ApideckTape
← Embedded Finance Index 2026

Metropolis

“Can a computer-vision parking operator become the identity and payments layer for the entire physical world?”

Founded2017
HQSanta Monica, California, USA
Total raised~$3.5B (debt + equity)
Latest roundSeries D, 2025
Valuation~$5B (2025)
IndustryVertical SaaS / Parking & Mobility
The story

Founded 2017 as a computer-vision parking startup, Metropolis productized checkout-free 'drive-in, drive-out' parking beginning in 2018. The 2022 acquisition of Premier Parking and the transformative 2024 acquisition of SP Plus Corporation made it the largest parking operator in the U.S. In 2024–2025 the company pivoted its narrative from 'parking operator' to 'the Recognition Economy' — expanding the Metropolis Recognition Platform (MRP) beyond parking into hospitality (BLNQ), aviation, and enterprise security services, using facial recognition, LPR and behavioral analytics to identify people and vehicles across physical spaces.

Last 12 months
2025-11
2026
2026
Product timeline
2017
Founded to build a computer vision platform for provisioning access to authorized vehicles· founding
2018
Launched first location — a commercial garage in Venice, CA· launch
2021
$41M Series A; expanded to New York, San Francisco, Nashville, Austin and Seattle· funding
2022
$167M Series B and acquired Premier Parking (500+ locations)· acquisition
2024
Raised $1.8B and acquired SP Plus Corporation for $1.5B — largest venture-backed M&A of the year· acquisition
2024
Acquired Oosto (AI vision) for $125M· acquisition
2025
$1.6B financing (Series D + JPMorgan term loan) at ~$5B valuation to accelerate the 'Recognition Economy'· funding
2026
Named TIME100 Most Influential Company; launched BLNQ hospitality recognition and MRP Security Services· product
Acquisitions
SP Plus Corporation2024
$1.5B acquisition of the publicly-traded parking operator — largest venture-backed M&A of the year, making Metropolis the largest US parking operator
Oosto2024
$125M acquisition of the AI vision / facial recognition startup, powering the Metropolis Recognition Platform
Premier Parking2022
Parking operator with 500+ locations — paired Metropolis's product with an industry-leading operator
The stack
0 layers disclosed in Metropolis’s embedded-finance stack
Accounting gap: none

Metropolis — frequently asked

Where is Metropolis headquartered?

Metropolis is founded in 2017 and headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA.

How much funding has Metropolis raised?

Metropolis has raised ~$3.5B (debt + equity) in total (latest round: Series D, 2025; valuation: ~$5B (2025)).

What companies has Metropolis acquired?

Metropolis's acquisitions include SP Plus Corporation (2024), Oosto (2024) and Premier Parking (2022).

Benchmark your own stack

Request an embedded finance strategy assessment

Get a read on where your own stack stands against Metropolis and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.

  • Your category, mappedHow your stack compares to Metropolis and the other companies in its category.
  • Build vs. buyWhere a provider relationship would close a gap faster than building it.
  • A named analyst, not a form replyA short call to scope what's actually worth assessing for you.

No newsletter, no sharing your address. We use this to reach out about the assessment and nothing else.