Crown PropTech Acquisitions appointed Mr. Gavin Cuneo as new CEO

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. 


On January 17, 2023, Richard Chera informed Crown PropTech Acquisitions (the "Company") of his decision to resign as Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") of the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Chera also served as the Company's principal financial and accounting officer, and resigned from such positions as well. Mr. Chera's resignation was voluntary and not the result of any disagreement with the operations, policies or practices of the Company. Mr. Chera shall continue to serve as a director of the Company.


On January 17, 2023, the board of directors of the Company appointed Mr. Gavin Cuneo and Mr. Michael Minnick as co-CEOs of the Company, effective immediately.


Gavin M. Cuneo, 46, has been the Co-Chief Executive Officer of CIIG Capital Partners II, Inc. and a member of its board of directors since September 2021. In addition, from 2010 to present, Mr. Cuneo has been a partner of Cuneo & Company, a private venture investment company focused on early stage media, technology and consumer growth businesses. From 2019 until March 2021, he was Chief Operating Officer and director of CIIC. Mr. Cuneo has served and currently serves on the board of a number of private companies. From 2011 to 2018, Mr. Cuneo was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Valiant Entertainment LLC. Cuneo & Company initially capitalized the dormant comic book publisher to relaunch the business as an IP-centric multimedia company. Under this new management, Valiant grew into one of the leading print and digital publishers in comics, established a marquee licensing businesses and built a film and television division including a multi-picture partnership with Sony Pictures. Valiant was sold to DMG Entertainment in 2018. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Cuneo was an investment banker in the consumer industry coverage group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and its predecessor Merrill Lynch & Co. where he executed debt and equity financings and advised on mergers and acquisitions for leading companies in the consumer and retail industries. From 1998 to 2004, Mr. Cuneo held a number of positions at U.S. Trust Company (later acquired by Bank of America), including as an Assistant Vice President in Equity Research, functioning as an equity analyst and associate portfolio manager, and as an Assistant Vice President of corporate strategy. Mr. Cuneo holds an M.B.A. from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Business from Lafayette College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.


Michael Minnick, 56, has been the Co-Chief Executive Officer of CIIG Capital Partners II, Inc. and a member of its board of directors since September 2021, and is a Co-Founder and has been a Managing Partner at IIG Holdings since 2014. Mr. Minnick has also served as a Director, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Opus Music Group Investments, LLC since December 2021. From 2019 until March 2021, he was Chief Investment Officer and director of CIIC. Prior to forming IIG Holdings, he was a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Interlink Investment Group, from 2012 to 2014 Mr. Minnick has experience in more than $190 billion in transaction volume, including advisory and debt and equity capital executions at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE:RBS), or RBS. Mr. Minnick served in various capacities at RBS, from 2004 to 2011, culminating in his service as a Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance in the Telecom, Media & Technology Group. From 2003 to 2004, Mr. Minnick was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Traffic Networks, a startup that developed mobile and online real-time traffic information for the New York Metropolitan markets. From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Minnick served in different positions within Investment Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co. including the Telecom, Media & Technology Group and the Global Syndicated Finance Group. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mr. Minnick was an Associate at The Bank of Nova Scotia in the Corporate Finance and Syndications division from 1994 to 1996. Mr. Minnick began his career at AT&T (NYSE:T) where he served in several analyst capacities from 1989 to 1992, including as a Financial Analyst in the Market Analysis & Forecasting Division for Business Communications Services within the Chief Financial Officer division. From 2012 to 2019, he served as a Director of Paystar Inc., a privately-held FinTech company. Mr. Minnick received a M.B.A. from Cornell University and a B.A. from The University of St. Thomas.


Additionally, in connection with this appointment, each of Mr. Cuneo and Mr. Minnick entered into an Indemnity Agreement and a Letter Agreement with the Company on the same terms as the Indemnity Agreements and Letter Agreements entered into by the directors and officers of the Company at the time of the Company's initial public offering. In addition, CIIG (as defined below), entered into the Letter Agreement. A copy of the Letter Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1. CIIG also entered into that certain joinder agreement to the Registration Rights Agreement as described in further detail below.


Other than the foregoing, each of Mr. Cuneo and Mr. Minnick is not party to any arrangement or understanding with any person pursuant to which he was appointed as a co-CEO of the Company, nor is either party to any transactions required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K involving the Company.