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Velodyne Lidar

LidarUSA
🤝 Acquired
Peak $1.8 BillionToday
~-90%
from peak
  1. 🦄
    Became a unicorn
    2020
  2. 📈
    Peak valuation
    $1.8 Billion ’20
  3. 💔
    Became a Unitard
    2022
  4. 💸
    Last valuation
    ~$180M
Current status
Merged with Ouster (2023) below $1B

How it happened

Velodyne Lidar was an early leader in lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles, going public via SPAC in 2020 at a valuation around $1.8B. Weak commercial adoption, mounting losses, and boardroom turmoil eroded its value, and in 2023 it merged with rival Ouster in an all-stock deal at a combined valuation well below $1B (~-90% from peak).