SPAC Sponsor Spotlight: Live Oak Merchant Partners

Investment firm Live Oak Merchant Partners is one of the leading “serial” SPAC sponsors, with views of maintaining a long term presence in the asset class. Led by Rick Hendrix and Gary Wunderlich, Live Oak brings both extensive capital markets and advisory experience with an investment track record. 

Live Oak has successfully completed 2 De-SPAC transactions:

  • Live Oak I, $200M IPO. Merged with Danimer Scientific (DNMR) in Dec-2020
  • Live Oak II, $253M IPO. Merged with Navitas Semiconductor (NVTS) in Oct-2021

With two more SPACs priced and looking for a target:

  • Live Oak Mobility (LOKM), March 2021 IPO for $253M, seeking a target within the mobility and motion sectors 
  • Live Oak Crestview Climate (LOCC), in partnership with middle market PE firm Crestview, September 2021 $200M IPO, seeking a target in the climate / sustainability sectors

Rick and Gary are understandably quite bullish on the future of SPACs and the value that they can represent to both potential companies to take public, but also investors. They joined the podcast to discuss the current and future state of the market, what the public has gotten wrong, and what the industry needs to see to sustain and enhance the asset class. 

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