(Reuters) - Taboola, a company whose technology directs users to related content on the internet, said on Monday it would go public through a merger with ION Acquisition Corp. 1 Ltd., a blank-check firm, in a deal valuing the company at about $2.6 billion. Taboola said bit.ly/3a402AP it had secured about $285 million in investment from institutional investors, including funds affiliated with ION and Phoenix Insurance. The U.S.-Israeli firm also counts funds managed by BlackRock, Fidelity Management & Research Co and Hedosophia among its investors. A blank-check firm, also known as a special purpose acquisition company, is one that uses proceeds from an initial public offering to buy another company, in a deal that takes the company public. SPACs raised more than $82 billion in 2020, more than four times the amount raised in 2019, according to data from Dealogic. In 2021, Taboola plans to invest more than $100 million in research and development growth initiatives, including artificial intelligence, e-commerce, television and device manufacturers. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities acted as financial advisers to Taboola, while Cowen was the adviser to ION.