- Smart window company View and CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II — a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald — announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to take View public.
Silicon Valley-based smart window company View and CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II — a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald — announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. The combined company is going to be called View, Inc. and will be publicly listed on the NASDAQ market following the close of the transaction.
View is known as the market leader in next-generation smart windows that use AI/ML — which will tint the glass to optimize natural light while controlling heat and glare to enhance mental and physical well-being for occupants, thus creating smart connected buildings which reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
View is known for serving diverse real estate segments, including corporate office, airports, multifamily, education, and healthcare. And strong secular tailwinds of climate change, human health, and smart buildings are driving demand for View’s smart windows. The environmental, social, and governance initiatives and growing government regulations require buildings to retrofit and become energy efficient and net-zero-energy dwellings.
Upon the closing of the transaction, View Chairman and CEO Dr. Rao Mulpuri and CFO Vidul Prakash will continue to lead View, supported by a deep and talented management team with substantial experience scaling high-growth businesses.
Details About The Deal
The Board of Directors of each of View and CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II have unanimously approved the deal. And the deal will require the approval of the stockholders of CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II and View and is subject to other customary closing conditions, including the receipt of certain regulatory approvals. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021.
Assuming no redemptions by CF II stockholders, the deal is expected to deliver up to $800 million of gross proceeds including the contribution of up to $500 million of cash held in CFII’s trust account from its IPO. And the transaction is further supported by a $300 million private investment in public equity (PIPE) at $10 per share.
All the cash remaining in CF II at the closing after paying off transaction expenses and CF II liabilities is expected to be used to retire debt and to add cash to View’s balance sheet for working capital, growth capex and other general corporate purposes.
KEY QUOTES:
“Climate change and human health are two of the most important challenges and opportunities of our time, and View is well-positioned to use technology to drive change across the real estate industry. View has created groundbreaking products, covered by over 1,000 patents and built state of the art manufacturing operations in the United States. As we become a public company and continue on our growth strategy, we are very excited to partner with Howard Lutnick and the team at Newmark, which will enable us to leverage their deep commercial real estate expertise.”
— Dr. Rao Mulpuri
“View’s smart windows are a gamechanger that will revolutionize the real estate experience. Buildings will no longer need blinds and shades, which will enhance the experience of building occupants, substantially reduce energy usage, and improve space utilization. We are excited to be working with Rao and the team at View to not only help deliver the capital needed to further build out View’s capacity, but also leverage our real estate platforms to create awareness, scale and drive change across the real estate industry.”
— Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II, and Chairman of Newmark Group
