Oct 5 (Reuters) – Parking know-how supplier Metropolis Technologies Inc on Thursday agreed to purchase SP Plus Corp (SP.O), which gives parking facility administration providers, for $1.5 billion, together with debt.

Shareholders of SP Plus will obtain $54 per share, representing a premium of 52.5% over the inventory’s closing value on Wednesday. The supply value values SP Plus at $1.06 billion.

Shares of SP Plus have been up 45% at $51.5 apiece in early afternoon buying and selling.

To finance the deal, Metropolis mentioned it had secured fairness and debt financing totaling $1.7 billion. The firm raised $1.05 billion in a Series C funding spherical by means of most well-liked inventory that was issued to traders, with the remaining quantity comprising debt financing.

In an interview, Metropolis co-founder and CEO Alex Israel mentioned the corporate’s deal to purchase SP Plus would assist it increase throughout North America, because the Chicago-based firm operates in over 360 markets and processes over $4 billion in funds yearly at present.

“SP Plus is one of the leading operators of parking facilities across the United States and it’s a partner of choice to many of the largest real estate owners. We saw this transaction as a transformational project – a paradigm in how technology companies can scale,” mentioned Israel.

Metropolis mentioned the financing commitments for the deal have been led by current traders Eldridge and 3L Capital, together with new traders together with funds related to BDT & MSD Partners, Vista Credit Partners, and Temasek. Other current traders, Slow Ventures and Assembly Ventures, additionally participated within the funding spherical.

The deal is predicted to shut in 2024, topic to regulatory approvals.

SP Plus, which can go personal after the deal is closed, gives parking administration, fee providers, facility upkeep and occasion logistics options, amongst different providers.

Los Angeles-based Metropolis provides synthetic intelligence-powered pc imaginative and prescient know-how that’s deployed in parking tons, enabling clients to drive with out the necessity for a checkout.

Launched in 2017, the corporate is led by Israel, Travis Kell, Peter Fisher, and Courtney Fukuda. Israel is an entrepreneur who offered his earlier firm, ParkMe, to Inrix Inc, a supplier of real-time visitors data.

Prior to the most recent fundraise, Metropolis had raised $226 million from traders, in accordance with information from PitchBook.

Goldman Sachs and BDT & MSD Partners acted as monetary advisors to Metropolis, whereas Morgan Stanley suggested SP Plus.

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