Innoviz Technologies Ltd., an Israeli startup focused on lidar, laser sensors used in autonomous vehicles, is in talks to go public through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Collective Growth Corp., according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Collective Growth is seeking to raise $100 million to $350 million in new equity to support a transaction that’s set to value the combined entity at $1 billion or more, said the people, who requested anonymity because the discussions aren’t public. Terms could change as a deal isn’t finalized, and it’s possible talks could fall apart, one of the people said.
Collective Growth of Austin, Texas, is led by CEO Bruce Linton, who is known for co-founding Canopy Growth Corp., a cannabis producer. Collective Growth raised $150 million in April and said at the time it would focus on target businesses in any industry or geography.
Innoviz’s investors include Samsung Electronics Co., SoftBank Ventures Asia and Phoenix Insurance Co., among others, its website shows.
A Collective Growth representative declined to comment and an Innoviz representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A SPAC merger has become an increasingly popular method for closely held companies to raise growth capital. Velodyne Lidar Inc. and Luminar Technologies Inc., another lidar company, recently went public through mergers with Graf Industrial Inc. and Gores Metropoulos, respectively. Aeva, a lidar startup, last month agreed to merge with Interprivate Acquisition Corp.
