Butterfly Network Inc will be taken public via a merger with a blank-check company backed by Larry Robbins’ hedge fund Glenview Capital Management, valuing the digital health company at about $1.5 billion including debt, the companies said.
The company will list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “BFLY” after its merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Longview Acquisition Corp.
Butterfly Network, which was founded in 2011 and works to enable universal access to superior medical imaging, has raised more than $400 million from investors, including Baillie Gifford, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Fosun Industrial Co.
These investors will have the right to receive common stock of the combined company after the deal is completed.
The companies said the deal is expected to deliver up to $589 million of gross proceeds.
A SPAC is a shell company that uses IPO proceeds to buy another company, typically within two years, in a merger that will take the acquired company public. Investors are not notified in advance on what company the SPAC will buy.
SPACs have emerged as a popular IPO alternative for companies this year, providing a path to going public with less regulatory scrutiny.
J.P. Morgan Securities is the financial adviser to Butterfly Network.
Source: Reuters.com