ATA

Failed

AMERICAS TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP.

Underwriter: EarlyBirdCapital
Raised
$100M
CIK
1825254
SPAC Ticker
ATA.U
Focus
Technology, Media, Telecommunications, TMT
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

Lisa Harris, Chairman of our board of directors since November 2020, has over 35 years of experience in banking, investments, real estate, energy and private equity. She founded Align Capital, LLC in May 2016 and serves as its Managing Partner. Align Capital has investments in technology, energy, banking and financial services, franchise, operating companies, and distressed debt. She currently serves on the boards of several privately held companies, including HyperGiant Industries and ClearBlade, Inc. From December 2013 to May 2016, Ms. Harris was Managing Partner in Cielo Private Equity where she led the firm through a successful investment in and subsequent sale of Gravitant, Inc. to IBM. Ms. Harris also managed and participated as an investor in technology, energy and real estate debt funds for Cielo Private Equity. In addition, since 2019, she has managed the family office investment portfolio of ARH Family Partnership, which holds commercial real estate, early stage capital in young companies, and numerous other investments in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. She began her career with Bank One in the Corporate Banking division, in which she spent nearly two decades successfully managing a team of commercial lenders, working in transactions across several industries, including technology, real estate, energy and corporate lending. In 2018, Ms. Harris joined the Advisory Council to The Elders, an organization founded by Nelson Mandela to bring together independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights. Ms. Harris received her B.B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Harris is well-qualified to serve on our Board due to her extensive experience in the banking, investments, real estate, energy and private equity.

Jorge Marcos, our Chief Executive Officer since inception, has spent more than ten years in various operational, investing and capital markets roles including investment banking, risk management, corporate development and capital allocation at public and private companies. He has been serving as a Partner at Fifth Partners, LLC since January 2016, and Principal at Arch Energy Partners, LLC since August 2019. While at Fifth Partners LLC, he led a rollup of US onshore oilfield services companies after the 2016 oil downturn, acquiring and integrating several companies with operations across four states from 2016 through 2019. He also assists Fifth’s network companies in various capacities in order to fulfill business development, merger and acquisition and operational needs. Mr. Marcos was an investor at Arias Resource Capital Management, a natural resource investment firm that deployed institutional and sovereign capital in natural resource projects throughout the Americas, and led the development functions within several portfolio companies and operations, mainly in project finance and strategic planning. Mr. Marcos began his finance career as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan’s Latin America Merger and Acquisition group in New York in September 2008, working in transactions across several industries, including telecom, financials, energy, natural resources, and real estate in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina. From October 2010 to October 2011, he worked at J.P. Morgan’s derivatives desk, where he structured and sold derivatives to corporate clients to help them manage financing, operational, and investment exposure to interest rate, commodity and financial exchange risks. Mr. Marcos earned a B.S. degree and an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Juan Pablo Visoso, our Chief Financial Officer since inception, has over 20 years of experience in private equity, finance and corporate law, primarily in mergers and acquisitions, portfolio management, banking and securities. He has been serving as a Partner to SMPS Legal, a Mexico City based law firm, since August 2020 and as a special external advisor to Bocel Private Equity, an emerging Mexican private equity manager, since August 2019. From March 2008 to July 2019, he served as general counsel, partner, and then managing director at Nexxus Capital, a Mexican-based private equity manager. During his time at Nexxus, he played a leading role raising a $550 million private equity fund in Mexico and the US, led the sourcing, negotiation and/or closing of over 15 mid-market transactions, led investment team assessing value through an in-depth due diligence process, refinanced debt to reduce cost of financing through bank negotiation, developed value creation plan and helped select management team to run the operation, conducted business reviews with senior management to track business performance and make strategic and operational adjustments as needed, and was member of Nexxus Board of Directors participating in the direction of its strategic decisions. While at Nexxus, Mr. Visoso had an active participation on multiple initial public offerings. Mr. Visoso’s work has also significantly impacted the wider private equity community, having participated in a lobbying group to the Mexican Treasury that led to the establishment of a framework allowing for private equity to accept pension investment. Prior to joining Nexxus, Mr. Visoso worked at the Mexican office of White & Case from 1999 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2008 specializing in merger and acquisitions and securities law. Mr. Visoso has a degree in law from the Escuela Libre de Derecho and an MBA from Austin McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

Alberto Pontonio, one of our Directors , has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry in both the US and European markets. He has been serving as a director of Galileo Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company that is searching for an initial business combination, since October 2019. In January 2019, he joined Raymond James as a financial advisor, based in Miami. Prior to this, from 2015 to December 2018, he traded Equity Index futures. In 2009, he co-founded Censible, an automated investment platform that allows individual investors to align their investments with their personal interests and social values. Previously, Mr. Pontonio worked for Espirito Santo Investment Banking, was a Managing Director at Bear Stearns in London, and worked at Merrill Lynch, in New York and then in London, as a Director in the Institutional Equity department. Mr. Pontonio started his career in New York at Cowen & Co. He holds a B.A. in economics from the Catholic University in Milan, Italy. Mr. Pontonio is well-qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in the financial services industry in both the US and European markets.

