Shake Shack founder's Spac files for US$250m IPO

[SAN FRANCISCO] USHG Acquisition Corp, a blank-check company led by Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer, filed to raise US$250 million in an initial public offering.

Mr Meyer, who is chairman of the special purpose acquisition company (Spac), is chief executive officer of Union Square Hospitality Group, which has operated more than 20 restaurants and bars, according to the Spac's filing Friday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

USHG's CEO is Adam Sokoloff, a former managing director at the private equity firm Carlyle Group who is now a managing partner at Asgard Capital Partners.

Mr Meyer and Mr Sokoloff join a horde of high-profile executives and investors in a record-shattering rush of Spac listings.

Once an obscure investment vehicle, Spacs last year raised US$83 billion on US exchanges, accounting for about 46 per cent of the total of all IPOs, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. This year, 117 Spacs have already raised more than US$35 billion, which are on pace for another record year.

USHG plans to target "culture-driven businesses" for a possible merger, according to its filing. It intends to focus on industries including technology, e-commerce, food and beverage, health and retail and consumer goods.

Mr Meyer is still chairman of Shake Shack and owns a 5.1 per cent stake in the New York-based company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The hamburger chain went public in 2015 and has a market value of US$4.87 billion.

USHG's offering is being led by Goldman Sachs Group and Piper Sandler. The company plans to list its units on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HUGSU.

BLOOMBERG