Here’s Which VC-Backed Companies Are Going Public Via SPAC This Year (So Far)

Going public through a special purpose acquisition company is officially mainstream. Special purpose acquisition companies, once looked down upon by Wall Street-types as a less respectable way to go public, have been forming and going public at an unprecedented pace this year.

According to SPAC Insider, 276 SPACs have had an initial public offering so far this year, raising nearly $90 billion in gross proceeds. While last year was considered a record year for SPACs, this year has already shattered that record less than three months in. 

And in the past year, the companies going public are no longer the under-the-radar types. Well-capitalized companies with brand name recognition, like genetic testing company 23AndMe and online real estate buying platform Opendoor, are among the companies who have gone public or announced their intent to go public through a SPAC.

Here at Crunchbase News, we keep a running list of the companies that have gone public this year. In the past, it’s mostly been comprised of IPOs, though there have been direct listings here and there. This year, we began keeping track of SPACs that completed their mergers and began trading.

With SPACs forming and going public every day, it seemed wise to keep track of the companies that had announced they agreed to go public via SPAC as well. The announced SPAC targets, if you will. So, we scoured news reports and press releases and compiled a list of the venture-backed companies that have announced they will be merging with a SPAC. Companies that have been reported to be in talks to go public via SPAC aren’t included in the list, and it will be updated weekly.

SoFi

Date Announced: Jan. 7, 2021

Acquirer: Social Capital Hedosophia Corp. V

Valuation: $8.65 billion, per CNBC

Some Investors: Third Point VenturesSoftBank

Achronix Semiconductor

Date Announced: Jan. 9, 2021

Acquirer: Ace Convergence Acquisition

Valuation: $2 billion, per Bloomberg

Some Investors: Battery Ventures, New Science Ventures

Bakkt

Date Announced: Jan. 11, 2021

Acquirer: VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings

Valuation: $2.1 billion

Some Investors: Goldfinch PartnersM12

Proterra

Date Announced: Jan. 12, 2021

Acquirer: ArcLight Clean Transition Corp.

Valuation: $1.6 billion 

Some Investors: Tao Capital PartnersDaimler

Talkspace

Date Announced: Jan. 13, 2021

Acquirer: Hudson Executive Investment Corp.

Valuation: $1.4 billion

Some Investors: Spark CapitalNorwest Venture Partners

LiveVox

Date Announced: Jan. 14, 2021

Acquirer: Crescent Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $840 million

Some Investors: Lunsford CapitalR&D Bauer Ventures

EVGo

Date Announced: Jan. 22, 2021

Acquirer: Climate Change Crisis Real Impact I Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $2.6 billion 

Some Investors: Vision Ridge Capital Partners

Latch

Date Announced: Jan. 25, 2021

Acquirer: TS Innovations Acquisitions Corp.

Valuation: $1.56 billion

Some Investors: Lux CapitalRRE Ventures

Taboola

Date Announced: Jan. 25, 2021 

Acquirer: ION Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $2.6 billion

Some Investors: Evergreen Venture PartnersPitango Venture Capital

Nerdy

Date Announced: Jan. 29, 2021

Acquirer: TPG Pace Tech Opportunities

Valuation: $1.7 billion

Some Investors: TCVLearn Capital

Playstudios

Date Announced: Feb. 1, 2021

Acquirer: Acies Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $1.1 billion

Some Investors: Jafco Ventures

Otonomo

Date Announced: Feb. 1, 2021

Acquirer: Software Acquisition Group Inc. II

Valuation: $1.4 billion

Some Investors: Bessemer Venture PartnersSK Holdings

Microvast

Date Announced: Feb. 1, 2021

Acquirer: Tuscan Holdings Corp.

Valuation: $3 billion 

Some Investors: IFC Venture Capital GroupCITIC Securities

Wheels Up

Date Announced: Feb. 1, 2021

Acquirer: Aspirational Consumer Lifestyle Corp.

Valuation: $2.1 billion

Some Investors: Blue Ivy VenturesAlpaca VC

Astra

Date Announced: Feb. 2, 2021

Acquirer: Holicity Inc.

