The SPAC Conference 2025 will offer an educational agenda that sparks the interest of professionals working in the market for going-public transactions. Here is a sampling of the unique presentations and panel discussions we’re developing for the upcoming event.

In-Depth Regulatory Insights Panel

• Expert insights on compliance and risk mitigation after SEC tightened blank-check rules in 2024
• Key regulatory changes to know
• Taxation issues
• Ongoing reporting and filing obligations
• Achieving and maintaining compliance

Renewed Focus on Quality Deals & Due Diligence

• SPACs shifting toward higher-quality targets as investors become more selective
• Investors shifting to prioritizing SPAC targets with solid revenue, profitability, long-term growth potential
• Sponsors trending toward deeper financial, operational and legal evaluations before finalizing a deal
• What constitutes a successful SPAC merger today?
• “SPAC Best Practices” for improving investment outcomes

New Investor Engagement Strategies

• Greater focus on institutional investors
• Funding alternatives if PIPE financing becomes difficult to secure
• Selective investor targeting – SPACs pursuing investors with specific expertise or strategic alignment with a target company
• Regulatory compliance as a selling point – demonstrating credibility and attracting cautious investors
• More realistic valuation and deal structuring – demand for fairer valuations and better-aligned incentives leads to more disciplined deal-making

Alternative Deal Structures

• How to secure the participation of wary investors seeking creative financing solutions to reduce risk
• Understanding alternative deal structures such as earnouts, forward purchase agreements and convertible debt
• Sponsor-led buyouts – SPAC sponsors pivoting to alternative M&A strategies, including roll-up acquisitions
• Direct listings – cost-effective ways to go public with potentially limited dilution
• Reverse mergers – access to public markets without the complexities of a traditional underwritten offering
• De-SPAC restructurings – Creative recapitalization strategies for struggling SPACs and their target companies

Trending Industry Focus for SPAC targets

• New SPACs are shifting from speculative tech to more stable industries, including healthcare, energy, and fintech
• Sector-specific opportunities can attract more targeted investors
• Hot, hot, hot: Space & Aerospace – companies involved in space exploration, satellite technology, and aerospace innovation attracting SPAC investments as space-related industries grow

Handling Redemptions and Post-De-SPAC Performance

• Investors remain cautious due to poor post-merger performance in recent years
• Many post-merger SPACs have struggled in public markets, leading to high redemption rates
• More sponsors offering incentives such as additional warrants or improved deal structures to lower redemptions
• Examination of successful SPAC exits and strategies that improve post-merger performance

International SPAC Trends & Cross-Border Opportunities

• International SPAC deals are gaining traction, particularly in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East
• Why foreign companies looking to access U.S. markets via SPACs face increased regulatory challenges but continue to explore deals
• Understanding legal, tax, and accounting complexities, as well as geopolitical risks demand thorough due diligence
• Dealing with currency and market risks – accounting for exchange rate fluctuations and differing economic conditions

Legal Issues & Risk Mitigation

• Understanding the full range of SPAC legal risks
• Avoiding overly optimistic forecasts to reduce the risk of litigation and investor backlash post-merger
• SPAC-related shareholder lawsuit examples and risk management insights
• Understanding D&O insurance: A safety net for back-office SPAC operations

Retail vs. Institutional Investor Engagement

• Why retail investor enthusiasm has cooled, but institutional investors remain engaged
• Attracting institutional capital for SPACs to improve deal stability
• Social media and retail hype – Reddit, Twitter, stock forums and other platforms play an increasingly important role in driving retail interest and trading volume
• High redemption rates – understanding why certain investors often redeem shares pre-merger
• Short-term trading vs. long-term holding – Retail investors often trade SPACs based on momentum rather than fundamentals, increasing share volatility

New SPAC Strategies in an Evolving Market

• The future of SPACs and their role in capital markets
• Smaller and more targeted SPACs – why sponsors are launching smaller deals focused on niche sectors to attract specialized investors and increase deal certainty
• Tighter deal structuring – how to reduce dilution, lower promote structures and earnout provisions to make SPAC deals more attractive to investors and targets
• Sponsor alignment and reputation – sophisticated investors focusing more on SPACs with experienced sponsors, proven track records and significant personal capital at risk
• Market timing and strategic flexibility – how sponsors are adapting to changing market conditions by extending timelines, adjusting valuations and developing alternative exit strategies

