CuriosityStream Inc., and Software Acquisition Group, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, which raised approximately US$150 million in November of 2019, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon closing of the transaction, CuriosityStream common stock will be listed on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker symbol “CURI”.
The merger announcement was made by John Hendricks, Chairman of CuriosityStream, and Jonathan Huberman, Chairman of Software Acquisition Group.
At the closing of the transaction the combined company will be well-capitalized with zero debt and an estimated US$180 million of cash on the balance sheet (assuming no redemptions of Software Acquisition Group stock).
John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel and former Chairman of Discovery Communications, will remain Chairman of the Board as well as the combined company’s largest shareholder.
CuriosityStream will continue to operate under the current management team led by Clint Stinchcomb, president, and CEO.
In connection with signing the merger agreement, Software Acquisition Group secured a US$25 million PIPE investment at US$10.00 per share to support the business combination. The PIPE investment includes significant commitments from existing investors in CuriosityStream, insiders of Software Acquisition Group, existing Software Acquisition Group investors, and new institutional investors.
“CuriosityStream has the unique advantage of being a ‘pure-play’ streaming media service that is not burdened with legacy linear TV assets in cable and broadcasting. Our consumer promise of offering premium factual content on-demand in the new era of streaming has been enthusiastically embraced by curious viewers worldwide,” said John Hendricks, Founder, and Chairman of CuriosityStream. “We are excited to now have access to the public capital markets to support our growth plans and to over-deliver on our mission to provide content that informs, enchants, and inspires.”
“CuriosityStream is the clear leader in the high growth factual media streaming market. We look forward to working with such a strong management team led by industry legend John Hendricks and his business partner of many years, Clint Stinchcomb, as they continue to drive CuriosityStream adoption across global markets,” said Jonathan Huberman, Chairman, and CEO of Software Acquisition Group.