NEW YORK-October 17, 2023-Aark Singapore Pte. Ltd., and its subsidiary (“Aeries Technology” or “Aeries”), a global professional services and consulting partner, and Worldwide Webb Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: WWAC) (“WWAC”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced that on October 17, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) declared effective the registration statement on Form S-4, as amended, which had been filed by WWAC in connection with the previously announced proposed business combination (the “Business Combination”). The filing can be viewed in its entirety on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and a link to WWAC’s SEC filings is available under the “SEC Filings” section of WWAC’s website at www.wwac1.com.
The annual general meeting of shareholders (the “Annual General Meeting”) to approve the Business Combination is scheduled to be held on October 30, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Annual General Meeting will be held at the offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP located at 95 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, and virtually via a live webcast at https://www.cstproxy.com/wwac1/sm2023. Holders of WWAC’s ordinary shares at the close of business on the record date of September 13, 2023 are entitled to notice of the Annual General Meeting and to vote at the Annual General Meeting. WWAC filed its definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Business Combination with the SEC and began mailing it to shareholders on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. More details about the Business Combination and the resolutions to be voted upon at the Annual General Meeting can be found in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus filed by WWAC, available at: http://www.sec.gov.
Assuming satisfaction of the conditions to the closing of the Business Combination, including approval of the Business Combination by WWAC’s shareholders, the post-Business Combination company intends to list its securities on the Nasdaq exchange under the proposed symbols “ATBA” and “ATBAW”, respectively. The Nasdaq listing is subject to the closing of the business Combination and fulfillment of all Nasdaq listing requirements.
About Aeries Technology
Aeries Technology is a global professional services and consulting partner for businesses in transformation mode and their stakeholders including private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies with engagement models that are designed to provide the right mix of deep vertical specialty, functional expertise, and the right systems & solutions to scale, optimize and transform a client’s business operations. Founded in 2012, Aeries Technology now has over 1,600 professionals on staff and counts a number of leading private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies as clients.
About WWAC
WWAC is a special purpose acquisition company founded by Daniel Webb, a former technology investment banker and private equity investor, for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
Where You Can Find Additional Information
This Press Release relates to a proposed business combination transaction among WWAC and Aark Singapore Pte Ltd. (“AARK”) pursuant to which AARK and Aeries would become subsidiaries of WWAC, and WWAC would be renamed Aeries Technology, Inc. In connection with the proposed transaction, WWAC has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 that contains a proxy statement to solicit shareholder approval of the Business Combination (the “proxy statement/prospectus”), which will be distributed to shareholders of WWAC’s ordinary shares in connection with WWAC’s solicitation of proxies for the vote of WWAC’s shareholders with respect to the Business Combination and other matters as described in the proxy statement/prospectus. WWAC filed its definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Business Combination with the SEC and began mailing it to shareholders on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. WWAC’s shareholders and other interested parties are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus, any amendments thereto and any other documents filed by WWAC with the SEC carefully and in their entirety when they become available because they will contain important information about WWAC and the Business Combination. This document is not a substitute for the proxy statement/prospectus or any other document that WWAC or Aeries may file with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUSINESS COMBINATION.
Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC by WWAC through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by WWAC are available free of charge at Worldwide Webb Acquisition Corp., 770 E Technology Way F13-16, Orem, UT 84097, attention: Chief Executive Officer.
Participants in the Solicitation
WWAC and its directors and executive officers are participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of WWAC in respect of the Business Combination. Information about WWAC’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of WWAC’s ordinary shares is set forth in WWAC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023, and in WWAC’s other periodic and current reports filed with the SEC. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, are contained in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in respect of the Business Combination. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding paragraph.
Aeries, AARK and their respective directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of WWAC in connection with the Business Combination. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the Business Combination are included in the proxy statement/prospectus.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, the combined company becoming a publicly listed company, the anticipated impact of the proposed transaction on the combined companies’ business and future financial and operating results, and the anticipated timing of closing of the proposed transaction. Words such as “may,” “should,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “project,” and similar phrases that denote future expectations or intent regarding the combined company’s financial results, operations, and other matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this communication, including but not limited to: (i) the ability to complete the proposed transaction within the time frame anticipated or at all; (ii) the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction or those benefits taking longer than anticipated to be realized; (iii) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of WWAC’s securities; (iv) the risk that the transaction may not be completed by WWAC’s business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain further extensions of the business combination deadline if sought by WWAC; (v) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the approval of the Business Combination Agreement by the shareholders of WWAC, the satisfaction of the minimum cash on hand condition following redemptions by the public shareholders of WWAC and the receipt of any governmental and regulatory approvals; (vi) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Business Combination Agreement; (vii) unexpected costs or unexpected liabilities that may result from the proposed transactions, whether or not consummated; (viii) the impact of COVID-19 on Aeries’ business and/or the ability of the parties to complete the proposed transaction; (ix) the effect of disruption from the announcement or pendency of the transaction on Aeries’ business relationships, performance, and business generally; (x) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of Aeries and potential difficulties in Aeries employee retention as a result of the proposed transaction; (xi) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Aeries or WWAC related to the Business Combination Agreement or the proposed transaction; (xii) the ability to maintain the listing of WWAC’s securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market; (xiii) potential volatility in the price of WWAC’s securities due to a variety of factors, including economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on Aeries’ clients’ businesses and levels of activity, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, Aeries’ ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect Aeries’ cost advantage, wage increases in India, the ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, Aeries’ ability to manage the international operations, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, changes in laws and regulations affecting Aeries’s business and changes in the combined company’s capital structure; (xiv) the ability to implement business plans, identify and realize additional opportunities and achieve forecasts and other expectations after the completion of the proposed transaction; (xv) the risk that the post-combination company may never achieve or sustain profitability; (xvi) WWAC’s potential need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which capital may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (xvii) the risk that the post-combination company experiences difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations; and (xviii) the outcome of any potential litigation, government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquiries. The forward-looking statements contained in this communication are also subject to additional risks, uncertainties, and factors, including those described in WWAC’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by WWAC from time to time. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date hereof. None of Aeries, WWAC or any of their affiliates undertakes any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, subsequent events, circumstances or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.
No Offer or Solicitation
This Press Release is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval and is not a substitute for the proxy statement/prospectus or any other document that WWAC may file with the SEC or send to WWAC’s shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.