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LGL Systems Acquisition Corporation

LGL Systems Acquisition Corporation

Oct 19, 2020 by Roman Developer

PROPOSED BUSINESS COMBINATION: IronNet Cybersecurity

ENTERPRISE VALUE: $927 million
ANTICIPATED SYMBOL: IRNT

LGL Systems Acquisition Corporation proposes to combine IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. (“IronNet”), an innovative leader transforming cybersecurity through Collective Defense. The transaction will allow IronNet to accelerate its growth trajectory in the rapidly growing cybersecurity market and to capitalize on strong demand for new and more effective ways to defend against growing cyber threats.

IronNet merges industry-leading cybersecurity products with expert service to create a platform designed to deliver the most advanced, real-time cyber defense globally, protecting both private and public sectors. Bringing together some of the best minds in cybersecurity from industry, government and academia, IronNet was created to more effectively defend enterprises, sectors and nations against highly organized cyber adversaries and increasingly sophisticated attacks that traditional security tools are challenged to detect. IronNet’s Collective Defense platform, which features proprietary and patented technology, detects cyber anomalies and shares anonymized threat data in real time within a secure ecosystem. This provides all Collective Defense members with a previously unachievable level of visibility into potential incoming threats.

IronNet’s Collective Defense Platform consists of IronDefense and IronDome. IronDefense is an advanced Network Detection and Response (NDR) solution that provides behavior-based and AI-driven analytics at the network level to detect anomalous activity at individual enterprises and prioritize the highest threats in a company’s network. The IronDome solution then provides a crowdsource-like environment in which the IronDefense findings from an individual company are automatically and anonymously shared at machine network speed and cloud scale within the group of related entities (portfolio companies, supply chains, industries, or nations) for correlation and further analysis. This real-time visibility to the threat landscape delivers timely, actionable, and contextual insights to the attacks targeting an enterprise and provides early warning to all members.


TRANSACTION

  • LGL Systems Acquisition Corp., which currently holds approximately $173 million cash in trust, will combine with IronNet at an estimated pro forma total enterprise value of $927 million.
  • Assuming no redemptions by LGL’s existing public stockholders, IronNet’s existing stockholders will hold approximately 72% of the fully diluted shares of common stock in the combined company, IronNet Cybersecurity, immediately following the closing of the business combination.
  • The combined company expects to receive approximately $267 million in net proceeds, assuming no redemptions by LGL’s existing public stockholders, including proceeds from a $125 million PIPE transaction.
  • Cash proceeds are expected to be used to accelerate IronNet’s revenue growth, to expand its product portfolio, and for working capital to fund increasing demand.

lgl trans overview


PIPE

  • $125 million fully-committed common stock PIPE at $10.00 per share
    • Participation from Emles Advisors, Weiss Asset Management, and The Phoenix Insurance Company, Existing IronNet investors Bridgewater Associates, ForgePoint Capital, and Kleiner Perkins
  • LGL sponsor group to also invest in the PIPE, enhancing their long-term commitment to IronNet.

LOCK-UP

  • Certain stockholders of IronNet receiving shares of LGL common stock in connection with the Merger will be subject to a post-combination 180-day lockup period for all shares of LGL common stock held by such persons, subject to customary early release provisions.

NOTABLE CONDITIONS TO CLOSING

  • The amount of cash available to LGL as of immediately prior to the closing shall not be less than $125 million after giving effect to payment of amounts that LGL will be required to pay to redeeming shareholders upon consummation of the Transactions

NOTABLE CONDITIONS TO TERMINATION

  • By either LGL or IronNet if the Transactions are not consummated on or before the later of November 12, 2021

ADVISORS

  • Guggenheim Securities, LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor and capital markets advisor to IronNet.
  • Barclays is acting as exclusive financial advisor to LGL.
  • Barclays, BTIG, LLC, Jefferies LLC and Needham & Company, LLC are acting as placement agents and capital markets advisors to LGL.
  • Cooley LLP is acting as legal counsel to IronNet.
  • Paul Hastings LLP is acting as legal counsel to LGL.
  • Sidley Austin LLP is acting as legal counsel to the placement agents.

