Item 8.01. Other Events.
On August 17, 2022, MarketWise, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), announced the commencement of an exchange offer (the “Offer”) and consent solicitation (the “Consent Solicitation”) relating to its outstanding (i) public warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A common stock”), which warrants trade on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “MKTWW”(the “public warrants”), and (ii) private placement warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock (the “private placement warrants” and, together with the public warrants, the “warrants”). The Company is offering to all holders of the warrants the opportunity to receive 0.1925 shares of Class A common stock in exchange for each outstanding warrant tendered by the holder and exchanged pursuant to the Offer. Concurrently with the Offer, the Company is also soliciting consents from holders of the warrants to amend the warrant agreement that governs all of the warrants (the “Warrant Agreement”) to permit the Company to require that each warrant that is outstanding upon the closing of the Offer be exchanged for 0.17325 shares of Class A common stock, which is a ratio 10% less than the exchange ratio applicable to the Offer (such amendment, the “Warrant Amendment”). The Offer and Consent Solicitation are being made pursuant to a prospectus/offer to exchange, dated August 17, 2022 (the “Prospectus/Offer to Exchange”), and Schedule TO, dated August 17, 2022 (the “Schedule TO”). The Offer and Consent Solicitation will expire at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 14, 2022, or such later time and date to which the Company may extend. Pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement, all except certain specified modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of holders of at least 50% of each of the outstanding public warrants and the outstanding private placement warrants. Parties representing approximately 57.9% of the outstanding public warrants and approximately 52.4% of the outstanding private placement warrants have agreed to tender their public warrants and private placement warrants (as applicable) in the Offer and to consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation, pursuant to a tender and support agreement. Accordingly, because holders of approximately 57.9% of the outstanding public warrants and approximately 52.4% of the private placement warrants have agreed to consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation, if the other conditions of the Offer are satisfied or waived, then the Warrant Amendment will be adopted.
On August 17, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing the commencement of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Important Additional Information Has Been Filed with the SEC
Copies of the Schedule TO and Prospectus/Offer to Exchange will be available free of charge at the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) at www.sec.gov. Requests for documents may also be directed to the D.F. King & Co. at (888) 605-1958 (for warrant holders) or (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers) or via the following email address: marketwise@dfking.com. A registration statement on Form S-4 relating to the securities to be issued in the Offer has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. Such securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective.
This announcement is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell the warrants or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of Class A common stock in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification under the laws of any such state. The Offer and Consent Solicitation are being made only through the Schedule TO and Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, and the complete terms and conditions of the Offer and Consent Solicitation are set forth in the Schedule TO and Prospectus/Offer to Exchange.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the expected timing of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements
about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including, but not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed August 17, 2022, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this Current Report on Form 8-K may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and we assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We do not give any assurance that we will achieve our expectations.