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Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp
Matt Higgins' RSE-backed SPAC raised $300M in 2021 seeking a tech-forward consumer brand.
Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp
Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp was formed in 2021 by RSE Ventures co-founders Matt Higgins and Walter Faulhaber, filing for a $300 million SPAC IPO in February of that year. RSE itself is a private investment vehicle founded by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, with Higgins serving as its CEO. Faulhaber, a Goldman Sachs alum, structured the vehicle as a Cayman Islands-exempted blank-check company. The SPAC stated a mandate to identify a business in the consumer, technology, media, or digital health sectors — with a particular focus on high-growth brands exhibiting strong digital native DNA. Higgins, who publicly battled cancer and later advised Daymond John and Gary Vaynerchuk, publicly framed the search as a hunt for a disruptive company with an iconic consumer interface. The offering was underwritten by Credit Suisse, which held a greenshoe option for an additional $45 million in shares. Leadership was concentrated between Higgins as Chairman and Faulhaber as CEO and CFO. RSE's platform, known for incubating or investing in properties like Relevent Sports Group, the International Champions Cup, and anticipated early shifts in the ghost kitchen space, provided the sponsor relationship. The structure allowed for a two-year window to identify a target, after which the capital would be returned to public shareholders. Structurally, the firm's sponsor vehicle and its warrants aligned the economics of the founders with those of public market participants — a typical SPAC architecture but one reinforced by RSE's operational playbook. The entity never completed a merger, a path that placed it among the wave of SPACs that struggled to deploy as market conditions tightened through 2022 and 2023.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
2021
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Walter Faulhaber
CEO
Matt Higgins
Chairman
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp?
Matt Higgins, co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, served as Chairman of the SPAC. Walter Faulhaber, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker, acted as CEO and CFO. The two oversaw the target search and all investment decisions, leveraging RSE's broader operating network.
What type of business was Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp targeting?
The SPAC was formed to acquire a high-growth company in the consumer, technology, digital health, or fintech space, with a specific emphasis on businesses that leverage technology to disrupt traditional consumer-facing models.
How is Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp related to RSE Ventures?
Harvard Ave was sponsored by RSE Ventures, a private investment firm co-founded by Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins. RSE Ventures provided the operational backing, with Higgins serving simultaneously as Chairman of the SPAC and CEO of RSE.
Did Harvard Ave ever complete a business combination?
No. Harvard Ave Acquisition Corp never announced a definitive agreement to acquire a target. It was part of a large wave of SPACs that launched during the pandemic-era boom and ultimately failed to deploy their capital before their two-year deadline expired.
What was the scale of the SPAC's initial public offering?
The initial filing in February 2021 aimed to raise $300 million. Underwriters led by Credit Suisse were granted a 45-day option to purchase up to $45 million more in shares to cover over-allotments, but the vehicle did not ultimately deploy the capital.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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