SoftBank-backed SPAC to take Mapbox public in $2 billion deal: Report

Mapbox, a location data services provider, is in talks to go public through a merger with a blank-check firm backed by SoftBank Group Corp in a deal that could value the company at around $2 billion, according to a Sky News report on Friday.

The San Francisco-headquartered company is in talks with SVF Investment Corp 3 to take it public, the report said, citing a U.S. banking source.

Investment banks including Cantor Fitzgerald LP, Citigroup Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, JPMorgan Chase & Co and UBS AG could be involved in the deal, Sky said.


SoftBank has invested in Mapbox through its tech-focused Vision Fund, which led a $164 million funding round for the company in 2017.

Mapbox, whose website showed it has raised a total $226 million so far, was valued at $1.2 billion as of April 2020, according to data from PitchBook.

Founded in 2010, the company provides mapping services and a location cloud platform for developers. The company does not have an app but it has over 700 million monthly active users of its maps and is 100% carbon neutral, according to its website.

The company's customers include Facebook Inc, Snap Inc, IBM Corp, Lonely Planet, CNN and Instacart.

SoftBank did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Mapbox could not be reached.