Kevin Shannon
About Kevin Shannon
Kevin Shannon is Chief Operating Officer of BACQ (formerly Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. I; now Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. IV) since July 10, 2025, following prior roles across the Inflection Point SPAC franchise and in capital markets and investing. He holds a B.A. from Colgate University and previously served as COO of Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. III, Chief of Staff at IPXX and IPAX, Senior Analyst at Kingstown Capital, and began his career in Equity Capital Markets at Bank of America . Shannon is affiliated with Inflection Point Fund I LP, a member of the Company’s Sponsor, and signed a joinder to the October 31, 2024 letter agreement to waive certain redemption rights and vote in favor of the initial business combination . BACQ adopted an executive compensation clawback policy on October 16, 2024 compliant with SEC Rule 10D-1 and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5608 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. III | Chief Operating Officer | Since Nov 2024 | Operations leadership of SPAC sponsor franchise |
| IPXX | Chief of Staff | Mar 2023–Mar 2025 | Led target search, negotiation, due diligence workstreams |
| IPAX | Chief of Staff | Mar 2021–Feb 2023 | Supported SPAC target diligence and negotiations |
| Kingstown Capital | Senior Analyst | Mar 2021–Mar 2023 | Public/private equity research and investing |
| Bank of America (ECM) | Analyst (Technology, Industrials, Equity-Linked, SPAC teams) | Early career | Capital markets execution across sectors |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR) | Capital Markets Advisor | Current |
| USA Rare Earth, Inc. (Nasdaq: USAR) | Special Advisor | Current |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Status/Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Not disclosed; SPAC stated no cash compensation to executive officers or directors pre-business combination | |
| Target bonus % | Not disclosed | |
| Actual bonus paid | Not disclosed | |
| Perquisites | Compensation committee charter allows review/approval of special perquisites; none disclosed specific to Shannon | |
| Consulting arrangements | Company entered consulting agreement with MJP Advisory Group LLC (monthly $16,000; $60,000 retainer upon signing definitive agreement); Shannon signed on behalf of the Company |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incentive-based awards | Not disclosed for Shannon; company adopted mandatory clawback for incentive-based compensation tied to financial reporting measures | — | — | — | — |
- Executive Compensation Clawback Policy adopted Oct 16, 2024 covers current/former executive officers for three completed fiscal-year lookback in event of accounting restatement, regardless of misconduct .
- No RSUs/PSUs/options disclosed for Shannon at BACQ as of latest filings .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Date (Oldest→Newest) | Shares Beneficially Owned | Instrument details | Ownership form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2025 (Form 3) | None | Form 3 initial statement | — | “No securities are beneficially owned.” Signed /s/ Kevin George Shannon |
| Sep 15, 2025 Record Date (DEF 14A) | Not listed with beneficial ownership; sponsor controlled 8,333,333 Class B and 425,000 Class A shares | Beneficial ownership table | — | Shannon not shown as a holder; Sponsor and co-founders listed |
- Affiliation: Shannon is an affiliate of Inflection Point Fund I LP, which is a member of the Company’s Sponsor .
- Pledging/hedging: No disclosure of Shannon pledging or hedging BACQ stock .
- Ownership guidelines: No specific executive ownership guidelines disclosed; insider trading policy adopted Oct 16, 2024 .
Employment Terms
| Term | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment date | Appointed COO effective July 10, 2025 | |
| Letter agreement joinder | Signed joinder to Oct 31, 2024 letter agreement; waives certain redemption rights and agrees to vote any ordinary shares held in favor of initial business combination | |
| Indemnification | Entered standard indemnity agreement form previously filed Nov 5, 2024 | |
| Employment agreement | No executive employment agreement terms disclosed (salary/bonus/severance not specified) | |
| Non-compete / Non-solicit | Not disclosed | — |
| Change-of-control | Compensation committee charter empowers committee to set policy on parachute payments; no Shannon-specific terms disclosed | |
| Garden leave / consulting post-termination | Not disclosed | — |
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Composition: Compensation committee comprised of independent directors (Samuels and Theysset), chaired by Theysset; charter covers CEO compensation, officer plans, incentive/equity plan administration, perquisites, and change-of-control policy oversight .
- Powers: May retain independent compensation consultants and counsel; responsible for adviser oversight and independence assessment .
Related Party and Governance
- Consulting Agreement: Company engaged MJP Advisory Group LLC (Marcello J. Padula as sole member) for SPAC advisory services (monthly $16,000; $60,000 retainer upon definitive agreement); Shannon signed for BACQ as COO .
- Proxy Role: Shannon named as proxy together with Andrew Gundlach for extraordinary general meeting related to name change and governance matters in 2025 .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Shannon personally reported no beneficial ownership in BACQ as of his Form 3 and is not listed with beneficial ownership in the 2025 proxy; alignment operates primarily through his affiliation with Inflection Point Fund I LP (a Sponsor member) and contractual commitment to support the business combination via letter agreement joinder . This suggests sponsor-linked economics rather than direct share ownership alignment.
- Selling pressure: With “no securities beneficially owned” reported and no equity grants disclosed, near-term insider selling pressure from Shannon is low; monitor for any future equity grants or acquisitions disclosed in Forms 3/4/5 post-merger .
- Compensation risk: SPAC disclosures indicate no cash comp pre-business combination and no Shannon-specific incentive awards; the presence of a robust clawback policy reduces pay-for-performance misalignment risk upon de-SPAC if incentive comp is later introduced .
- Governance watch items: The consulting agreement with an entity led by the former CFO (Padula) and signed by Shannon is a governance point to track for independence and related party treatment in future filings; also watch upcoming business combination documentation for employment agreements, equity grants, severance/change-of-control terms for Shannon .
- Execution risk: Shannon’s track record in SPAC target search/diligence and capital markets advisory roles suggests competence in de-SPAC execution; ultimate investor outcomes will hinge on the Merlin Labs combination terms and post-merger performance disclosures not yet finalized in these filings .
Monitoring plan: Track future 8-K Item 5.02 filings for any employment or compensatory arrangements; DEF 14A post-merger for executive comp tables; Forms 3/4 for ownership changes; and business combination proxy/prospectus for sponsor economics and executive employment terms .