Withdrawn
Jaws Wildcat Acquisition Corp
- Registration2021-02-25 Filed S1
- Withdrawn2022-02-23 Merger Withdrawn
- Raised
- $250M
- CIK
- 1842760
- SPAC Ticker
- WCAT
- Focus
- Consumer, Technology
SPAC Team
Leadership
Barry S. Sternlicht has agreed to serve as the Chairman of the board of directors of Jaws Hurricane and is a well-known entrepreneur and operator with an extensive deal-making history. He founded Starwood Capital in 1991 and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Starwood Capital is a private alternative investment firm focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, and energy infrastructure with over $73 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2020. Through the Starwood Capital platform, Mr. Sternlicht has created several multi-billion dollar public market companies, ranging from traditional real estate to branded hospitality. He has also executed several marquee public market transactions to enhance the scale of his core platform — including the creation and expansion of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the consolidation of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (formerly NYSE: HOT), the spin-off and growth of Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH), and the formation of Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR). Similarly, he has been involved in numerous private market consumer businesses as an early investor.
Mr. Sternlicht currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of STWD, a leading, diversified real estate finance company with over $5 billion in market capitalization as of January 2021; and one of the first mortgage REITs launched post-crisis. Since inception in 2009, Mr. Sternlicht has guided STWD through a steady evolution with over $63 billion in deployed capital, evolving from a pure-play commercial lender to a diversified commercial REIT with residential lending, commercial mortgage servicing, property ownership, and infrastructure lending. Mr. Sternlicht also has deep operating expertise, serving as the Chairman, from January 1995 through May 2005, and as the Chief Executive Officer, from January 1995 through September 2004, of HOT; a period in which the share price appreciated at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 16%. Over his tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sternlicht grew the total market capitalization of HOT to approximately $10 billion. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sternlicht executed several key acquisitions, including Westin Hotels, Patriot American, and ITT Corp., and led the development of the W Hotel concept.
Additionally, Mr. Sternlicht serves as Chairman of three public SPACs: Jaws Spitfire Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: SPFR), which successfully conducted its initial public offering (“IPO”) in December 2020, Jaws Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: JWS), which successfully conducted its IPO in May 2020, and Jaws Mustang Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: JWSM), which successfully conducted its IPO in February 2021. On November 12, 2020, Jaws Acquisition Corp. announced its merger with Cano Health, a primary care-centric, technology-powered healthcare delivery and population health platform. The combined company will operate as Cano Health, and will be listed on the NYSE under the new ticker symbol “CANO”. The business combination is expected to close in the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter of 2021, following the receipt of the required approval by Jaws Acquisition Corp.’s shareholders and the fulfillment of other customary closing conditions. Mr. Sternlicht is also a member of the board of directors of INVH, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL), and A.S. Roma S.p.A. (MIB: ASR), and Vesper Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: VSPR).
We believe Mr. Sternlicht’s significant investment experience makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Matthew Walters is the Chief Executive Officer of Jaws Wildcat. Mr. Walters is also the Chief Executive Officer of Jaws Spitfire, the Chief Operating Officer of Jaws Mustang and a Principal at Jaws. He directs the private investment strategy with a particular emphasis on the consumer and technology sectors for Jaws. Jaws representative investments include Artsy, Away Luggage, Color Genomics, Delos Living, Didi, Domino’s China, Flaschenpost, Flipkart, Hyperloop, Illumio, Pre-IPO Lyft, Oscar Health, Oyo Rooms, Parachute Home, Qualia, Sarcos Robotics, Sweetgreen, Third Love and Wish. Prior to joining Jaws, Mr. Walters spent his entire career at L Catterton, the largest, most global consumer-focused private equity firm, where he worked on sourcing and investment strategy for both the buyout and growth oriented funds. Mr. Walters sits on the board of Sempre Life and is a board observer at Bluestone Lane and Parachute Home. Mr. Walters received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Finance from Fairfield University.
We believe Mr. Walters’ significant investment experience makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Michael Racich is the Chief Financial Officer of Jaws Wildcat. Mr. Racich is also the Chief Financial Officer of Jaws Spitfire and Jaws Mustang. Since 2010, Mr. Racich has also served as the Chief Financial officer of Jaws. Previously, Mr. Racich was a director at Frydland Stevens LLC from 2007 to 2014 and also worked for Jaws from 2005 to 2007. While at Frydland Stevens LLC, Mr. Racich advised Jaws on tax related issues and was responsible for preparing Jaws’ tax filings. Mr. Racich graduated from Villanova University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.
Andy Appelbaum has agreed to serve on the board of directors of Jaws Wildcat Acquisition Corporation and is also a director of Jaws Spitfire Acquisition Corporation. He is the Managing Partner of RiverPark Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing on high growth, early stage businesses. RiverPark Ventures is part of the RiverPark family of funds, a multi-strategy portfolio management firm. Mr. Appelbaum is a career entrepreneur with a focus on creating marketplaces and disrupting inefficient supply chains. The companies he has co-founded have spanned a broad diversity of industries, including technology, energy, food services, e-commerce, media and real estate. Mr. Appelbaum is the co-founder of Seamless (formerly Seamless Web), Cleaner Options, mdenergy, Blue Ribbon Partners and domino Media Group. Prior to founding RiverPark Ventures, he was an active angel investor. Mr. Appelbaum received a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, summa cum laude from SUNY Binghamton in 1988 and a JD from New York University School of Law in 1991. From 1991 through 1992, he was an associate with the New York office of Latham & Watkins, specializing in corporation transactions and restructuring. Mr. Appelbaum serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the JCC of Manhattan and is a member of New York Angels.
We believe Mr. Appelbaum’s significant investment experience make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.