Maurizio Angelone, one of our Directors , has spent more than 20 years in senior executive roles. He has been serving as Vice President for Americas Region at HMD Global since December 2016, where he helped HMD establish its newly launched smartphone business unit in North America and Latin America. Prior to that, from January 2012 to November 2012, Mr. Angelone served as Vice President & General Manager for Europe Middle East & Africa Region at Motorola Corporate. He led Motorola’s Latin American division as Senior Vice President form September 2010 to December 2011 and Nokia’s Latin American division as Senior Vice President from June 2003 to June 2008, where he was responsible for managing the entire P&L for Latin America markets in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and South America. While at Nokia, Mr. Angelone served as Global Account Executive to manage one of Nokia’s largest customers, Telefónica S.A., which has extensive operations in Europe and Latin America and served as the Country Manager & General Manager for Nokia Italy from April 2000 to May 2003. Mr. Angelone served as Chief Executive Officer for My Screen Mobile Inc. (Pink Sheets: MYSL, Frankfurt: WICI), provider of a unique mobile advertising solution for mobile network operators, media companies and advertising partners globally, from April 2009 to September 2010. In 2014, he co-founded Imagination Unwired, a mobile communication and advertising company and currently a technology provider for various mobile network operators in the Latin America region. Mr. Angelone earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering from Universita’ La Sapienza (Rome/Italy). Mr. Angelone is well-qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in the telecommunication industry.

Edward Wilson, one of our Directors , is a modern media executive who has been serving as the Executive Chairman and CEO of Dreamcatcher Media, LLC since January 2011. Dreamcatcher Media owns Dreamcatcher Broadcasting, a television group comprised of several stations: WNEP, an affiliate of ABC serving Wilkes Barre, PA; WTKR, a CBS affiliate serving Norfolk, VA; and previously WGNT, an affiliate of CW serving Norfolk, VA., which was sold to Nexstar Broadcasting in 2019. In March 2020, Mr. Wilson was named Executive Chairman of CoxReps and Gamut which is owned by the Apollo Investment Corp. Mr. Wilson has also been serving as an active partner at Whisper Advisors, a strategic advisory firm that counsels companies from early stage startups to established global firms in media, e-commerce, technology, and consumer products since 2017. Prior to that, from January 2014 to December 2018, Mr. Wilson was a partner at New Form Digital, a studio that develops and produces scripted content for global digital platforms and linear networks, and which was created in partnership with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Craig Jacobson, Jim Wiatt and Discovery Communications. New Form Digital was sold to Team Whistle in 2018 where Mr. Wilson serves as a Board Observer. He served as Executive Chairman of Timeline Labs, a big-data social intelligence network from 2011 to 2015) and successfully guided the company to an acquisition by SeaChange International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAC), a TV software-services company. Prior to these recent endeavors, Mr. Wilson was President of Tribune Broadcasting and Chief Revenue Officer of The Tribune Company from 2008 to 2011. Earlier in his career, Mr. Wilson held top-level executive roles with various media and entertainment companies, including as the President of FOX Television Network from 2004 to 2008, founder and President of NBC Enterprises from 2000 to 2004, and founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of CBS Enterprises from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Wilson received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Arkansas at Fayatteville. He currently serves as member of the Advisory Board at Walton Business School at The University of Arkansas. He also served on the Boards of the USO and San Diego Zoo; and as a member of the Board of Trustees for Southern Methodist University, the Executive Board of the Cox School of Business and Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. He received a distinguished Alum recognition from the University of Arkansas and was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainment Hall of Fame. Mr. Wilson is well-qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in the media industry.

Antonio Garza, one of our Directors , has served as Counsel in the Mexico City office of White & Case LLP since June of 2009 and previously as US Ambassador to Mexico from 2002 to 2009. Mr. Garza has acted as a director to both publicly traded and privately held companies in both the US and Mexico and is acknowledged as one of the top experts on U.S.-Mexico relations and the business and political environments of both nations. Garza holds a BBA degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a JD degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the District of Columbia Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Garza is well-qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in cross-border corporate transactions. Mr. Garza has been serving as a member of the board of directors of Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU), a transportation holding company, and Chairman to its subsidiary, Kansas City Southern de Mexico, a rail-based transportation company, since May 2010. He has also been serving on the board of directors of MoneyGram (NYSE: MGI), a global money transfer company, since May 2012.

