Metropolis Appoints New CFO as AI Company Nears $5 Billion Valuation

Good morning. The future of urban infrastructure is rapidly evolving, and Metropolis, an AI company at the forefront of this transformation, is making a significant move. The company has appointed Lookman Olusanya as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective June 30. Olusanya, who previously served as CFO of Square, brings extensive experience in financial leadership from roles at Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

"The future is one where transactions happen automatically, powered by AI, and that’s the future we’re building for," Olusanya said. Metropolis is revolutionizing the way people interact with urban environments by enabling checkout-free payment experiences. The company has streamlined ticketless parking by automating vehicle recognition and payments using computer vision and AI, eliminating the need for tickets, codes, or waiting in line.

Metropolis currently serves over 50 million customers, processing $5 billion in annual transaction volume and adding 35,000 new members daily. However, the company’s ambitions extend beyond parking solutions. "The chance to architect the financial foundation of a company that’s redefining how people access and interact with the physical world, starting with mobility, was just impossible to pass up," Olusanya explained.

He was drawn to Metropolis by its visionary team and founders. "There’s ambition and courage to create an entirely new category, and I wanted to help build that," he said. Olusanya's excitement is palpable, likening his enthusiasm to his early days at Amazon Web Services.

Founded in 2017 by CEO Alex Israel, Peter Fisher, Courtney Fukuda, and Travis Kell, Metropolis has made significant strides. Last year, the company acquired SP Plus for approximately $1.5 billion, becoming the largest parking operator in North America. In January, Metropolis acquired Oosto (formerly AnyVision) for $125 million, adding facial recognition and biometric technologies to its portfolio.

Olusanya’s career spans over two decades, during which he has scaled high-growth businesses across cloud infrastructure, payments, and SaaS. His role at Metropolis will focus on three key priorities: listening and learning, growing the company’s financial systems with AI automation and precision analytics, and building the next chapter for Metropolis.

"That includes creating a native AI finance organization that is nimble, deeply integrated with the business, and has AI at its core. That’s my vision," Olusanya said. He is based in Seattle and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking.

Have a good weekend. See you on Monday.