SPACInsider

S6E12 - AIR CEO Stuart Brazier on AIR’s $1.7B SPAC Deal and the Business of Hookah

Published: May 6, 2026

Duration: 28:49

This week, we speak with Stuart Brazier, CEO of Advanced Inhalation Rituals, or AIR, to discuss his company’s $1.7 billion combination with Cantor Equity Partners III (Nasdaq: CAEP).

SPACs often bring companies from emerging technology sectors into the public markets, but sometimes it is their role to list companies that have already established themselves, albeit in something of a niche. 

Stuart explains how the AIR’s profitable position in the high-margin hookah-shisha market gave it options on how to come public, and why it chose the SPAC route for that journey. How is this lifestyle brand...