Directors to be Appointed upon Anticipated
Closing of Previously Announced Combination with Merida Merger
Corp. I
New Directors Bring Right Mix of Skills and
Experience to Oversee Next Phase of Leafly’s Journey as a Public
Company
Leafly Holdings Inc. (“Leafly”), the world's leading online
cannabis discovery marketplace and resource for cannabis consumers,
today announced the members of its Board of Directors to be
appointed effective as of the closing of its previously announced
business combination with Merida Merger Corp. I (“Merida”).
Leafly’s post-closing Board of Directors will bring extensive
expertise across strategy, finance, technology, operations, legal
and regulatory, public company governance, and the cannabis
industry. The members of the Board of Directors will be:
- Michael Blue, Managing Partner, Privateer Holdings
- Cassandra “Cassi” Chandler, President and CEO, Vigeo
Alliance
- Blaise Judja-Sato, Founder, VillageReach and the Resilience
Trust
- Peter Lee, President, Merida Merger Corp. I
- Yoko Miyashita, Chief Executive Officer, Leafly
- Alan Pickerill, Former Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, Expedia Group
“As we continue to prepare for life as a public company, we are
thrilled to bring together a world-class Board of Directors with
wide-ranging expertise and diverse perspectives,” Miyashita said.
“This is the right group to guide Leafly through the next phase of
our growth roadmap. We look forward to benefiting from their
valuable insights as we accelerate our leadership in the legal
cannabis market and create even more value for consumers, partners,
and shareholders.”
Additional Information About Leafly’s Board of
Directors
Michael Blue is a co-founder of Privateer Holdings, Inc.,
a cannabis-focused private equity firm that founded a number of
cannabis businesses (including Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY), Left
Coast Ventures Inc. (NEO: GRAM.U), and Docklight Brands, Inc.) and
acquired Leafly in 2011, which it owned until 2019, when it
effected a capital restructuring and distributed its ownership in
Leafly to Leafly’s stockholders. Mr. Blue served as Privateer’s CFO
from 2011 until 2018, and its Managing Partner from 2018 until its
merger with Tilray, Inc. in 2019. He also served as an officer at
Leafly between 2011 and 2019, and as a director at Leafly since
2011. Mr. Blue also serves as Managing Partner at Ten Eleven
Management LLC, which provides consulting and management services
to several cannabis businesses, including Leafly through March
2021. Mr. Blue received his MBA from the Yale School of Management
in 2005 and a BBA in Finance from Harding University. Prior to
co-founding Privateer, he served in several senior roles in private
equity, including Vice President of de Visscher & Company from
July 2005 to July 2007, and as Principal at Herrington, Inc., from
July 2007 to October 2011.
Cassandra “Cassi” Chandler is President & CEO of
Vigeo Alliance, which partners with businesses to grow emerging
leaders, retain diverse talent and build an inclusive culture that
thrives. Ms. Chandler also served as an independent federal monitor
with the New York Police Department and as an Adjunct Professor for
Intelligence and Terrorism courses at Pace University’s Masters in
Public Safety and Homeland Security Graduate Program. Previously,
Ms. Chandler was Senior Vice President for Business Operations at
Bank of America, where she was responsible for building an
integrated framework to identify, evaluate and assess emerging
regulatory risks and the operational effectiveness of enterprise
coverage areas. She also served on its Global Diversity and
Inclusion Advisory Board. Before joining the bank, Ms. Chandler
spent nearly 24 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(“FBI”), where she directed white collar crimes, financial crimes,
terrorism, cybercrimes investigations and foreign intelligence
activities. She led the FBI’s training division, redesigned the
FBI’s health care fraud and its criminal and domestic terrorism
intelligence programs, and was appointed to the U.S. Senior
Executive Service as the agency’s first Black female Special Agent
Assistant Director and the FBI’s first female National Spokesperson
and director of Public Affairs. Ms. Chandler has received awards
such as the Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award of
Meritorious Executive under President George W. Bush, the National
Center for Women & Policing’s “Breaking the Glass Ceiling”
award and the Norfolk NAACP Trailblazer Award. She served on the
U.S. Marine Corps Red Team, which monitored the Corps’ assessment
of expanding infantry officer roles to women and has served on many
charitable and diversity boards. Ms. Chandler received her B.A.
from Louisiana State University and her J.D. from Loyola University
School of Law.
