Tag - LLACU

(Nasdaq:LLACU)
Scheduled for the week of May 19
$350 million estimated proceeds
$378.4 million estimated post-money valuation

If buying stock at an initial public offering is an act of faith, investing in special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) — startups with no operating assets (and no guarantee they will find any) — is an act of blind faith.

A SPAC is created with the sole purpose of acquiring an operating business with shareholders' money. Despite the fact that few SPACs have found anything to buy, new ones keep cropping up. Liberty Lane’s big selling point seems to be that it’s the first one that mighty Goldman Sachs is bringing to market, which may make it seem more legitimate in a sector once dominated by squirrelly shell companies traded in Vancouver.

Its founding officers, Paul Montrone and Paul Meister, had long tenures with Fisher Scientific, a manufacturer of scientific and industrial instruments now known as Thermo Fisher (NYSE:TMO). Montrone served as CEO from 1991 to 2006, and Meister was the company’s CFO from 1991 until 2001, when he was named vice-chairman of the board.

Fisher Scientific grew in part through 60 acquisitions, so the draw is that Montrone and Meister know to find acquisition candidates and structure good deals. Liberty Lane isn’t the only SPAC with experienced dealmakers at the helm, but not all have that distinction; several SPACs have executives who are more figureheads than deal-makers (Heckmann Corporation (NYSE:HEK) has on its board former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz and former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle).

But no matter how good a track record Montrone and Meister have, they still have to find a good business to buy in the next two years, and that’s tough to . . .