit can be viewed as similar to a share of stock, except that instead of giving you ownership in an actual company, it gives you limited rights to certain assets of the company. These rights are limited because they are usually restricted to receiving proceeds from certain sale transactions of the company.

The Trump SPAC was created with the intent to use the proceeds from the sale of units to buy up portions of other companies by buying large numbers of their shares on the market. The Trump SPAC will also use the proceeds from sale of units on other transactions like acquisitions or paying down debt.

Trumps new venture is a special acquisition company known as Digital World Acquisition Corp. The SPAC trades under the ticker - DWAC - on Nasdaq and other major exchanges. All the frenzy about the Trump SPAC emanates from the recent announcement of DWAC acquisition of TMTG. After the announcement the company stock grew by more than 800% in the first two days of the announcement. So far, the stock has grown by over 1,000% and has been compared to the AMC and GameStop stock by Reddit's WallStreetBets. It is interesting to note that it's not just DWAC stock that is rising fast at the moment. Phunware, a software startup massively involved in the Trump campaign also saw a rapid rise in stock prices due to the Trump effect.

How He is Backing the SPAC

Trump has gone public to dismiss major social media companies for banning him, noting that while the Taliban thrives on social media, major companies have banned him from their platforms. His goal was to acquire TRUTH social, a social media giant that can take on big tech. Going public with his statements is what attracted tech investors and his followers and convinced them to purchase this meme stock. DWAC announced that it would be acquiring the Trump Media & Technology Group popular for its Miss Universe Pageant rights.

In a press conference at the White House Rose Garden, Donald Trump stated that this issue is a matter of life and death. “You would think a company like Facebook would understand the seriousness of a threat like ISIS. The fact remains that Facebook banned me from their platform.”

“I have been calling for a major investigation into these companies that have been silencing so many voices,” Trump said. “They are controlling what we can and cannot see. It’s a dangerous thing when they are controlling your information.

The reverse merger of the Forbes magazine with Magnum Opus Acquisition Ltd is the freshest example of media companies catching SPACs. It is a lucrative deal that seeks to allow one of the oldest media publishers, Forbes, to invest further in consumer-focused products while reducing dependence on media revenue. The profit projection resulting from Forbes reverse merger is expected to go high by the end of 2021.

Why is the Reverse Merger Happening?

The next question that anyone is likely to ask themselves is why the merger is necessary. While it will be incorrect to say that the reverse merger does not have any demerits, the truth is that the advantages always outweigh the disadvantages. The typical benefit of a reverse merger that everyone knows is that it saves the private company from the complex and expensive process of becoming a public company. However, that is not all, as many other reasons make private companies choose this path. For instance, it helps in saving the taxes of a private company.

Another benefit of a reverse merger is that it does not negatively impact the competition in the market. It is rare to see the reverse merger on hold because of the negative impact of its implementation. In other words, there is more to celebrate about the merger.

What will the company look like after the Forbes Reverse Merger?

Once the merger between Forbes and Magnum Opus Acquisition Ltd is complete, you do not expect things to remain the same. It is most likely that things will change in one or the other. Although the profits may increase as projected, some disadvantages might come with the entire process. For example, the employees from both sides will be affected. Some may lose their livelihoods, and those lucky enough to survive should expect lots of things. Shifting of roles and confusion among employees is inevitable. Also, the struggle for power among employees may affect the growth and the development of the business. The great news is that this is not likely to last for an extended period before things shape stars to shape up.

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has agreed to go public through a special purpose acquisition company (or SPAC) called NextGen Acquisition Corp II. The deal is expected to provide the company with $483 million in cash proceeds with investors, that include Boeing Co and AE Industrial partners, committing $100 million through a private investment equity placement. The deal will result in a value of $3.2 billion for the satellite launching company and will support its capital reserves until its operations begin to produce stable revenue streams which is expected to occur by 2023.

Virgin Orbit Stock

The merger is expected to close by the end of the year and will trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker name of VORB, with the company, launched in 2017, keeping its Virgin Orbit name. It follows another Branson company, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc, which offers flights to space, going public through a SPAC deal in 2019. He recently took a flight with 5 employees of Virgin Galactic to promote the service which costs $450,000 for a seat on the flight. Branson said that the success of that deal encouraged him to make the current move and went on to say that this method of going public was less time-consuming and more efficient than going through a traditional public stock offering.

The satellite launch sector is experiencing significant growth as companies, including the Elon Musk backed Space Exploration Technologies Corp, compete to lower the cost of these missions partly by re-using launch rockets. Virgin Orbit is unique in that it uses a Boeing 747 to launch its rockets at an altitude of 35,000 feet. CEO Dan Hart has stated that the company has $300 million of contracts in the pipeline for its services with 18 launches expected to be completed in 2023 with this figure increasing subsequently. Boeing, for its part, announced its confidence in the satellite launch market and in Virgin Orbit as a provider.

SPACs

The deal demonstrates the continuing popularity of using SPACs, or blank-check companies as they are known, to go public rather than going the IPO route, with such companies raising over $129 globally in 2021 up from what was already a record $84 billion last year. In fact these types of transactions are increasingly being used to fund space ventures with Rocket Lab USA, another satellite launch company, also seeking to close a similar deal this week.

There's a new kid in town and his name is SPAC. Everywhere you go in the financial world, you hear about some kind of SPAC deal taking place. A SPAC, or Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation, is a new way of taking a company public without going through a lot of pre-listing due diligence. The idea is that you create a SPAC, which is just an empty shell whose sole purpose is to buy real companies later on, and get it listed on the stock exchange of choice. Since it is an empty suit that has no non-monetary assets or business to slow things down via rigorous scrutiny, it is easier to get a listing.

What Is A SPAC

Afterwards, the SPAC is used to "buy" an existing company that wants to go public but doesn't want to expose itself to a lot of SEC scrutiny or time-consuming delays. The two companies can also "merge". In either event, the façade of the SPAC is wound down and the new venture changes its ticker symbol to that of the targeted acquisition in a process known as a reverse merger.

Apex Clearing Reverse Merger

Case in point is the recent announcement regarding the SPAC Northern Star Investment Corporation II Apex Clearing reverse merger. The newly-merged entity will be listed as APX on the New York Stock Exchange and will bid adieu to the corporate profile of the technically senior partner in the transaction.

What this reverse merger will do is provide Apex with the public recognition that it has already earned among dedicated professionals through its quiet back office viability in the financial community. Apex has provided the lifting power for many innovative financial companies and revolutionary new techniques that have greatly broadened the ability of ordinary people to participate in the great stock market boom of the past several years.

Robinhood and Apex

Until it opened up its own platform, the now-well-known firm Robinhood used Apex as the clearinghouse for all of its financial transactions. Apex was a pioneer in both fractional share and crypto trading. A lot of entities are powered by Apex in one way or another. Firmly profitable and now about to become widely available to the general public, the brain trust behind Apex has set the company up for a regular moonshot.