EXCLUSIVE: Benson Hill CEO Talks Company Advantages, Plant-Based Revolution On 'SPACs Attack'

Ag-tech company Benson Hill is set to go public via special purpose acquisition company Star Peak Corp II STPC in a $1.35 billion deal. 

Benson Hill is a food technology company focused on crop innovations that help produce better food ingredients, Matt Crisp, director and CEO of Benson Hill, said Wednesday in an exclusive interview on Benzinga's YouTube show "SPACs Attack."

The company uses data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, genomic prediction models, and plant and food science to determine how it can breed for better crops, Crisp said. 

Through its process, Benson Hill is able to produce crops that taste better and are more sustainable and nutritious, he said. 

Plant-Based Revolution: Benson Hill has become one of the food technology leaders in the plant-based revolution. 

The company aims to supply all of the different plant-based brands with ingredients more sustainable and affordable and are better than the alternative options, Crisp said. 

"We see that there is this opportunity to supply this entire movement."

SPAC Notes: Benson Hill decided to go public via SPAC because of the partnership opportunity with Star Peak Corp II and the valuation and timeline clarity the SPAC route offered, Crisp said. 

The merger is expected to close in the third quarter. Pending shareholder approval, the combined company will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol "BHIL."

The Benson Hill CEO went on to talk about CropOS, the company's partnership network and other topics.

See the full "SPACs Attack" interview here:

STPC Price Action: Star Peak Corp II has traded as high as $12.25 and as low as $9.70 over a 52-week period.

The stock was up 0.10% at $9.98 Wednesday afternoon.