Tina Pappas, SPAC Lady: "The SPAC Market Has Legs"

Tina Pappas, a managing director at Morgan Joseph, was interviewed earlier this month by TheDeal.com.

"'Pappas, who recently married, seems to fit the Wall Street hard-charging mold, working into the wee hours. SPACs keep her occupied for now, but the views are mixed on the SPACs' near-term growth prospects. 'I think the market's got some legs,' Pappas says. 'Any time you have a product that appeals to investors, entrepreneurs and potential targets, that usually means it'll be viable long term.'"

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Europe is Ready to List SPACs, Claims NautaDutilh Lawyer

The WSJ interviews Petra Zijp, co-head of Dutch law firm NautaDutilh’s capital markets team, about whether SPACs will be able to make it outside of of the United States as a viable product.

Here's a snip:

"DJ: So where does the European SPAC market stand now and what do you expect going forward this year?

Petra Zijp: Currently we have two listed SPACs. It is U.S. technology, which in the last 18 months has evolved greatly both in the sense that bulge bracket firms are doing these deals now and the quality of the sponsors has improved.

In Europe we are all set and ready to go. There are a few deals in the pipeline now, but I think Europe is waiting for the first few deals to come out and be a success. And then once people become comfortable with the structure, it will become a European product with European investors and European managers."

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Andrew Murstein Interviewed in the Wall Street Journal About His SPAC, Sports Properties Acquisition Corp

In this April 22, 2008 interview with Stephen Grocer at the Wall Street Journal, Murstein outlines his plan for a $400 million to $1 billion acquisition of a sports-reated entity. He has been meeting with the comissioners of all the major American sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NASCAR) to vet opportunities.

Murstein notes:

"Teams in several of the leagues have been public before, such as the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Indians, and their shareholders did very well. Several team owners have also contacted us, so we are talking to many prospects. There are some teams that are just not right for the SPAC, but many in large markets with great fan bases would be perfect. It would be great for fans to be able to buy the stock of those teams and own a piece of their favorite club."

Click here for the article