Metropolis is buying Oosto, the computer vision company formerly known as AnyVision, in an all-stock acquisition valued at $125 million. The deal brings together two businesses built around AI vision, but with very different recent histories.
For Metropolis, the acquisition is about sharpening a focused product: AI systems for real-world payment experiences, especially parking. For Oosto, it marks an exit after years of controversy, rebranding, layoffs, and attempts to reposition its technology for enterprise use.
A $125 million exit after much larger funding claims
The transaction values Oosto at $125 million, according to TechCrunch, which reported and confirmed the deal. That figure is far below the $380 million that public records describe the company as having raised from investors over the years, though a source close to Oosto disputes that total.
That source claims Oosto had only ever raised around $160 million. The same source said the large SoftBank investment of $235 million in 2021 was supposed to arrive in tranches, with only $60 million deposited at the time of the deal. By the time the second tranche was due, SoftBank’s VisionFund was pulling back on its activities and Oosto was in restructuring mode, so no further funding came through, according to that account.
Public records still describe Oosto’s funding as between $350 million and $380 million, per PitchBook. Either way, the acquisition price is modest compared with the company’s past fundraising profile and likely far below its peak valuation.
Oosto investors include SoftBank, FifthWall, Lightspeed, DFJ, Eldridge Industries, and others. As part of the transaction, those investors receive Series D preferred stock in Metropolis.
What Metropolis is getting
The acquisition includes Oosto’s IP and team. Oosto CEO Avi Golan and CTO Dieter Joecker will take senior roles at Metropolis.
A spokesperson confirmed that Metropolis had agreed to acquire Oosto, describing Metropolis as an artificial intelligence company whose computer vision platform enables checkout-free payment experiences for the real world. The same statement described Oosto as an AI safety and security company.
The immediate plan is not a broad expansion into many unrelated computer vision markets. Instead, Metropolis is expected to use Oosto’s technology to improve computer vision inside parking environments.
That focus matters. Metropolis already uses computer vision to track cars as they enter and leave parking areas and charge accordingly. Its technology is used in 4,000 locations, and the company says it processes some $5 billion in payments annually.
Metropolis is also in the process of fundraising at a valuation approaching $5 billion, according to TechCrunch. The same $5 billion figure appears in the company’s annual payment processing volume, making scale a central part of the story.
Oosto’s long path from AnyVision
Oosto’s sale follows a turbulent period. As AnyVision, the company was part of a wave of computer vision startups whose technology was used in controversial surveillance applications.
Reports over the years exposed which organizations were quietly using the technology, how the Israeli government tapped it to spy on Palestinians, and how much data the company was able to collect. The publicity damaged the company’s standing and led to Microsoft exiting as a key strategic investor.
Other investors continued to back the company. In 2020, AnyVision appointed Avi Golan, who had worked at SoftBank, as CEO. In 2021, the company raised $235 million in a round led by SoftBank and Eldridge while pitching itself as an ethical AI company. Other backers have included Lightspeed and Qualcomm, according to PitchBook data.
Later in 2021, AnyVision rebranded as Oosto. The company tried to move toward more enterprise applications and entered a research partnership with Carnegie Mellon. But the difficulties continued, including rounds of layoffs and Oosto parting ways with the university.
Sources close to the company told TechCrunch that Oosto was making around $20 million in annual revenues and was signing new deals up to the acquisition.
Why the deal fits Metropolis
Metropolis is also a computer vision company, but its business is narrower and more operationally defined. Its core use case is parking: identifying vehicles, understanding when they enter or leave, and enabling automatic payment.
In 2023, Metropolis raised $1.7 billion in financing and other investment. Most of that was used to buy parking technology specialist SP Plus for $1.5 billion.
With Oosto, the company is adding technology and people that may strengthen its ability to recognize activity in physical spaces. Over time, TechCrunch reported, that could extend to applications where customers regularly drive or walk in and out of a business environment, including drive-throughs.
Avihai Michaeli, an investment banking adviser based in Tel Aviv, told TechCrunch that the acquisition makes sense from a technology perspective because both companies operate in AI-driven computer vision and security solutions. He said their applications relate to urban management, public safety, automation, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.
He also added that the current war in Israel has made it challenging for some Israeli companies trying to raise money or do other business, which could have played a role in the transaction.
A warning sign inside the AI boom
The deal lands at a time when enthusiasm around AI remains high, but not every AI company is benefiting equally. Oosto’s story shows that advanced technology, major investors, and a large funding headline do not guarantee a strong independent outcome.
It also shows how timing can reshape a company’s prospects. Oosto’s earlier identity as AnyVision drew controversy around surveillance. More recently, a new wave of AI companies has pushed further into military, defense, and “resilience” technology, changing how some markets discuss sensitive AI use cases.
The key question is not whether computer vision has value. Metropolis is betting that it does, but in a more specific setting: parking and checkout-free payment experiences. The Oosto acquisition suggests that in AI, focus, revenue, and fit may matter more than hype alone.