MANAGEMENT & BOARD


Executive Officers

Marc Gabelli, 51
Co-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Gabelli has served as President and Director of GGCP, Inc., the parent company of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (GBL:NYSE) since 1999, and director of Associated Capital Group, Inc. (AC:NYSE) at its formation through to 2017. He is the Chairman of Teton Advisors, Inc. (TETA:OTC) since 2018, and LGL Group (LGL: NYSE MKT) since 2017, Chairman of Gabelli Merger Plus Trust PLC (GMP:LSE) since 2017. Mr. Gabelli has been CoChief Executive Officer of Gabelli Securities International Ltd. since 1994, Managing Partner of Horizon Research of New Delhi India since 2012 and Director and Managing Partner of Swiss based GGCP since 2012 and GAMA Funds Holdings GmbH since 2010. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive of Gabelli & Partners Italia Srl. and Gabelli Value for Italy SPA (VALU: IM), a Milan stock exchange listed corporation since 2018, and a director of Gabelli Merger Plus+ Trust, PLC (GMP: LSE), a London Stock Exchange listed company. As a fund manager since 1990, Mr. Gabelli’s focus is global value investments with portfolio assignments including alternative and traditional asset management. He manages alternative investment portfolios and the group’s investment companies trading on the London Stock Exchange. He has managed several Morningstar five star mutual funds, and a Lipper #1 ranked global equity mutual fund. In corporate matters, he assisted on group restructurings, including GAMCO’s initial public offering and the subsequent formation of AC. He built the hedge fund platform of the group’s indirect whollyowned subsidiary, Gabelli & Partners, LLC, and expanded the business internationally, opening the GAMCO London and Tokyo offices. In 2001, he also formed and served as General Partner of OpNet Partners, a Gabelli venture capital fund focused on optical networking technologies. He is also a Director of LICT Corporation (LICT: OTC). Mr. Gabelli is active in a variety of charitable educational efforts in the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom.
He began his career in equity research and arbitrage for Lehman Brothers International. He is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. He received a MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a graduate of Harvard University with a Master’s degree in Government, and from Boston College with a Bachelor’s degree in economics.


John Mega, 66
President

Mr. Mega was an original founding member of L3. Mr Mega built and managed several divisions at L3 since its formation in 1997 after spinning off from Lockheed Martin. Prior to his retirement in 2018, he was a corporate Senior Vice President and President of L3’s Communication Systems, one of the four L3 major business segments. Earlier in his career, he had been President of L3’s Microwave Group, President of Narda Microwave, President of Logimetrics, Inc, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of at Lockheed Martin Corp’s Tactical Defense Systems, Group Controller at Loral Corp and a principal at Raytheon Company (RTN:NYSE). He received a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College and is a member of American Mensa Ltd.


Robert “Rob” LaPenta, 50
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Mr. LaPenta has an extensive career spanning over 25 years in finance, accounting, consulting, capital markets origination, equity trading, asset allocation and mergers and acquisitions and will be active in transaction sourcing, processing and execution. Mr. LaPenta began his career as a Senior Associate at Coopers & Lybrand as a CPA responsible for managing audits, consulting, M&A due diligence and special project engagements for multiple clients in various industries. Mr. LaPenta transitioned full time into the investment banking sector spending the next 13 years focused on trading and capital market activities culminating in the role of Managing Director and Cohead of Equity Trading at Bank of America Securities, LLC where he managed the firm’s equity capital commitment, proprietary trading, secondary offerings and risk management within cash trading. In 2007, Mr. LaPenta joined L1 Identity Solutions, Inc. as Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy. Mr. LaPenta managed the firms M&A processes from sourcing, structuring, valuation, diligence and financing of multiple transactions with the most notable being the negotiation of the $1.6b sale of L1 to Safran and BAE Systems. Following the sale of L1, Mr. LaPenta became a Partner of Aston Capital an alternative asset management firm of the LaPenta family office. and cofounded the Boundary Group, an investment firm focused on private investments in the aerospace, defense, and intelligence markets. Mr. LaPenta has previously served on the Board of Directors at Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. (RVLT: Nasdaq), AFIX Technologies and The Radiant Group and currently presides over the Audit Committee for TherapeuticsMD (TXMD:Nasdaq) (Audit Committee Chair), is a Board observer for Amergint Technologies and sits as an Audit Committee member for St. David’s School New York City. Mr. LaPenta is the son of our CoChairman, Mr. LaPenta. Mr. LaPenta graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance and has been a registered CPA (inactive) in the State of New York.