Special Advisors

Dan Hunt, one of our special advisors , has over 20 years of investment experience in real estate, media, bio tech and sports, including soccer and NFL. He has been serving as President of FC Dallas since 2014. He is also a member of MLS’ Board of Governors and the league’s Business Ventures Committee. Mr. Hunt graduated from St. Mark’s school of Texas in 1996 and earned a BA from SMU in 2000.

Guillermo Rivaben, one of our special advisors, has been serving as Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Serac Partners, a TMT investment advisory firm, since April 2019. He served as Chief Executive Officer of S.A. La Nación, a traditional Argentinean multimedia group, from February 2014 to April 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Rivaben served as Chief Executive Officer of Telecom Personal, the leading mobile operator in Argentina, from August 2003 to January 2014. From 2000 to 2003, he was Regional Marketing VP at AT&T Latinoamerica for Brazil and Argentina, managing B2B and B2C telecommunication and e-business services in the region. He served as Mobile Business Unit CMO at Telecom Argentina to develop and launch its mobile operations from 1994 to 1999. He holds an electronic engineering master degree form Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Luca Giacomettione of our special advisors , has been serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Galileo Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, since July 2019. He has over 30 years of experience in private equity and as a sponsor of blank check companies, having previously led four blank check companies in Italy. He launched the first blank check company under Italian law in 2011. He sponsored Glenalta in 2017 (merged with CFT S.p.A.), GF in 2015 (merged with Orsero S.p.A.), IPO Challenger in 2014 (merged with Italian Wine Brands S.p.A.), and MII1 in 2011 (merged with SeSa S.p.A.). In 2005 Mr. Giacometti co-founded European Co-investment Partners LLP, thereby forming Capital Dynamics’ private equity co-investment business. Capital Dynamics is an independent global private asset management business commanding over $16 billion in assets under management and advisory service arrangements, more than 700 fund investments, over 350 fund general partner relationships and a global footprint of 11 offices. Mr. Giacometti remains a Senior Adviser to Capital Dynamics. He has been an independent director of Digital Magics (DM:XMIL) since 2012. Digital Magics is a large Italian digital incubator, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, with more than 70 accelerated startups. From 2003 to 2005, he worked at the Ferrero family office in Italy, where he was in charge of its private equity activities. From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Giacometti founded and managed General Electric’s private equity business in Italy. Mr. Giacometti built a private equity portfolio including Cantieri Rodriguez, Nuova Bianchi, Bafin, SM Logistics, Vimercati, GMV Martini MARR and Euralcom, sometimes serving on the board of directors of these companies Prior to this, Mr. Giacometti was deputy director of merchant banking at Banca Commerciale Italiana, where he worked on private equity investments in Italian companies including Grove, IMA, and Industrie Ilpea. Prior to joining Banca Commerciale Italiana, Mr. Giacometti worked in the syndications group at Citibank in Milan where he was responsible for the syndication of Italian MBOs. Mr. Giacometti holds a degree in business and economics from the Luigi Bocconi School of Business in Milan.

Alberto Recchi, one of our special advisors , has been serving as Chief Financial Officer of Galileo Acquisition Corp. since July 2019. He has over 15 years of experience in corporate and leveraged finance, mergers and acquisitions, and principal investing, in both the North American and Western European markets. In 2019, he founded Ampla Capital, a merchant bank, based in New York, which focuses on proprietary direct co-investments, in both established and growth-oriented SMEs in the North American and Western European markets. Previously, from 2016 to 2019, he was a Managing Director at MC Square Capital, a co-investment platform and cross-border boutique merchant bank. Prior to this, Mr. Recchi spent 12 years at Credit Suisse, where he worked in the Private Banking and Wealth Management Division in London for three years, advising corporate treasury departments, single and multi-family offices, ultra-high net worth individuals, across all product offerings, including direct investments, asset management, custody, corporate finance, structured finance, and private wealth management. Prior to that he worked in the Investment Banking Division for nine years, advising financial sponsors in the U.S. and E.U., structuring and executing LBOs, IPOs and M&A deals, based in New York first and London thereafter. During his tenure at Credit Suisse, Mr. Recchi developed a network of relationships with single and multi-family offices, and with private equity players in North America and Western Europe. Alberto Recchi holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a MS, BS in Aeropsace Engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin.