MELI Kaszek Pioneer Corp, a blank check company formed by MercadoLibre and Kaszek targeting tech in Latin America, raised $250 million by offering 25 million shares at $10. The offering did not contain warrants. The company may raise an additional $50 million at the closing of an acquisition pursuant to a forward purchase agreement with the sponsor.
The company is led by Co-CEO and Chairman Hernan Kazah, co-founder and Managing Partner of venture capital manager Kaszek Ventures, and co-founder and former CFO/COO of MercadoLibre (Nasdaq: MELI); Co-CEO and Director Pedro Arnt, who joined MercaoLibre in 1999 and currently serves as its CFO; and CIO Angel Uribe, a former Partner at TPG Growth and TPG's impact investment platform The Rise Fund. The company plans to target tech-enabled businesses operating in Latin America across a number of verticals, including commerce, financial services, logistics, healthcare, education, enterprise software, and entertainment.
MELI Kaszek Pioneer Corp plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol MEKA. BofA Securities, Goldman Sachs, Allen & Company, and J.P. Morgan acted as joint bookrunners on the deal.