Timothy Foufas, 51
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Foufas has had a longstanding relationship with the Gabelli organization since 1997 when he served as an analyst at Gabelli & Company Inc. covering multiple industries and reporting directly to Mario Gabelli. He has also been a member of the Board of The LGL Group, Inc. (LGL:NYSE MKT) since 2007 and former board member of certain affiliates of the Gabelli organization. Mr. Foufas has a diverse background, including experiences in industries such as technology, real estate, gaming, consumer products, and financial services. Since 2005, he has served as Managing Partner of Plato Foufas & Company LLC, a financial services company, where he oversees all investment and management activities of the firm. Prior to the successful divestiture of its investment portfolio, Mr. Foufas also served as President of Levalon Properties LLC, a real estate property management company and as Senior Vice President of Bayshore Management Company LLC. Prior to joining Bayshore, he was the Director of Investments at Liam Ventures Inc., a private equity investment firm, where he was responsible for its venture capital and buyout investments. Mr. Foufas holds a MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College. Mr. Foufas is active in various civic institutions in Chicago having been a founding board member of Auxiliary Board of the John G. Shedd Aquarium and is currently a Sustaining Guild Board Member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.


George Anthony Bancroft II, 44
Vice President

Mr. Bancroft is the Aerospace & Defense team leader in research for GAMCO Investors. Mr. Bancroft and his team run the Gabelli Aerospace & Defense annual institutional investment conference, now entering its 25th year. He has been an analyst as part of the Gabelli group industrial team since 2009. Prior to Gabelli, Mr. Bancroft was in the United States Marine Corp., where he remains currently active, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. Mr. Bancroft was an F/A18 Fighter Pilot in the Marine Corps from May 1998 to July 2009, during which time he had extensive leadership experience in aviation operations, logistics, and maintenance. Mr. Bancroft received a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA in Finance and Economics from Columbia Business School.


Hendi Susanto, 46
Vice President

Mr. Susanto has been Vice President, Equity Research, at Gabelli since August 2007 and has also been a Portfolio Manager at GAMCO Investors, Inc. since December 2015. Mr. Susanto joined the Board of Directors of The LGL Group, Inc. (LGL: NYSE MKT) in June 2016. Prior to 2007, Mr. Susanto worked as an Analyst at Silicon Laboratories (SLAB:NASD) and a supply chain management consultant in the technology sector at JDA Software. Mr. Susanto received a Bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, an MS in Chemical Engineering from MIT, with a minor in Quantitative Finance from MIT Sloan, and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton school.


Patrick Huvane, 51
Vice President, Finance and Accounting

Mr. Huvane has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Teton Advisors, Inc. (TETA:OTC) since 2019. Mr. Huvane has also served as Senior Vice President, Business Development of The LGL Group, Inc. (LGL: NYSE MKT) since April 2019. Mr. Huvane has a broad background in finance working in publicly traded companies including due diligence for acquisitions. He was Vice President, Finance of Standard Diversified Inc. (NYSE American: SDI) from December 2018 to April 2019. From November 2007 to December 2018, Mr. Huvane was employed by Tiptree Inc. (NASD: TIPT), a diversified holding company that operates across multiple industry sectors with a focus on financial services such as insurance, real estate, asset management, and specialty finance. Mr. Huvane served in various capacities including Chief Accounting Officer of the parent company as well as its subsidiary, Care Investment Trust, LLC which is a real estate investment company focused exclusively on owning and operating various seniors housing properties. Prior to joining Tiptree in 2007, Mr. Huvane was Controller at Axon Financial Services, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. For the five years prior to joining Axon, Mr. Huvane was employed at Fletcher Asset Management, Inc. and held positions of increasing responsibility, including as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to joining Fletcher, Mr. Huvane held positions of increasing responsibility at large financial institutions such as Credit Suisse and Sumitomo Bank. He began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young in 1990. Mr. Huvane received a Bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College where he was a part-time adjunct faculty member of its Department of Economics & Finance from 2008 to 2009. He received a MBA from New York University. Mr. Huvane is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and is also a CFA charterholder.