Blaise Judja-Sato is passionate about using technology to
address global challenges in creating opportunities. His
professional global experience ranges from startups to large
multinationals; from governments to non-governmental organizations;
and from the United Nations to social ventures and philanthropic
institutions. Mr. Judja-Sato serves on the Supervisory Board of
Jumia Technology AG (NYSE: JMIA) and is a member of the Risk and
Audit, Nomination and Governance, and Compensation committees. He
also sits on the global board of Grassroot Soccer, a global health
non-profit. He is the founder of VillageReach, a nonprofit helping
governments solve healthcare delivery challenges in low-resource
communities; and the founder of the Resilience Trust, an
organization dedicated to reimagining cardiovascular care in
resource-challenged settings with a focus on Africa. He has
previously held numerous senior leadership positions with global
responsibilities, including Executive Director of the International
Telecommunication Union; founder and President of the Nelson
Mandela Foundation USA; co-head of global development initiatives
at Google; director of international business development at
Teledesic; regional managing director at AT&T; and senior
consultant at Accenture. Mr. Judja-Sato earned an MBA from The
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in
engineering from Telecom ParisTech, and a Master’s degree in
mathematics from the University of Montpellier.
Peter Lee has served as President, Chief Financial
Officer, Secretary, and a member of the board of directors of
Merida Merger Corp. I since 2019. Mr. Lee has spent more than 20
years as an investment professional in both public markets and
public equity. Since April 2018, Mr. Lee has been an independent
investor and consultant for hedge funds. From 2011 to April 2018,
he co-founded and was a Managing Partner at Sentinel Rock Capital,
LLC, a long/short equity oriented hedge fund. Prior to this, from
2009 to 2011, he was an Analyst and a Partner at Spring Point
Capital, a long/short equity oriented hedge fund. From 2007 to
2009, he was the sector head for financial services and retail
industries at Blackstone Kailix, the long/short equity hedge fund
business of The Blackstone Group. From 2005 to 2007, he was an
analyst at Tiger Management evaluating public investments. Mr. Lee
joined Tiger Management out of business school. Earlier, Mr. Lee
focused on growth private equity investing in financial services
and financial technology companies as a senior associate at J.H.
Whitney & Company from 2000 to 2002 and an associate at Capital
Z Partners from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Lee began his career as an
analyst at Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, the private equity
investment fund of Morgan Stanley. Mr. Lee received a B.S. in
Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley
Haas School of Business and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of
Business.
Yoko Miyashita was appointed Chief Executive Officer of
Leafly in August 2020 after serving as Leafly’s General Counsel
since 2019. Ms. Miyashita has spent her career serving
mission-driven companies navigating complex global regulatory
environments in order to bring meaningful and compelling products
to market. An expert in policy and advocacy, as General Counsel,
she led Leafly’s position on key regulatory, compliance, and
government affairs issues. She has focused on progressing Leafly’s
reputation as a trusted and authoritative cannabis resource and
leveraged an understanding of current cannabis regulations, and
opportunities for change, to help scale Leafly’s product and sales
strategy. Previously, Ms. Miyashita spent 14 years at Getty Images,
where she led the global legal team as Senior Vice President and
General Counsel. Prior to joining Getty Images, she practiced law
with Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle. Ms. Miyashita received a J.D.
from the University of Washington School of Law and a B.A. from the
University of California, Berkeley.
Alan Pickerill has served in a variety of finance and
accounting roles over a 30+ year career, mainly for publicly traded
technology companies. He is currently a board member and audit
committee chair for Porch Group (NASDAQ: PRCH) and sits on the
board of the YMCA of Greater Seattle. He is also an adjunct faculty
member for the University of Washington Foster School EMBA program.
Mr. Pickerill served as Expedia Group's Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from September 2017 to
December 2019 and had been with the Company since 2008. Mr.
Pickerill oversaw Expedia Group's accounting, financial reporting
and analysis, investor relations, treasury, internal audit, tax and
global real estate teams. Previously, he served as Expedia Group's
Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasurer. Mr.
Pickerill began his career as an accountant for seven years at
Deloitte and Touche before working at a variety of publicly traded
technology and internet companies, including serving as Chief
Financial Officer of INTERLINQ Software Corporation as well as
roles at Microsoft and Getty Images. Mr. Pickerill was licensed as
a certified public accountant in Washington in 1991. Mr. Pickerill
received a B.A. in Business and Accounting from the University of
Washington's Michael G. Foster School of Business.
About Leafly
Cannabis discovery marketplace Leafly aims to help more than 125
million visitors discover cannabis this year. Our powerful
ecommerce tools help shoppers make informed purchase decisions and
empower cannabis businesses to attract and retain loyal customers
through advertising and technology services. Learn more at
Leafly.com or download the Leafly mobile app through Apple’s App
Store or Google Play.
