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Sard Verbinnen & Co. handles Luminar Technologies as the leader in light detection and ranging technology for self-driving cars merges with special purpose acquisition company Gores Metropoulos to go public with a listing on the NASDAQ.
The post-deal valuation is $3.4B.
Luminar founder/CEO Austin Russell has inked partnerships with seven of the top ten automakers. The company’s hardware and software will be part of Volvo Cars global platform in 2022.
Russell called the NASDAQ deal a pivotal milestone for his company and the larger auto sector.
He noted that when Luminar launched in 2012, it “took on a problem to which most thought there would be no technically or commercially viable solution.”
Based in Palo Alto, Luminar has 350 people working in Orlando, Colorado Springs, Detroit and Munich.
Sard Verbinnen’s John Christiansen and Cassandra Bujarski represent Luminar, while Sitrick And Company’s Tom Becker handles The Gores Group.
Teneo represents American Ocean Minerals Corp as its merges with NASDAQ-listed Odyssey Marine Exploration to create a $1B deep-sea critical minerals research and mining platform that is under US-control.
Kekst CNC represents Cleveland-based Everstream as the business-only fiber network receives bankruptcy court approval for the sale of almost all of its operations to Bluebird Fiber for $385M.
FTI Consulting handles media for McCormick as the 137-year-old flavors company combines with Unilever Foods in a deal valued at $45B.
Edelman Smithfield handles Sysco as the world's largest food-away-from-home distributor acquires Foxcroft Strategy Group client Jetro Restaurant Depot, which serves delis and mom & pop shops, in a deal valued at $29B.
FGS Global represents Brown-Forman Corp. as it confirms merger discussions with French liquor giant Pernod Ricard.
