Vendome Acquisition Corp I

Vendome Acquisition Corp I

Vendome Acquisition Corp I was formed in 2021 as a special purpose acquisition company targeting a European branded consumer company. Philippe Haspeslagh, the former Dean of the Vlerick Business School and an authority on corporate strategy, chaired the vehicle. The firm filed its S-1 in June 2021, pricing a $200 million initial public offering on the Nasdaq under the symbol VDMAU later that month. The SPAC's stated strategy centered on acquiring a European brand or retail business in the premium consumer category — a focused mandate that limited the target universe. The vehicle raised $200 million, at the standard $10 per unit, with the sponsor, Vendome Global Sponsor LLC, purchasing warrants and committing risk capital. The trust was structured to allow up to 24 months to find a target, though redemptions, a cooling IPO market for de-SPAC transactions, and rising interest rates narrowed the path to a successful merger. Haspeslagh's academic and advisory background — he authored widely on post-merger integration and corporate value creation — brought a distinct governance angle to the vehicle. No target was publicly announced during its search window. In June 2023, the firm filed to liquidate, returning trust proceeds to shareholders and writing off the sponsor's at-risk capital. The liquidation placed it among the growing cohort of 2021-vintage SPACs that never landed a deal. Structurally, Vendome Acquisition Corp I was a pure-play SPAC with no operating history or balance-sheet risk beyond its trust. It did not deploy capital into portfolio companies, close a merger, or generate operating momentum — and ceased to exist as a going concern upon dissolution in 2023.