(Reuters) - Veteran dealmaker Michael Klein-led blank-check company Churchill Capital Corp V said on Monday it would cease operations nearly three years after it went public.
Klein, a prolific sponsor of special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC), had launched several such vehicles during the pandemic-era boom. One of his SPACs took electric-vehicle company Lucid Group (NASDAQ:LCID) public in one of the biggest deals ever.
But heightened regulatory scrutiny and a poor market for new listings last year dimmed the appeal of SPACs. Many startups ended their deals to go public via a SPAC, and popular blank-check investors such as Chamath Palihapitiya also felt the pinch.
SPACs, which offer an alternative to a traditional IPO, have no business operations other than finding a private company to take public.
Churchill Capital, which had raised $500 million in its initial public offering in December 2020, said it would return the capital to shareholders.