Ouster and Velodyne, two lidar companies, have agreed to a merger in an all-stock transaction, the companies said Monday. Both Ouster and Velodyne will maintain a 50% stake in the new company, according to the agreement that was signed on November 4. The merger comes as many in the industry, including autonomous vehicle technology company Cruise's CEO Kyle Vogt, have been expecting another round of consolidation in the lidar space. That's in part because there are too many lidar companies for how many OEMs are implementing the sensor for autonomous driving applications. It's also because many of these companies, including Ouster and Velodyne, went public via special purpose acquisition (SPAC) at potentially inflated valuations that were based on projected revenue, not actual revenue. Earlier this year, Velodyne acquired AI and lidar company Bluecity.ai,

WIRE)--Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) today announced a multi-year agreement to provide its lidar sensors to Stanley Robotics for an automated valet parking solution. The innovative service uses autonomous handling robots to help car parks to improve the customer experience and increase the number of vehicles that can be stored. Stanley Robotics is working with Velodyne's Puck and Velarray M1600 lidar sensors to provide perception and navigation capabilities that enable its all-electric Stan robot to operate autonomously and safely. The sensors provide real-time 3D perception data for localization, mapping, object classification and object tracking. Velodyne's power-efficient sensors support Stan robots in a wide range of challenging environmental conditions, including varied temperature, lighting and precipitation.

Autonomous self-driving cars have now become a trend in the world. There are big automakers and technology companies involved in the automation industry, but it is the start-ups that are making their place in the industry with new inventions. In a populous field of more than 300 start-ups in self-driving cars, let's take a closer look at the top autonomous self-driving car companies that have achieved unicorn status. Velodyne Lidar provides smart, powerful lidar solutions for autonomous vehicles, driver assistance, delivery solutions, robotics, navigation, mapping, and more. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif, Velodyne is known worldwide for its portfolio of breakthrough lidar sensor technologies.

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 29, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) today announced a new software development kit which allows customers to utilize the advanced capabilities of Velodyne's Vella lidar perception software in their autonomous solutions. The Vella Development Kit (VDK) enables companies to accelerate time to market for bringing cutting-edge lidar capabilities to autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), mobile delivery devices, industrial robotics, drones and more. This press release features multimedia. The Vella Development Kit (VDK) from Velodyne Lidar allows customers to use the advanced capabilities of Vella lidar perception software in autonomous solutions. VDK enables companies to accelerate time to market for bringing cutting-edge lidar capabilities to autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), mobile delivery devices, industrial robotics, drones and more.

Velodyne Lidar (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) ushered in a new era of autonomous technology with the invention of real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne is the first public pure-play lidar company and is known worldwide for its broad portfolio of breakthrough lidar technologies. Velodyne's revolutionary sensor and software solutions provide flexibility, quality and performance to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, including autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), smart cities and security. Through continuous innovation, Velodyne strives to transform lives and communities by advancing safer mobility for all.

CBS MarketWatch declared 2020: The Year of the SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation). A record 219 companies went public through this fundraising vehicle that uses a reverse merger with an existing private business to create a publicly-listed entity. This accounted for more than $73 billion dollars of investment, providing private equity startups a new outlet to raise capital and provide shareholder liquidity. According to Goldman Sachs, the current trends represents a "year-over-year jump of 462% and outpacing traditional IPOs by $6 billion." In response to the interest in SPACs, the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed last week to allow private companies to raise capital through direct listings, providing even more access to the public markets outside of Wall Street's traditional institutional gatekeepers.

Luminar founder Austin Russell has become one of the youngest self-made billionaires after his lidar company debuted on public markets on Thursday. Russell, 25, was just 17 when he founded Luminar in 2012. Shares of Luminar rose above $30 a share on Friday, a massive 43 percent gain for the day on top of big gains on Thursday. Luminar has emerged as one of the leading companies in the fast-growing lidar industry. Carmakers are expected to begin offering lidar as an advanced option for their vehicles in the next few years to enable better driver-assistance technology.

Autonomous a2z, a member company of Born2Global Centre and Sejong Technopark, has recently received a seed investment of US$1.9 million from angel investments by individuals and partner corporations. Autonomous a2z is a company specializing in autonomous mobility solutions. The startup announced that it has begun commercializing an ongoing project. It also stated that the infusion of capital is already serving as a stepping stone for future development of autonomous mobility solutions and for assuming a leading position in relevant markets. Founded in 2018, Autonomous a2z has advanced its cutting-edge technologies to test self-driving technologies throughout Korea. As implied by its name, the firm develops "everything from a to z" in the arena of self-driving cars, including its own systems and algorithms.

While there are many modes and preferences when it comes to transportation, every person is a pedestrian at some point in their day. Unfortunately, being a pedestrian can be hazardous. For instance, in 2018 in the United States, there was a more than three percent increase in the number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number totaled 6,283 deaths, which was the highest since 1990. Accidents involving pedestrians are preventable tragedies.

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. announced a three-year sales agreement with Baidu for its Alpha Prime lidar sensors. The Alpha Prime sensors will be utilized for autonomous applications. Velodyne's low-cost, high-scale manufacturing delivers attractive pricing for Baidu and its Apollo partners. Baidu and Baidu's Apollo program, an open-source autonomous vehicle software platform, selected the Alpha Prime for its range, resolution and field of view that collectively address the high-performance requirements for autonomous vehicles. Quality 3D lidar vision is a critical component for autonomous vehicles to accurately perceive the environment.