Amazon acquires Rivr, maker of a stair-climbing supply robotic

Rivr, a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup identified for its stair-climbing supply robotic, has been acquired by Amazon in a deal that indicators the e-commerce large’s curiosity in doorstep supply. Phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Co-founder and CEO Marko Bjelonic, who as soon as described the four-legged wheeled robotic to TechCrunch as a “canine on curler skates,” shared the acquisition information on LinkedIn. The Data was first to report the deal.

Bjelonic mentioned in his LinkedIn put up that the acquisition will “speed up our imaginative and prescient of constructing Common Bodily AI by means of doorstep supply, bringing robotics and AI nearer to real-world deployment at scale,” which means, in plain phrases, that Amazon’s sources ought to assist Rivr get its robots onto extra doorsteps, quicker.

Final yr, Rivr launched a pilot program in Austin with Veho, a package deal supply firm. Bjelonic mentioned, on the time, he hoped to be taught from the partnership with Veho and ultimately scale to 100 bots by 2026. It’s unclear if the corporate was ever capable of attain that milestone.

TechCrunch has reached out to Rivr for remark.

Rivr received the eye of Amazon lengthy earlier than its pilot program. The Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Bezos Expeditions invested in Rivr as a part of a $22.2 million seed spherical that closed in 2024, in response to PitchBook. The startup, which had raised a complete of $25 million, was final valued at $100 million.