Chicago-based SpotHero, the maker of an app that allows drivers to find and book parking spots, is partnering with car rental company Hertz to help those renting cars find parking easily.
The collaboration, announced Tuesday, will integrate SpotHero’s parking technology into Hertz’s mobile app so that their customers can seamlessly manage their rental and parking from the same platform. SpotHero offers parking at more than 5,000 garages, lots and valets in major U.S. cities, according to their website.
“We’re excited to partner with Hertz, who has 100 years of expertise in offering transportation solutions at scale to meet the evolving needs of their customers,” said Elan Mosbacher, SpotHero’s senior vice president of strategy and operations, in a statement. “We look forward to growing our collaboration to solve the parking piece of the transportation puzzle, as an added convenience for Hertz’s rental car customers.”
Though SpotHero’s new partnership with Hertz will initially work to give Hertz renters access to parking, the companies said they could explore fleet management and connected car parking initiatives in the future.
SpotHero, launched in 2011 by Mark Lawrence and Larry Kiss, has raised $57.5 million in funding, from investors like Insight Venture Partners, OCA Ventures and Chicago Ventures.
In April 2017, the startup acquired competitor Parking Panda, a move that has helped expand SpotHero’s footprint across the nation and improve its B2B offerings. SpotHero also purchased San-Francisco-based ParkPlease in 2015. They now employ more than 200 people.
In January, SpotHero's Chicago competitor ParkWhiz announced a similar partnership with local tech company Groupon. That deal, which began piloting late last year, allows people to find and pay for a ParkWhiz parking spot park while they redeem a Groupon.
