Amazon has acquired Rivr, a startup known for its stair-climbing delivery robot, in a move that highlights the company’s growing focus on last-mile automation.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Rivr Focuses On Autonomous Doorstep Delivery
Rivr develops four-legged, wheeled robots designed to navigate real-world environments, including stairs, to complete deliveries directly to customers’ doorsteps.
Co-founder and CEO Marko Bjelonic previously described the robot as a “dog on roller skates,” emphasizing its hybrid mobility design.
In a LinkedIn post, Bjelonic said the acquisition would help accelerate Rivr’s goal of building “general physical AI” for real-world deployment, particularly in delivery scenarios.
Amazon Backed Rivr Before Acquisition
Amazon had already shown interest in Rivr prior to the acquisition.
Its Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Bezos Expeditions participated in Rivr’s $22.2 million seed funding round in 2024.
According to PitchBook, the company had raised around $25 million in total and was last valued at approximately $100 million.
Pilot Program Tested Real-World Deployment
Rivr launched a pilot delivery program in Austin last year in partnership with Veho.
At the time, the company aimed to scale its fleet to 100 robots by 2026, though it remains unclear whether that target was reached.
The pilot was intended to test how the robots perform in real-world delivery conditions and gather data to improve deployment at scale.
Acquisition Signals Push Into Last-Mile Robotics
The deal reflects Amazon’s continued investment in automation technologies to improve delivery efficiency.
Autonomous robots capable of handling complex environments, such as stairs and uneven terrain, could help address one of the most challenging parts of logistics: the final step of delivering packages directly to customers’ doors.
With Amazon’s resources, Rivr’s technology may now be deployed more broadly as the company explores new approaches to last-mile delivery.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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