Gil Ottensoser to Join BTIG as Head of SPAC Program
A press release today announced that BTIG has hired Gil Ottensoser, to lead their SPAC Banking and Capital Markets effort, signaling a major push into the Special Purpose Acquisition Company field by BTIG.
Gil has a long history with SPACs and is a well-known name within the SPAC banking community. The firm he founded back in 2002, Legend Merchant Group, was one of the more prolific SPAC underwriters, having lead, co-managed or participated in the selling group of over 80 SPACs during the 2003-2008 era. In fact, Legend could arguably be called one of the original firms that got the SPAC ball rolling. In 2007, Legend was bought by Deutsche Bank to increase their presence within the then-burgeoning SPAC sector and Gil became Head of SPAC Sales and Distribution, where he assisted in the origination of new SPAC issuances, overseeing $3 billion in SPAC transactions in the short time before the Financial Crisis.
This is a huge signal that BTIG wants entry into the SPAC game. Gil, being one of the “O.G.s”, brings a vast amount of SPAC knowledge and history and I’m excited to see what he brings to the table going forward.
You can be sure to see BTIG’s name a lot more in the SPAC space in the coming months.


At the SPAC of Dawn During a week in which rare earth mining and space de-SPACs have seen major gains, another blast from the past is making serious waves in the market. EV battery developer QuantumScape (NYSE:QS) rose to a 52-week high of $13.79 yesterday and is cruising even higher in the pre-market. The company...
Cantor Equity Partners I (NASDAQ:CEPO) has entered into a definitive agreement to combine with Bitcoin Standard Treasury in a transaction that is worth about $4.8 billion. Bitcoin Standard Treasury aims to bring in capital from a number of equity instruments to build up one of the largest US-listed Bitcoin treasuries. The combined company is expected...
At the SPAC of Dawn Several de-SPACs have made market-moving announcements recently and they haven’t forgotten to cash in on them. Fresh off of announcing $500 million strategic investment and partnership with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), rare earth miner MP Materials (NYSE:MP) has followed that up with a $500 million public offering, netting the company a cool...
Pyrophyte Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE:PAII.U) announced the pricing of its $175 million IPO and its units are expected to begin trading on the NYSE under the symbol “PAII.U”, Thursday, July 17, 2025. The new SPAC plans to focus its search on companies within the energy sector that constitute critical links in the supply chain of the...
At the SPAC of Dawn Rare earth miner MP Materials (NYSE:MP) was one of the early winners of the 2020 SPAC boom, having picked up momentum following its 2020 deal with Fortress Value. But, the company’s news that it will become a major supplier of battery materials for Apple’s empire of electronic devices has sent...