- CEO
- Jonathan Jospeh Ledecky
- Sector
- Financial Services
- Industry
- Shell Companies
- Address
- The Chrysler Building New York City NY United States of America 10174
- IPO Date
- Feb 11, 2021
- Business
- Northern Star Investment Corp. II (NYSE: NSTB) operates as a blank check company, or special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), whose sole purpose is to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, with a strategic focus on high-growth sectors including direct-to-consumer e-commerce, beauty and wellness, food and beverage, fashion and apparel, and home goods; it provides a merger vehicle that facilitates public listing for private companies, offers capital infusion from its initial public offering proceeds, and delivers experienced management support during the transition to public markets. Incorporated in 2020 as a Delaware corporation and headquartered in New York, New York, the company functions as a subsidiary of Northern Star II Sponsor LLC and previously traded on the New York Stock Exchange before transferring to the NYSE American in early 2023 amid extensions of its business combination deadline and related common stock redemptions. Its core offerings center on holding IPO-raised capital in trust—approximately $400 million from its January 2021 initial public offering—to fund targeted acquisitions, while earning interest income on trust assets until deployment or liquidation.
The SPAC, led by Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Joanna Coles and President and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Ledecky, initially pursued a business combination with Apex Clearing Holdings LLC (later Apex Fintech Solutions), announcing a definitive merger agreement in February 2021 that aimed to take the digital wealth management and fintech custodian public; this deal progressed through due diligence, shareholder approvals, and SEC reviews but ultimately terminated without completion. In recent major developments, Northern Star Investment Corp. II settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in early 2024 over regulatory matters, announced its determination to liquidate in line with its charter after failing to complete an initial business combination within the extended timeframe, and returned approximately $10.48 per public share to holders from its trust account, with the dissolution process finalized by early 2023, rendering the entity inactive as of the end of 2024. Prior to liquidation, it postponed a special stockholder meeting in 2021 due to ongoing SEC review of its Form S-4 registration statement and maintained periodic filings to preserve listing status during its search phase.