Parking Panda

Parking Panda operated as an online marketplace and optimization platform for the parking industry. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2011 by Nick Miller and Adam Zilberbaum. The concept for Parking Panda originated when they secured first place at the inaugural Maryland Startup Weekend in 2011, which led to their acceptance into the ER Accelerator program in New York City. Miller, who had previous experience at startups like Living Social, and Zilberbaum, who came from an entrepreneurial family, shared a vision of building their own company.

The business provided a two-sided platform. For drivers, it offered a mobile application and website to find, compare, and reserve guaranteed parking spots in advance, operating in over 40 cities across the United States and Canada. For parking facility owners and managers, Parking Panda supplied a suite of management tools designed to handle tasks such as on-site payment processing, inventory tracking, and analytics. This allowed partners, from private owners to commercial garages, to manage their inventory, adjust pricing based on demand, and increase traffic during periods of low occupancy. Revenue was generated by taking a commission on parking reservations.

The company demonstrated significant growth by establishing over 800 partnerships, with a particular focus on event parking. Notable partners included MLB.com, Amtrak, professional sports teams, and major venues like the Target Center and Verizon Center. After raising approximately $5 million in venture funding over several rounds, Parking Panda was acquired by its Chicago-based competitor, SpotHero, in April 2017. The acquisition was a strategic move for SpotHero to expand its footprint into Canada, absorb Parking Panda's strong B2B partnerships, and integrate its SaaS products. Following the acquisition, the Parking Panda platform was eventually consolidated into SpotHero's services.

Keywords: parking reservation, online parking marketplace, mobile parking app, event parking solutions, parking management software, parking inventory optimization, on-demand parking, advance parking booking, parking analytics, SpotHero acquisition, Adam Zilberbaum, Nick Miller, Baltimore startup, parking technology, garage management tools, B2B parking partnerships, daily parking, monthly parking, airport parking, venue parking