Merlin, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Jun 30, 2025

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report including, without limitation, statements under this Item regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of Management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Report, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our Management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of our Management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our Management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed financial statements and the notes thereto included in this Report under “Item 1. Financial Statements”.

Overview

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a Business Combination. We have not selected any Business Combination target. We may pursue an initial Business Combination in any business or industry, but are focusing on businesses in the technology, media and telecommunications (“TMT”) sector as well as sectors that are being transformed via technology adoption. We intend to effectuate our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial Business Combination (pursuant to any forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of the Initial Public Offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing.

The issuance of additional shares in connection with a Business Combination to the owners of the target or other investors:

• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the Initial Public Offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B Ordinary Shares resulted in the issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A Ordinary Shares;
• could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A Ordinary Shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
• may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and
• may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A Ordinary Shares and/or Rights.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:

• default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial Business Combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
• acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
• using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
• limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
• limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

We may seek to extend the Combination Period consistent with applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules by amending our Amended and Restated Memorandum. Any such amendment would require the approval of our Public Shareholders, who will be provided the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares in connection with the vote on such approval. Such redemptions will decrease the amount held in our Trust Account and our capitalization, and may affect their ability to maintain our listing on Nasdaq. In addition, the Nasdaq Rules currently require SPACs (such as us) to complete our initial Business Combination in accordance with the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement. If we do not meet the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement, our securities will likely be subject to a suspension of trading and delisting from Nasdaq.

Recent Developments

Effective July 10, 2025, Andrew Gundlach resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer, and was appointed as Executive Chairman of the Board.

Effective July 10, 2025, Marcello Padula resigned as Chief Financial Officer.

Effective July 10, 2025, Michael Blitzer, Robert Folino and Kevin Shannon were appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, respectively. Mr. Blitzer was also appointed to the Board. In connection with their appointments, each of Mr. Blitzer, Mr. Folino and Mr. Shannon signed a joinder to that certain letter agreement dated as of October 31, 2024, by and among the Company, its officers, its directors and the Sponsor, pursuant to which, among other things, the signatories agreed to waive certain redemption rights and to vote any ordinary shares of Company they hold in favor of an initial Business Combination. Each of Mr. Blitzer, Mr. Folino and Mr. Shannon also entered into a standard indemnity agreement with the Company.

Mr. Blitzer and Mr. Shannon are affiliates of Inflection Point Fund I LP, which is a member of the Company’s Sponsor.

Effective July 10, 2025, Nazim Cetin and Pierre Weinstein resigned from the Board and the Audit Committee of the Board.

On July 10, 2025, the Board appointed incumbent directors Joseph Samuels and Antoine Theysset to the Audit Committee.

On July 28, 2025, we entered into a consulting agreement with MJP Advisory Group LLC (the “Consultant”), a New York limited liability company, pursuant to which the Consultant shall provide financial, due diligence, valuation and other consulting and advisory services to the Company in connection with its pursuit of completing a business combination, and the Company agreed to pay to Consultant (i) a one-time retainer fee of $60,000 upon the Company’s execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination and (ii) beginning August 1, 2025, a monthly services fee of $16,000. The engagement commences July 28, 2025 and, subject to certain exceptions, terminates on the earlier of: (i) November 1, 2026; or (ii) upon successful completion of a business combination.

On August 5, 2025, the Underwriting Agreement dated October 31, 2024, was amended to defer the commencement of the remaining $1,000,000 in payments to the underwriters until September 1, 2026. Pursuant to the amendment to the Underwriting Agreement, the remaining $1,000,000 shall be payable to the underwriters from The Company’s working capital in equal amounts monthly in the three months commencing on September 1, 2026.

Results of Operations

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since June 24, 2024 (inception) through June 30, 2025 have been (i) organizational activities and (ii) activities relating to (x) the Initial Public Offering, and (y) identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates and activities in connection with the initial Business Combination. We will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial Business Combination. We have generated non-operating income in the form of interest income on investments held in the Trust Account after the Initial Public Offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position since the date of our audited financial statements, as filed in our 2024 Annual Report. We expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance, among other things), as well as for due diligence expenses.

For the three months ended June 30, 2025, we had a net income of $2,308,843, which consists of interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of $2,652,210 and interest earned on bank account of $14,405, partially offset by general and administrative expenses of $357,772.

For the six months ended June 30, 2025, we had a net income of $4,725,562, which consists of interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of $5,288,512 and interest earned on bank account of $34,090, partially offset by general and administrative expenses of $597,040.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Until the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, our only source of liquidity was an initial purchase of Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, by the Sponsor and loans from the Sponsor, which were repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering.

On November 4, 2024, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 25,000,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $250,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 425,000 Private Placement Units to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $4,250,000.

Following the Initial Public Offering, a total of $250,000,000 was placed in the Trust Account. We incurred $11,403,592, consisting of $2,000,000 of cash underwriting fee, $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting fee, and $653,592 of other offering costs.

For the six months ended June 30, 2025, cash used in operating activities was $354,069. Net income of $4,725,562 was affected by interest earned on investments held in Trust Account of $5,288,512. Changes in operating assets and liabilities provided $208,881 of cash for operating activities.

As of June 30, 2025, we had investments held in the Trust Account of $257,044,710. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our share capital or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

As of June 30, 2025, we had cash of $1,753,240 for working capital purposes. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, including up to $750,000 in working capital loans which may be made by Inflection Point. The units would be identical to the Private Placement Units.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon consummation of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination.

To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the Trust Account, we may, at any time, (based on our Management Team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act) instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account and instead to hold the funds in the Trust Account in cash or in an interest-bearing demand deposit account at a bank.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of June 30, 2025. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.

Contractual Obligations

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities.

The underwriters had a 45-day option from the date of the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any. On November 4, 2024, the underwriters forfeited the over-allotment option to purchase the additional 3,750,000 units.

The underwriters were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.08 per Unit, or $2,000,000 in the aggregate. Of this amount, $1,000,000 was paid to the underwriters upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and $1,000,000 will be payable to the underwriters from working capital in equal amounts monthly starting on the 16th month following the closing of the Initial Public Offering until the 24th month following the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Any amounts not paid hereunder from working capital shall be accelerated and paid upon consummation of the initial Business Combination.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies

The preparation of unaudited condensed financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgement. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the unaudited condensed financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Management has identified the determination of the fair value of Rights Shares as a complex accounting estimate.

Recent Accounting Standards

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s unaudited condensed financial statements.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this Item.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (together, the “Certifying Officers”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Under the supervision and with the participation of our Management, including our Certifying Officers, we carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on the foregoing, our Certifying Officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2025.

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes to our internal control over financial reporting during the quarterly period ended June 30, 2025 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

As a smaller reporting company under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, we are not required to include risk factors in this Report. For additional risks relating to our operations, other than as set forth below, see the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in our (i) IPO Registration Statement, (ii) 2024 Annual Report, and (iii) Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2025. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risks could arise that may also affect our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination. We may disclose changes to such risk factors or disclose additional risk factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.