About Merida Merger Corp. I
Merida Merger Corp. I is a blank check company formed for the
purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or
other similar business combination with one or more businesses or
entities.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the
proposed business combination between Merida Merger Corp. I
(“Merida”) and Leafly Holdings, Inc. (“Leafly”), including
statements regarding the benefits of the proposed business
combination, the anticipated timing of the proposed business
combination, the services offered by Leafly and the markets in
which Leafly operates, business strategies, debt levels, industry
environment, potential growth opportunities, the effects of
regulations and Merida's or Leafly's projected future results.
These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the
words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate,"
"intend," "strategy," "future," "forecast," "opportunity," "plan,"
"may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will
likely result," and similar expressions (including the negative
versions of such words or expressions). Forward-looking statements
are predictions, projections and other statements about future
events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and,
as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors
could cause actual future events to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements in this document, including but not
limited to: (i) the risk that the proposed business combination may
not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely
affect the price of Merida's securities; (ii) the risk that the
proposed business combination may not be completed by Merida's
business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain
an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by
Merida; (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the
consummation of the proposed business combination, including the
approval of the proposed business combination by Merida's
stockholders, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account amount
following redemptions by Merida's public stockholders and the
receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals; (iv) the
effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed business
combination on Merida's or Leafly's business relationships,
performance, and business generally; (v) risks that the proposed
business combination disrupts current plans of Leafly and potential
difficulties in Leafly employee retention as a result of the
proposed business combination; (vi) the outcome of any legal
proceedings that may be instituted against Merida or Leafly related
to the Merger Agreement or the proposed business combination; (vii)
the ability to maintain the listing of Merida's securities on the
NASDAQ; (viii) the price of Merida's securities, including
volatility resulting from changes in the competitive and highly
regulated industry in which Leafly plans to operate, variations in
performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations
affecting Leafly's business and changes in the combined capital
structure; and (ix) the ability to implement business plans,
forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the
proposed business combination, and identify and realize additional
opportunities. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You
should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks
and uncertainties that are described in Merida's final proxy
statement/prospectus/consent solicitation statement contained in
the Registration Statement, including those under "Risk Factors"
therein, and other documents filed by Merida from time to time with
the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to
differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date
they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on
forward-looking statements, and Merida and Leafly assume no
obligation and, except as required by law, do not intend to update
or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither Merida nor
Leafly gives any assurance that either Merida or Leafly will
achieve its expectations.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed business combination
contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger by and among
Merida, Merida Merger Sub, Inc., Merida Merger Sub II, LLC, and
Leafly (the "Merger Agreement"),
Merida has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 (the
"Registration Statement") that
includes a proxy statement of Merida, a prospectus of Merida and a
consent solicitation statement of Leafly. The Registration
Statement was declared effective by the SEC on December 20, 2021.
The proxy statement/prospectus/consent solicitation statement was
mailed to all Merida stockholders as of December 28, 2021 and
Leafly shareholders as of December 20, 2021 for voting on the
proposed business combination and the other matters to be voted
upon at a meeting of Merida's stockholders to be held to approve
the proposed business combination (the "Special Meeting"). Merida may also file other
documents regarding the proposed business combination with the SEC.
The definitive proxy statement/prospectus/consent solicitation
statement contains important information about the proposed
business combination and the other matters to be voted upon at the
Special Meeting and is not intended to provide the basis for any
investment decision or any other decision in respect of such
matters. Before making any voting decision, investors and security
holders of the Merida and Leafly are urged to read the Registration
Statement, the proxy statement/prospectus/consent solicitation
statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be
filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed business
combination as they become available because they do and will
contain important information about the proposed business
combination and related matters.
Investors and security holders can obtain free copies of the
proxy statement/prospectus/consent solicitation statement and all
other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC
by Merida through the website maintained by the SEC at
www.sec.gov.
Participants in Solicitation
Merida and Leafly and their respective directors and officers
may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies
from Merida's stockholders in connection with the proposed business
combination. Information about Merida's directors and executive
officers and their ownership of Merida's securities is set forth in
Merida's filings with the SEC. Additional information regarding the
interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed
participants in the proposed business combination may be obtained
by reading the proxy statement/prospectus/consent solicitation
statement regarding the proposed business combination. You may
obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding
paragraph.
No Offer or Solicitation
This document relates to a proposed business combination between
Merida and Leafly. This document does not constitute an offer to
sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or
exchange, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities
in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220104005904/en/
Media Laura Morarity laura.morarity@leafly.com
206-489-8427
Molly Morse / Nick Capuano Molly.Morse@kekstcnc.com /
Nicholas.Capuano@kekstcnc.com 917-603-4142 / 917-842-7859
Investors Chris Hollenbeck IR@leafly.com
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