Introducing Science Strategic Acquisition Corp. Alpha

By Mike Jones

For the past decade, our team at Science Inc. has forecasted changing consumer habits and invested in the startups that tap into these changes and disrupt incumbents. We identify early and mid-stage companies, develop a hands-on partnership with their founders, and transform those startups into high-growth businesses.

Science Inc.’s early-stage investment method, which combines gut instincts, real-time data analysis and a team of more than 160 professionals across the U.S. and India, has driven strong investor returns with landmark exits like Dollar Shave Club (now part of Unilever), DogVacay (now part of Rover), FameBit (now part of Google) and more.

Our team has held a fundamental belief in a barbell strategy from the very beginning, which is why Science Inc. partners with founders at the earliest stages to get them from 0 to 1 while also driving capabilities at the time founders are preparing for an exit and beyond. We help drive value post-exit by building the right team and leveraging our deep knowledge and understanding of the growth tactics to get them to the next level of success.

We are thrilled to have formed Science Strategic Acquisition Corp. Alpha (“SSACA,” Nasdaq: SSAA). We just closed the initial public offering of 31,050,000 units at $10.00 per unit, including 4,050,000 units sold pursuant to the underwriter’s exercise of the over-allotment option in full. The gross proceeds from the offering were $310.5 million. You can read more details on it here.

With our first SPAC, we are looking to create value for innovative companies that are redefining the consumer technology landscape.

The SPAC vehicle is particularly exciting to us for two reasons. First, it allows liquidity for our investors — as investors ourselves, we know how challenging it can be to have your investment locked up for 10+ years in venture capital. Through a SPAC, target investors have access to an alternative path to liquidity, with greater valuation certainty and expedited execution timing relative to a traditional IPO. Secondly, acquisitions in the direct-to-consumer space are becoming more challenging due to regulatory hurdles. SPACs create a much-needed new exit strategy for these companies.

We believe our operational experience and entrepreneurial instincts will allow us to spot emerging trends, inflection points, and societal shifts that lay the groundwork for disruptive themes across our sectors of focus, which include:

● Direct-to-Consumer (“D2C”) Brands

● D2C Services & Marketplaces

● Mobile & Social Entertainment

​With decades of experience investing, developing and scaling disruptive companies, Science Inc. has forged deep networks and a best-in-class reputation across our areas of focus. Collectively, our SSACA founders have executed more than $5 billion in exits. Our team includes myself, where I’ll hold the role as CEO and chairman of the board of directors, as well as:

Peter Pham, President of SSACA: Peter is a cofounder of Science Inc., where he has served as a Managing Director since 2011 and has partnered with both emerging and established founders to build highly-recognized names in technology.

Tom Dare, Chief Financial Officer of SSACA: Tom is a cofounder of Science Inc., where he serves as a Managing Director and leads fund and portfolio operations by tapping into his over 20 years of experience building and managing Internet companies through startup, growth, turnaround stages and entering public markets.

Greg Gilman, Director of SSACA​: Greg is a cofounder and managing director at Science Inc. and has more than 20 years of relevant experience as an executive, entrepreneur, investor, and attorney.

Priscilla Guevara, Global Head of Investor Relations of SSACA: ​Priscilla is Science Inc.’s Head of Investor Relations. She spent 20 years in New York on Wall Street and then crossed over to the venture world, where she focuses on bridging the gap between Wall Street and innovation.

April Henry, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development of SSACA: April has served as the Head of Corporate Development for Science, Inc. since February 2020. She is also a Special Advisor to WPP founder, Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital, PLC. She previously worked on M&A at News Corp and for Marissa Mayer at Yahoo.

We believe our extensive network of relationships within the ecosystem of our target sectors will provide SSACA with a competitive advantage in sourcing a compelling initial business combination target. In addition, we believe our founders’ and our board of directors’ expertise across our target sectors, as well as our experience in helping to build and accelerate the growth of other companies, will make us an attractive partner for potential business combination targets.

We’re honored to have brought together phenomenal entrepreneurs and executives for our board of directors:

Colette Taylor, Director Nominee: Colette is a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Partners in Care Trust Co., a $160 million Trust Bank providing fiduciary and care management services, and is also a Board Member and Chair of the Audit Committee of Guardianship Services of Seattle Trust Co., a $300 million Trust Bank and certified professional guardian agency. From 2005 to 2020, she served as CEO, President and Chair of Russell Investment Trust Company.

Jeff Kearl, Director Nominee: Jeff ​is managing director at Pelion Venture Partners and has been at Precedent Investments since 2012. He also serves as director of Domo, Inc. and director and chairman of Stance, Inc., an apparel company he co-founded.

Jen Rubio, Director Nominee: Jen is the co-founder and President of Away, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand that creates luggage and other travel products.

Underpinning our deep sector expertise and network is a data-focused philosophy that is at the core of Science Inc.’s success. Holding true to its name, the firm is maniacally focused on data and executes a disciplined, scientific framework focused on key metrics that drive growth and long-term value.

We are not sit-back-and-wait investors. Our early stage investment work has made us hands-on partners and led us to build a proprietary system that gives us unprecedented access into data of our businesses and helps us spot areas for transformational growth.

We will bring that same rigor to SSACA, creating a distinct advantage as we evaluate potential business combination targets and focus on value-enhancing initiatives post-combination to drive the combined company to its next stage of growth. Follow along on our journey here.