Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya SPAC Files for $250,000,000 IPO, Looking To Merge With DeFi, AI, Defense or Energy Firm

Billionaire venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya’s new blank-check company has filed for a $250 million initial public offering (IPO).

A new S-1 registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicates the new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp., incorporated as a Cayman Islands entity.

In the attached founder’s letter, Palihapitiya says he wants to find a single “great company at a great valuation” to take public, noting that investing in his SPAC will “entail substantial risk including the possibility of total loss.”

“I believe the biggest gains in the future will come from companies that are involved in fixing the fundamental risks that come from our interconnected global order while reinforcing American exceptionalism. Ultimately, there are four areas that I believe need substantial capital if the United States is to maintain its position as the most important country on earth and the only global superpower.”

The first area Palihapitiya mentions is energy, noting that liquid natural gas and fracking only provide the United States with “energy independence and freedom in the near term.”

“We must make investments in all vectors of energy production—ranging from coal, oil and natural gas to more modern forms of energy production like nuclear and solar power. The United States needs unlimited energy and must bring the marginal cost of that energy production to zero. As we do that, I believe we enable the strongest economy in the world to remain as such.”

The second sector he mentions is artificial intelligence (AI).

“As generative AI and large language model (‘LLM’) development continues to accelerate, I am confident that we are in the early innings of the biggest mega-trend in history. Similar to how the internet unlocked new industries within a decade, I believe that AI will create investment opportunities that will only be obvious in hindsight.”

The third is decentralized finance (DeFi), which Palihapitiya argues will continue to play a bigger role in the US economy.

“As these new companies scale, I believe they will revolutionize multiple financial products — including international payments, smart contracts and supply chain transparency.”

He notes the final category of company American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp. will consider is defense.

“Warfare is moving away from humans on the front lines to robots, drones and AI that bring next-generation capabilities to warfare and warfighters. As the United States builds economic and technological supremacy through energy, AI and cryptocurrency, it must also continue to project military supremacy both domestically and abroad. There are many companies that are working to rebuild U.S. military supremacy and its warfighting capabilities through the lens of twenty-first-century technologies.”

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