The SPAC Podcast: Special Purpose Acquisition Company
🎙️ Welcome to The SPAC Podcast — your front-row seat to the dynamic world of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies.
Hosted by Michael Blankenship, a leading capital markets attorney and partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, and Joshua Wilson, executive producer and capital markets advisor, The SPAC Podcast brings you candid conversations, insider insights, and sharp analysis from the people shaping the future of the SPAC market.
Whether you’re a sponsor, investor, founder, attorney, banker, or just curious about the mechanics and momentum behind SPACs — this show is your go-to source for education, strategy, and real-world stories from the dealmakers behind the deals.
🚀 What You’ll Hear
In each episode, we’ll unpack:
- The structure, lifecycle, and mechanics of SPACs — from IPO to de-SPAC
- Legal and regulatory insights that matter to sponsors and targets
- Interviews with founders, investors, and advisors who’ve navigated successful transactions
- Trends and forecasts from the front lines of capital markets
- Lessons learned, deal strategies, and ways to leverage SPACs as a growth vehicle
We’re not just watching the SPAC market — we’re talking to the people building it.
🎧 Meet Your Hosts
Michael Blankenship is the Office Managing Partner of Winston & Strawn LLP (Houston) and Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets practice. He has represented over 100 public companies, private equity firms, and SPACs in IPOs, M&A, de-SPACs, and securities offerings. Known for his clarity, legal acumen, and deal fluency, Michael brings unmatched insight into the regulatory, transactional, and strategic forces shaping the SPAC space.
Joshua Wilson is experienced in investment banking and the founder of multiple media brands, including The Investor Relations Podcast. With over 2,000 interviews under his belt and deep experience in real estate, private capital, and investor engagement, Josh brings a fresh voice and strategic lens to every conversation — helping connect deals with the stories and people behind them.
Together, they bridge law, finance, and media — guiding listeners through the world of SPACs with clarity, credibility, and curiosity.
🌎 Who This Show is For
- SPAC Sponsors & CEOs
- Institutional and Private Investors
- Investment Bankers & Corporate Attorneys
- Venture-backed Founders and Startups
- Private Equity & Family Offices
- Finance Professionals and Capital Markets Enthusiasts
đź”” Subscribe, Follow, and Join the Conversation
This isn’t just a show — it’s a platform for education, connection, and business development in the SPAC ecosystem. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes drop weekly.
Follow us on LinkedIn and share the show with colleagues, clients, and fellow capital markets pros.
The SPAC Podcast
Where sponsors meet stories, markets meet momentum, and strategy meets execution.
Episodes
185 episodes
Going Public to Buy Main Street: Teamshares SPAC Merger— Michael Brown
What if going public meant buying Main Street — 92 small businesses at a time?Michael Blankenship sits down with Michael Brown, Co-Founder & CEO of Teamshares — a programmatic acquirer of $0.5M–$5M EBITDA businesses heading to NASDA...
The Fairness Opinion Process SPAC Sponsors Should Know — Michael Moscarelli
Most SPAC sponsors don't realize a fairness opinion isn't just a checkbox — it's the line of defense between you and the entire fairness standard if your deal lands in litigation.Michael Moscarelli, Vice President in Houlihan Capital's ...
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After 130 SPACs and 140 DESPACs Here's What I've Learned with Brandon Sun
After 130 SPAC IPOs and 140 de-SPACs — the most of any banker he knows of — Brandon Sun shares what 13 years at the center of the blank check market actually teaches you.In this episode, Michael Blankenship sits down with Brandon Sun, H...
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The Due Diligence Step Most First-Time SPAC Sponsors Get Wrong — James Tunkey
Most first-time SPAC sponsors underestimate what a background check actually uncovers — and what it costs them when something surfaces after the S-1 is filed.James Tunkey is a background check and fraud investigation specialist with deep...
Family Office vs Hedge Fund Money: What SPAC Sponsors Need to Know — Steve Kann
Not all PIPE capital is created equal — and the wrong money can destroy a de-SPAC before it ever has a chance to perform.Steve Kann has spent 30 years in small cap investment banking — founding companies, running funds, and advising on c...
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What SPAC Investors Are Actually Looking for Right Now — Christine McNerney
Every SPAC sponsor thinks their pitch stands out. Christine McNerney has seen them all — and most don't.Christine McNerney, Associate Portfolio Manager at Periscope Capital, has been with the firm since 2012 and focused on SPACs since 20...
