THE SPAC CONFERENCE 2025

The SPAC Conference is the largest forum for networking and discussion of special purpose acquisition companies and alternative IPO techniques.

DealFlow Events is pleased to offer the complete set of audio/video recordings from this event along with the official Event Book & Resource Guide.

If you missed the conference, you can still benefit from all the education of attending the event. Purchase the archive event kit today or call us at (516) 876-8006 or email team@dealflowevents.com with questions.

June 17, 2025

4pm

Registration Opens

4:30pm - 4:40pm

Kickoff

Phill LoFaso, Managing Director, DealFlow Events

4:40pm - 5:00pm

Overview of the Current SPAC Market: Recent Developments and Trends of IPOs and deSPACs

• Regulatory updates
• Forecast of SPAC activity for the remainder of the year
• A prediction of deal action into 2026

speaker-1

Mitch Nussbaum

Co-Chair
Loeb & Loeb

Speaker

5:05pm - 5:25pm

Renewed Focus on Quality Deals

  • SPACs shifting toward higher-quality targets as traditional go-public routes remain shut to most issuers
  •  Shift to prioritizing SPAC targets in desirable industries with solid revenue, profitability, and/or long-term growth potential
  •  “SPAC Best Practices” for improving investment

speaker-1

Gary Quin

Vice Chairman
Cohen & Company Capital Markets

5:30pm - 6:10pm

The Future of SPACs, PIPEs 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, securing PIPEs and developing alternative exit strategies

speaker-1

Ele Klein

Partner
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

speaker-2

Kristi Marvin

Founder
SPACInsider

Speaker

speaker-3

Gaurav Verma

Co-Head of Investment Banking
D. Boral Capital

speaker-4

Guy Barudin

Managing Director, Investment Banking
Chardan

speaker-5

Joe Tonnos

Managing Director
Roth Capital Partners

6:30pm - 7:30pm

Dinner

7:30pm - 10:00pm

Party on the Patio

June 18, 2025

8:00am - 9:00am

Breakfast

9:00am - 9:10am

Introduction

Phill LoFaso, Managing Director, DealFlow Events

9:10am - 9:30am

State of the Market

  • Overview of notable deal activity including a recap of 2024 year-end performance
  • Recent SPAC deals reveal successes and failures
  • Market forecast through 2025 and beyond
  • Why SPACs will continue to be an attractive vehicle for raising capital

speaker-1

Doug Ellenoff

Partner
EGS

9:35am - 10:15am

Addressing Today’s SPAC Market Challenges

  • Evolving SPAC structures that better suit today’s market
  • Optimizing post-close trading performance and liquidity
  • Expediting SPAC deals by addressing key process and timing complexities
  • PIPE and trust redemption strategies to address capital-raising concerns
  • Navigating the “new” SEC

speaker-1

James Graf

CEO
Graf Global

Panelist

speaker-2

Joel Rubinstein

Partner
White & Case

speaker-3

Mark Schwartz

IPO/SPAC/Privates Advisory Leader
Ernst & Young

Speaker

speaker-4

Tina Pappas

Managing Director
Jefferies

Speaker

speaker-5

Karim Anani

Global and Americas Transactions Leader
Ernst & Young

10:15am - 10:45am

Networking Break

10:45am - 11:25am

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

 

speaker-1

Yelena Dunaevsky

Partner/SVP, Transactional Insurance
Woodruff Sawyer

speaker-2

Perrie Weiner

Partner in Charge, Los Angeles • Chair, North America Securities Litigation Group
Baker McKenzie

speaker-3

Mike Heinz

Capital Markets Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

11:30am - 12:15pm

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 outcome

speaker-1

Jenn Calabrese

Founder & CEO
Calabrese Consulting

speaker-2

Joseph Fede

Partner, CPA
Withum

speaker-3

Paul Wood

Managing Director & Co-Head of SPAC Investment Banking
BTIG

speaker-4

Jocelyn Arel

Partner
Goodwin Procter LLP

speaker-5

Caitlyn Van Valin

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development
Odyssey Trust

12:20pm - 1:00pm

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

 

speaker-1

Matt McCloskey

Head of Equity Capital Markets
I-Bankers Securities

Speaker

speaker-2

Christine McNerney

Associate Portfolio Manager
Periscope Capital

speaker-3

Marc Van Tricht

Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets
EarlyBirdCapital

speaker-4

Vik Mittal

CFA, Managing Member
Meteora Capital

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Lunch

2:00pm - 2:15pm

SPACs by the Numbers

  • IPO Activity
  • Outcomes and Market Dynamics
  • Deal and Financing Trends
  • DeSPAC Performance

speaker-1

Ben Kwasnick

Founder
SPAC Research

Speaker

2:20pm - 3:00pm

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

speaker-2

Avraham Ben-Tzvi

Founder
ABZ Law Office

speaker-3

Drew Bernstein

Co-chairman
Marcum Asia CPAs LLP

speaker-4

Katrina Nacci

Founder & CEO
KN CPA Cross-Border Accounting Advisor

speaker-5

Natalie Verbanac

Managing Partner
CBIZ

3:05pm - 3:25pm

SPAC Structures: Getting Ready for Prime Time

  • SPAC IPO Structures (rights vs warrants as well as other creative solutions)
  • SPAC component volatility (effects of price volatility in rights and warrants and the effects on your IPO)
  • SPAC IPO structure effects on de-SPAC transactions
  • Handling Redemptions

speaker-1

Ed Kovary

Managing Director, Head of SPAC Capital Markets
BTIG

Speaker

3:30pm - 4:00pm

Networking Break

4:00pm - 4:40pm

Legal Issues with Extensions and 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
  • Liquidations and potential creditor claims
  • How long can it take to list?
  • Legal issues surrounding failed extension payments and potential remedies

speaker-1

Carla Amaning

Partner, Capital Markets
CFGI

speaker-2

Alexandra Low

Counsel
Appleby (Cayman) Ltd.

speaker-3

Steven Nelson

President & Chairman
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

Moderator

speaker-4

Finn O'Hegarty

Partner
Maples Group

speaker-5

Marc Indeglia

Partner & Co-Chair
Glaser Weil

speaker-6

Desiree Carlo

Senior Vice President of Client Services
Laurel Hill Advisory Group

4:45pm - 5:25pm

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)
  • Satisfying public company governance standards, including board composition and reporting structures
  • 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

speaker-1

Asim Grabowski-Shaikh

Partner
BakerHostetler

speaker-2

Destiny Hance

Vice President Equity Research
Ladenburg Thalmann

speaker-3

Jay Heller

VP Head of Capital Markets & IPO Execution
Nasdaq

speaker-4

Elliott Smith

Partner
Perkins Coie

Panelist

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Cocktail Reception