 

Board of Directors

Mary Gallagher, 54
Director

Ms. Gallagher served as Chief Financial Officer for Wheels Up from 2016 to 2018. Wheels Up is a membershipbased private aviation company. Prior to joining Wheels Up, Ms. Gallagher spent 12 years with United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX), a global leader in aerospace and building technologies. Ms. Gallagher held a variety of top financial roles at UTX, most recently as CFO of Sikorsky Aircraft from November of 2013 through June of 2016. From 1996 to 2004 Ms. Gallagher served as the VP Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN), a global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. Prior to joining Olin, Ms. Gallagher spent 9 years with KPMG in various positions in the audit, mergers/acquisitions, consulting and training groups. Ms. Gallagher graduated from the University of Vermont in 1987 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and earned her MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 as a UTC sponsored participant in the Sloan Fellows Program. Ms. Gallagher is a Certified Public Accountant in New York.


Michael Ferrantino, 48
Director

Mr. Ferrantino has served on the board of directors of The LGL Group (LGL: NYSE MKT) since 2019. Since 2015, Mr. Ferrantino has served as Chief Executive Officer for InterEx Inc., a fullservice company specializing in the design, fabrication, management and service of custom exhibit spaces for the trade show retail and museum markets. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Ferrantino was a Vice President at CTS Corporation (NYSE: CTS), a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic components and sensors, as well as a provider of electronics manufacturing services to manufacturers in the automotive, communications, medical, defense and aerospace industries. Prior to this, Mr. Ferrantino spent 11 years at ValpeyFisher Corporation (NASDAQ:VPF); a company specializing in the marketing, design, and manufacture of highaccuracy frequency control subsystems used in digital and optical telecommunications systems. Mr. Ferrantino served in several leadership roles at VPF; most recently as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Ferrantino served as Vice President at Performax, Inc. from 2001to 2003. Performax is a company that specialized in the design, administration, and management of fully customized health and benefit plans. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Ferrantino was a Vice President at Bicycle Health Benefits, Inc. after beginning his career at Eaton Corporation as a Product Marketing Manager. Mr. Ferrantino currently serves on the board of directors of The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. and Gabelli Utility Trust. Mr. Ferrantino graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering and earned his MBA from Loyola College in 2003.


Michael Martin, 46
Director

Mr. Martin is a cofounder and Managing Partner of Herndon Capital, a Washington, D.C. based private equity firm founded in 2019 and focused on companies within the national security and defense sectors. Prior to founding Herndon Capital, Mr. Martin was a portfolio manager with UBS O’Connor, a $6 billion multi strategy global hedge fund, where he managed a long short equity portfolio and led the investment team through 600 initial public offerings and private placements, from 2012 to 2018. Prior to O’Connor, Mr. Martin was a Director on the convertible securities team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Martin served as the coleader of the Bank of America Metro New York Veterans Group and was part of the leadership team that brought together five of the nation’s largest banks to create VOWS (Veterans on Wall Street) with the mission of supporting transitioning military veterans into the private sector. As a Navy SEAL officer, Mr. Martin served worldwide in several leadership roles as the operations officer of two SEAL Teams and as a deployed task unit commander. Mr. Martin conducted several deployments to include Afghanistan and Iraq and was awarded numerous combat awards and medals including the Bronze Star with Valor. Mr. Martin received a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with merit from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors on the Navy SEAL Foundation.