Shift Toward Smaller SPACs & Higher-Quality Deals

• Investors are demanding higher-quality target companies with strong fundamentals rather than speculative, high-growth startups
• Strong fundamentals = lower risk – SPACs are focusing on businesses with proven profitability, recurring revenue, and clearer paths to success
• Smaller SPAC sizes – new SPACs are raising less capital, often under $200M, to align with market demand and reduce dilution
• Sweetening deal terms – offering better structures, including lower promote, and earnout provisions to attract investors
• Why more institutional investors are engaging in SPAC PIPEs and long-term stock holdings with a market shift toward higher quality targets
• Sponsors increasingly putting more of their own capital at risk to align incentives with investors and improve credibility

How OTC Companies can Utilize SPACs to get Listed on a National Exchange

• By leveraging a SPAC merger, OTC companies can uplist to a national exchange
• Benefits include greater liquidity, institutional investor access, regulatory credibility
• Satisfying minimum listing requirements for NASDAQ or NYSE, including stock price, market capitalization, corporate governance standards
• Steps to strengthening financial reporting, audit readiness, and board independence to improve likelihood of approval

State of the SPAC Market

• Recap of 2024 deal flow and projected SPAC deal flow in 2025
• The resurgence of blank-check IPOs
• Hot sectors for doing deals
• Innovations in the SPAC market

Understanding the De-SPAC Process

• How the de-SPAC process works
• Prepping S-4 and F-4 regulatory filings at merger close
• Satisfying public company governance standards, including board composition and reporting structures
• How long can it take to list?

Where to List on an Exchange

• Understanding long-term business goals prior to merger
• Pros and cons of listing on markets in the US vs. Europe
• If Europe, where? London? Frankfurt? Amsterdam?
• US markets generally require more compliance, including Sarbanes-Oxley

The SPAC Advantage as an “Alternative IPO” Technique

• Faster to public market than traditional underwritten IPOs
• Ability to share forecasts with investors (with resulting potential for higher valuation)
• Reduced market volatility risks – SPAC mergers have a fixed valuation, offering more stability in unpredictable markets
• Flexibility in deal structures – custom deal terms such as earnouts and PIPE financing, to attract high-potential private companies into going public
• Lower barrier to IPO – SPACs help bypass a lengthy and costly traditional IPO process
• Attractive to institutional investors that may not typically invest in smaller, underserved market segments
• Less dependence on underwriting – how companies in overlooked sectors can bypass the challenges of securing traditional IPO underwriters

The Importance of PIPEs

• Why raising PIPE financing remains a critical component in closing deals
• Backstopping against the growing trend of redemptions
• Reliable capital source, typically with preferred terms for investors
• Considering PIPE alternatives such as leveraging structured equity, convertible debt, and strategic investor partnerships

Will we Enjoy a Friendlier SPAC Market Under the Trump Administration?

• Is the regulatory environment for SPACs expected to become more favorable?
• Deregulatory initiatives
• Financial regulation adjustments, including a shift toward business-friendly policies potentially easing constraints on banks and fintechs
• SEC leadership changes: new SEC Chair Paul Atkins leaning into a more lenient regulatory approach, aligning with the administration’s deregulatory stance
• Potential rollback of Biden-era regulations

AI and the SPAC Market

• AI-driven deal sourcing – SPACs leveraging artificial intelligence tools to identify high-potential acquisition targets
• Enhanced due diligence – AI is helping sponsors and investors perform deeper data analysis and predictive modeling
• AI as a value proposition for SPAC targets – target companies that use AI can be positioned as more innovative and attractive to investors
• AI for valuation and risk assessment – assess valuation models and market conditions, aiding in more informed decision-making and reducing valuation risks
• Using AI to analyze market sentiment and investor behavior, enabling more tailored strategies for PIPE investments and shareholder engagement
• Operational efficiency with AI – streamline SPAC operations and enhance efficiency, from document review to post-merger integration
• Ethical and regulatory considerations – ethical implications, including data privacy, bias in algorithms, and regulatory compliance

Why More and More Hedge Funds Pivot from SPAC Investors to SPAC Sponsors

• Gain more control over the SPAC process, including target selection and deal structuring
• Higher profit potential – sponsors typically benefit from a larger share of the equity upside, including founder shares
• Alignment with targets – hedge funds can match their interests with those of the target company, helping to drive the success of the merger and maximize long-term value
• Enhanced ROI – as SPAC sponsors, hedge funds earn fees and equity stakes to provide a diversified return structure not limited to invested capital
• Increased investment ideas and deal flow driven to the fund
• Leveraging knowledge and resources – specialized expertise better positions hedge fund sponsors to identify targets and maximize deal success