SmartRent.com Inc. has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp. I, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of Fifth Wall, a venture capital firm focused on the global real estate industry and proptech. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will be publicly traded. SmartRent is a smart home operating system for residential property owners and managers, homebuilders, home buyers, and residents.

Lucas Haldeman, founder and CEO of SmartRent, said, “We started this business as frustrated real estate operators looking for a comprehensive smart home solution. We understood the deficiencies of the enterprise smart home industry and knew that if we could build a fully integrated platform that met the needs of operators and their communities, we would have an impact not just on their business, but on society at large. Today we offer the most robust and deeply integrated platform on the market, validated by its rapid adoption and 100 percent customer retention.”

Brendan Wallace, CEO of Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp. I, added, “Alongside Fifth Wall’s strategic LPs in multifamily and homebuilding, as part of its initial investment in SmartRent, Fifth Wall evaluated every company in the smart home ecosystem. It was clear to Fifth Wall that SmartRent has emerged as the category leader in smart home tech, with customers that include 15 of the 20 largest residential owners in the U.S., with a larger install base than all of its competitors combined.

The combined company is expected to have up to approximately $513 million in cash at closing, including $345 million of cash held in FWAA from its initial public offering on February 5, 2021 (assuming no redemption requests by FWAA shareholders in connection with the transaction). The transaction is further supported by a $155 million PIPE at $10 per share from real estate companies, SmartRent customers, and institutional financial investors, including Starwood Capital Group, Lennar, Invitation Homes, Koch Real Estate Investments, Baron Capital Group, D1 Capital Partners LP, Long Pond Capital LP, and Conversant Capital LLC.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as co-financial advisors to SmartRent and DLA Piper LLP (US) is acting as its legal counsel. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as lead placement agents on the PIPE for Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp. I. Deutsche Bank Securities and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as capital markets advisors to Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp. I.  Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as legal counsel to Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp. I, and Moelis & Company LLC is acting as financial advisor to the board of directors of Fifth Wall Acquisition Corp. I. Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as counsel to the placement agents.