In this SPACInsider Podcast Replay, we go back to 2021, when we spoke with Chris Urmson, CEO and Chairman of autonomous truck technology firm Aurora (NASDAQ:AUR).
At the time, Aurora was working to close its $10 billion business combination with Reinvent Technology Y. Chris laid out how the company planned to approach the commercialization of its self-driving heavy truck business model and what challenges still laid ahead for it and other developers of autonomous technology.
Now, Aurora is preparing to debut its driverless trucks along the Dallas-to-Houston freight route later this month, with plans to extend on to El Paso and Phoenix, Arizona before year’s end.
Now that this debut is finally at hand, take a listen to what the road ahead for Aurora looked like four years ago and why it was kicking off that journey with a SPAC.
Give it a listen.
Terms Tracker for the Week Ending August 15, 2025 Welcome to our weekly column where we discuss the findings from our IPO terms tracker based on the previous week’s pricings. The SPAC market had a little bit of everything this week: two new SPAC IPOs priced, one combination announcement hit the tape, and eight new...
AI Infrastructure (NASDAQ:AIIAU) has filed for a $100 million IPO to be the latest crossover of a team from being a SPAC target to a SPAC sponsor. This SPAC offers investors one right to a 1/5 share in each unit and a potential first redemption opportunity at 18 months. The SPAC may automatically extend this...
At the SPAC of Dawn This week has been partially defined by market reactions to the core PPI inflation numbers that came out yesterday, but today’s session will receive fresh inputs on US retail, manufacturing and industrial production figures. SPACs also have to contend with public market reactions to new issuance that has not been...
Viking Acquisition Corp. I (NASDAQ:VACIU) has filed for a $200 million SPAC with strong terms led by international Deutsche Bank alumni. We are only halfway through the month of August, but teams have already filed S-1s for 12 new SPACs, matching July’s total. Cohen & Company has largely been the engine for this surge as...
Bleichroeder I (NASDAQ:BACQ) has entered into a definitive agreement to combine with defense contractor Merlin Labs at a pro forma enterprise value of $1 billion. Merlin is developing the technology for autonomously piloting aircraft in defense and civil applications. The combined company is expected to trade on the Nasdaq once the deal is completed in...