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SPAC Hennessy Capital Investment VIII files for a $175 million IPO, targeting industrials

December 3, 2025
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Hennessy Capital Investment VIII, a blank check company formed by Hennessy Capital targeting industrial innovation and energy, filed on Wednesday with the SEC to raise up to $175 million in an initial public offering.

The company plans to raise $175 million by offering 17.5 million units at $10. Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one right to receive one-fifteenth of one share upon the completion of an initial business combination.

Hennessy Capital Investment VIII is led by CEO and Chairman Daniel Hennessy, who has led sponsor Hennessy Capital since founding the firm in 2013. He is joined by CFO Nicholas Geeza, the Head of Business Development at Hennessy Capital Growth Strategies. The SPAC plans to target businesses in the industrial innovation and energy transition sectors, focusing on those with an expected aggregate enterprise value of $500 million or greater.

Hennessy has sponsored several previous SPACs. The most recent include Hennessy Capital Investment VII (HVII; +3% from $10 offer price), which announced a merger agreement with gas and SMR power plant developer ONE Nuclear in October 2025; Hennessy Capital Investment VI which merged with gold miner Namib Minerals (NAMM; -87%) in June 2025; Hennessy Capital Investment V (HCIC), which liquidated after canceling plans to merge with self-driving truck tech developer Plus; and Hennessy Capital Acquisition IV, which completed its merger with EV developer Canoo (GOEV) in 2020 before it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January 2025.

The Zephyr Cove, NV-based company was founded in 2025 plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol HCICU. Barclays and Cohen & Company Securities are the joint bookrunners on the deal.