Description of organization, business operations and basis of presentation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Description of organization, business operations and basis of presentation

Description of organization, business operations and basis of presentation

Note 1—Description of organization, business operations and basis of presentation

Qell Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on August 7, 2020. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from August 7, 2020 (inception) through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the preparation of the initial public offering described below (the “Initial Public Offering”). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

The Company’s sponsor is Qell Partners LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on September 29, 2020. On October 2, 2020, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 37,950,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), including 4,950,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments (the “Over-Allotment Units”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $379.5 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $21.1 million, inclusive of approximately $13.3 million in deferred underwriting commissions (Note 5).

Simultaneously with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of a total of 7,060,000 warrants (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant with the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of approximately $10.6 million (Note 4).

Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $379.5 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement were placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will invest only in United States government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a‑7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.

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 Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the partner or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the partner sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

The Company will provide its holders (the “Public Shareholders”) of its Public Shares 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share). The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 5). These Public Shares will be classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 and the approval of an ordinary resolution. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transactions is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial shareholders (as defined below) have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination. Subsequent to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the Company will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout period and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with the Company’s legal counsel prior to execution. In addition, the initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association will provide that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Class A ordinary shares sold in the Initial Public Offering, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors (the “initial shareholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, or October 2, 2022, (the “Combination Period”) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares in conjunction with any such amendment. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not 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 the income taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

The Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial shareholders or members of the Company’s management team acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to its deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) 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 other 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 residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.00 per share initially held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective partner business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. 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 (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective partner 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.

Liquidity and capital resources

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $1.0 million in its operating bank account and negative working capital of approximately $1.7 million.

The Company’s liquidity needs through March 31, 2021 were satisfied through a contribution of $25,000 from the Sponsor to cover certain of the Company’s expenses in exchange for the issuance of the Founder Shares, a loan of approximately $195,000 from the Sponsor under the Note (see Note 4), and the net proceeds from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account. The Company fully repaid the Note on November 2, 2020. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide the Company Working Capital Loans (see Note 4). As of March 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loan.

Based on the foregoing, management believes that the Company will have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity from the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. Over this time period, the Company will be using these funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic and has concluded that the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. See further discussion in Note 5.

Going Concern

The liquidity condition raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through October 2, 2022, the scheduled liquidation date of the Company. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair statement of the balances and results for the period presented. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected through December 31, 2021.

Emerging growth company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (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 an emerging growth 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 an 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 the comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Proposed Business Combination and Related Transaction

On March 30, 2021, the Company entered into a Business Combination Agreement (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among Qell DutchCo B.V., a Netherlands limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of our Sponsor (“Holdco”), Queen Cayman Merger LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (“Merger Sub”), and Lilium GmbH, a German limited liability company ( “Lilium”).The Business Combination Agreement provides for, among other things, the following transactions on closing (collectively, the “Business Combination”):

After signing of the Business Combination Agreement, and prior to closing of the Business Combination, the legal form of our Sponsor shall be changed from a private company with limited liability to a public limited liability company;

The Company will merge with and into Merger Sub (the “Merger”), with Merger Sub as the surviving company (the “Surviving Company”) in the merger and, after giving effect to such merger, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company’ Sponsor;

In connection with the Merger, each issued and outstanding ordinary share of the Company will be converted into a claim for a corresponding equity security in the Merger Sub, and such claim shall then be automatically contributed into the Company’s Sponsor in exchange for one ordinary share in the share capital of Holdco (a “Holdco Ordinary Share”);

Immediately following the Merger, Merger Sub and Holdco will cause Merger Sub to, commence winding up under the Cayman LLC Act and distribute all of its tangible and intangible assets (including all cash) and transfer any and all of its liabilities to Holdco (the “Liquidation Distribution and Assumption”);

Immediately following the Liquidation Distribution and Assumption, Holdco will take a series of actions including, but not limited to, (i) consummation of the Private Placement (as defined below), (ii) appointment of Daniel Wiegand as executive director to the board of directors of Holdco, and (iii) execution of the Holdco Board Agreements (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement);

The shareholders of Lilium will exchange (the “Exchange”) their interests in Lilium for Holdco Ordinary Shares. All Lilium shareholders, but for Daniel Wiegand, will receive Class A Holdco Ordinary Shares in the Exchange. Daniel Weigand will receive Class B Holdco Ordinary Shares. Class B Holdco Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu with Class A Holdco Ordinary Shares in all respects, provided they will be entitled to 3x super voting rights, subject to customary sunset provisions; and

Each outstanding warrant to purchase a Class A ordinary share of Qell will, by its terms, convert into a warrant to purchase one Holdco Ordinary Share, on the same contractual terms.

In accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions of the Business Combination Agreement, the consideration to be received by the shareholders of Lilium in connection with the transactions contemplated under the Business Combination Agreement shall be an aggregate number of Holdco Ordinary Shares equal to (a) $2,400,000,000, divided by (b) $10.00. Each our shareholder will receive one Holdco Ordinary Share per our ordinary share, as set forth above. Cash held in the trust account net of redemptions and the proceeds of the Private Placement (as defined below), less the transaction costs of the Business Combination, will be received by Holdco and used for general corporate purposes after the Business Combination.

Concurrently with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, the Company entered into Subscription Agreements with certain investors (collectively, the “Private Placement Investors”) pursuant to which, among other things, such investors agreed to subscribe for and purchase and Holdco agreed to issue and sell to such investors, 45,000,000 Holdco Ordinary Shares (the “Private Placement Shares”), for an aggregate of $450,000,000 (the “Private Placement”) in proceeds. The closing of the Private Placement is contingent upon, among other things, the substantially concurrent consummation of the Business Combination and related transactions.

Qell Acquisition Corp 10-Q