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ParkWhiz
ParkWhiz was founded in 2006 by A.J. Beddome and John Andrew Cohlan as a consumer-facing platform for pre-booking parking spaces in major US cities.
ParkWhiz
ParkWhiz was founded in 2006 by A.J. Beddome and John Andrew Cohlan as a consumer-facing platform for pre-booking parking spaces in major US cities. The company initially operated as a digital marketplace, aggregating inventory from garages and lots to offer drivers discounted, reserved spots via mobile app and website. Around 2019, ParkWhiz began a strategic pivot away from the consumer business toward enterprise software, rebranding its product lineup to focus on fleet management, venue parking operations, and real-time inventory control for large parking operators. The shift followed the sale of its consumer business to competitor SpotHero in 2021. ParkWhiz now sells a suite of SaaS tools to commercial garages, airports, stadiums, and corporate fleets — products include ParkWhiz for Fleet, ParkWhiz for Venues, and a white-label reservation engine. The company has raised roughly $67M in venture funding from investors including JLL, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, and Baird Capital (per Crunchbase, as of 2021). It maintains its headquarters in Chicago, with an office in New York. Post-pivot, ParkWhiz operates as a private, B2B-focused technology company rather than a consumer marketplace, with revenue derived from licensing and transaction fees. ParkWhiz's structural differentiator is its shift from a capital-intensive consumer marketplace to a recurring-revenue enterprise SaaS model — a move that decoupled its revenue from consumer demand cycles and positioned it as infrastructure for the parking industry's digitization.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2006
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Chicago
Corporate office
Chicago, IL, United States
Principals
Jon Thornton
CEO
A.J. Beddome
Co-Founder
John Andrew Cohlan
Co-Founder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at ParkWhiz?
CEO Jon Thornton leads the company. The board includes representatives from venture backers such as JLL and Pritzker Group Venture Capital. No single external investor controls the firm.
Is ParkWhiz a venture-backed startup or a family office?
ParkWhiz is a venture-backed private company, not a family office. It has raised ~$67M from institutional investors. It is not an allocator of capital but an operating technology firm.
What does ParkWhiz's pivot from consumer to enterprise SaaS entail?
ParkWhiz sold its consumer parking marketplace to SpotHero in 2021 and now focuses on software for parking operators, fleets, and venues. Products include fleet management, reservation engines, and real-time occupancy dashboards.
Which sectors does ParkWhiz target?
ParkWhiz serves the parking and mobility infrastructure sector, with a focus on commercial garages, airports, stadiums, and corporate fleet operators. Its software is deployed in real estate and transportation verticals.
Does ParkWhiz make direct investments or fund commitments?
No. ParkWhiz is an operating company, not an investment firm. It does not deploy capital as an LP or GP.
What is ParkWhiz's geographic footprint?
ParkWhiz is headquartered in Chicago, with an office in New York. Its software is used across the United States, primarily in major metropolitan areas.
How does ParkWhiz relate to SpotHero?
ParkWhiz sold its consumer-facing parking marketplace to competitor SpotHero in 2021. The two companies share no ongoing ownership or operational ties; ParkWhiz now operates purely as a B2B software provider.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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