Valuation: $2.1 billion

Some Investors:  ACME CapitalAirbus Ventures

Payoneer

Date Announced: Feb. 3, 2021

Acquirer: FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $3.3 billion

Some Investors: TCVViola Ventures

Vintage Wine Estates

Date Announced: Feb. 4, 2021

Acquirer: Bespoke Capital Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $690 million

Some Investors: AGR Partners

23AndMe

Date Announced: Feb. 4, 2021

Acquirer: VG Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $3.5 billion 

Some Investors: Sequoia Capital, NextView Capital

Hyzon Motors

Date Announced: Feb. 9, 2021

Acquirer: Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation

Valuation: $2.1 billion

Some Investors: Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures

Matterport

Date Announced: Feb. 11, 2021

Acquirer: Gores Holdings VI

Valuation: $2.9 billion

Some Investors: DCM VenturesLux Capital

Rover

Date Announced: Feb. 11, 2021

Acquirer: Nebula Caravel Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $1.35 billion

Some Investors: Menlo VenturesSpark Capital

Sharecare

Date Announced: Feb. 12, 2021

Acquirer: Falcon Capital Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $3.9 billion

Some Investors: Heritage GroupAflac Corporate Ventures

Owlet Baby Care

Date Announced:  Feb. 16, 2021

Acquirer: Sandbridge Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $1 billion

Some Investors: Eclipse VenturesFormation 8

AEye

Date Announced: Feb. 17, 2021

Acquirer: CF Finance Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $2 billion 

Some Investors: BootstrapLabsTaiwania Capital

Xos

Date Announced: Feb. 22, 2021

Acquirer: NextGen Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $2 billion

Some Investors: Build Capital GroupProeza Ventures 

Lucid Motors

Date Announced: Feb. 22, 2021

Acquirer: Churchill Capital Corp. IV

Valuation: $11.75 billion

Some Investors: VenrockSaudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund

Berkshire Grey

Date Announced: Feb. 24, 2021

Acquirer: Revolution Acceleration Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $2.7 billion

Some Investors: Khosla VenturesSoftBank

Joby Aviation

Date Announced: Feb. 24, 2021

Acquirer: Reinvent Technology Partners

Valuation: $6.6 billion

Some Investors: Intel CapitalCapricorn Investment Group

Rocket Lab

Date Announced: March 1, 2021

Acquirer: Vector Acquisition Corporation

Valuation: $4.1 billion

Some Investors: Khosla VenturesDCVC

QOMPLX

Date Announced: March 1, 2021

Acquirer: Tailwind Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $1.4 billion

Some Investors: Exponential PartnersMotive Partners

Doma

Date Announced: March 2, 2021

Acquirer: Capital Investment Corp. V

Valuation: $3 billion

Some Investors: Foundation CapitalGreenspring Associates 

Hippo Insurance

Date Announced: March 4, 2021

Acquirer: Reinvent Technology Partners Z

Valuation: $5 billion

Some Investors: Comcast VenturesFelicis Ventures

IonQ

Date Announced: March 8, 2021

Acquirer: dMY Technology Group Inc. III

Valuation: $2 billion

Some Investors: GVNew Enterprise Associates 

Evolv Technology

Date Announced: March 8, 2021

Acquirer: NewHold Investment Corp.

Valuation: $1.25 billion

Some Investors: Stanley VenturesLux Capital

Ambulnz (dba DocGo)

Date Announced: March 9, 2021

Acquirer: Motion Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $1.1 billion

Some Investors: N/A.

IronNet

Date Announced: March 15, 2021

Acquirer: LGL Systems Acquisition Corp.

Valuation: $1.2 billion

Some Investors: ForgePoint CapitalC5 Capital

Offerpad

Date Announced: March 18, 2021

Acquirer: Supernova Partners Acquisition Company

Valuation: $3 billion

Some Investors: LL Funds

Rockley Photonics

Date Announced: March 19, 2021

Acquirer: SC Health Corp.

Valuation: $1.2 billion

Some Investors: Kreos CapitalMorningside Venture Investments

Illustration: Dom Guzman

Source: Crunchbase News – Here’s Which VC-Backed Companies Are Going Public Via SPAC This Year (So Far)