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What Most Sponsors Get Wrong Before They Ever Find a Target — Bob Brown & Ari Brown
ClearThink Capital structured their SPAC IPO with closing fees under $2 million — at a time when most sponsors are paying $10 to $15 million. Bob Brown helped write the SEC rules that govern SPACs back in 1991. Here's what he and Ari built diff...
SPAC Valuation: Why Getting It “Right” Is More Art Than Formula
Valuation is one of the most critical and misunderstood aspects of any SPAC transaction.In this clip, Michael Blankenship and
SPAC Updates: Market Activity, Target Supply, and Investor Leverage in 2026
Welcome to another episode of SPAC Updates, a recurring series on the SPAC Podcast where we break down the latest activity shaping the SPAC market.In this episode, hosts Josh Wilso...
Why Founders Should Consider a SPAC Instead of a Traditional IPO | Peter Wright
Going public is one of the most important decisions a founder can make. But choosing the right path to the public markets is just as critical as the decision itself.In this interview, host
The Next Big Market Shift in SPAC Targets
One of the biggest emerging sectors in SPAC markets today? Data centers.In this clip; Michael J. Blankenship and Del...
What Is the Ideal SPAC Target?
What makes a company the ideal SPAC target today?According to venture investor Delon Turner, the answer is increasingly tied to technology.In this clip, Delon talk...
The SPAC Market Today vs 2021
The SPAC market of 2026 looks very different than the SPAC boom of 2021.In this clip, Delon Turner explains how the market has evolved since the SPAC surge several years ag...
Guest Spotlight: Delon Turner
“I’m an ex-athlete who played 11 years in Europe and a former Wall Street banker. Today I run a venture capital firm investing across FinTech, AI, and software.”On this episode, Mike...
Why Public Conglomerates Are Outperforming Private Equity
In this clip, Roland Austrup discusses research from an upcoming white paper comparing modern public operating conglomerates to private equity performance. Companies like Danaher...
Roland Shares Why Public Markets Must Keep Up.
Roland explains why capital markets will play a critical role in supporting this next generation of transformative companies. He also discusses how SPACs can provide a more efficient pathway for high-growth businesses to access public capital c...
SPAC 2.0: Why the Next Wave of Public Companies Will Be Built Through SPACs
Roland Austrup, Chief Growth Officer at Inventure Inc., joins The SPAC Podcast to discuss how SPACs have evolved into a more disciplined and efficient path for companies...
Why choose a SPAC over a traditional IPO?
Ranjeet Sundher explains why Tactical Resources selected the SPAC path to go public in the U.S. With MP Materials serving as a successful template for rare earth production via DESPAC, Tactical aims to become the second producing rare earth com...
Why Vertical Integration in West Texas Is a Strategic Advantage
Ranjeet Sundher explains how vertical integration in West Texas reduces operational risk and strengthens domestic production. From direct leach processing onsite to producing m...
Rare Earths: The Invisible Backbone of Technology and U.S. National Security
Rare earths aren’t abstract commodities. They power daily life and national defense.In this clip, Ranjeet Sundher explains how rare earth magnets sit behind nearly every electronic device from smartphones and laptops to AI chips and adva...
Why does being a direct leach rare earth project matter?
In this clip, Ranjeet Sundher explains why Tactical Resources’ hard rock, direct-leach mineralization is such a rare technical advantage. By bypassing multiple expensive and en...
Why Consistent Mineralization Is a Game Changer for Rare Earth Mining
Ranjeet Sundher explains why uniform mineralization at the Peak Project is a major technical advantage.Processing facilities are engineered for specific grades and produ...
Guest Spotlight: Ranjeet Sundher
Ranjeet Sundher, CEO of Tactical Resources, explains what makes the Peak Project fundamentally different...
Why Nuclear’s Supply Chain Is the Real Opportunity
Chris Sorrells shares the through-line connecting NuScale and Eagle Energy Metals. From his early exposure to nuclear markets in 1998 to helping build nuclear simulation platform...
The Real Bottleneck in the U.S. Rare Earth Supply Chain
Why is feedstock the true bottleneck in the U.S. rare earth supply chain?In this clip, Kanishka Roy breaks down the “mine to magnet” ecosystem and explains why magnet manufacturing is expanding faster than rare earth production. The real...
