Amazon acquires Rivr to deploy stair-climbing robots for doorstep delivery at scale

Amazon acquires Rivr, maker of a stair-climbing delivery robot | TechCrunch

Rivr, a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup known for its stair-climbing delivery robot, has been acquired by Amazon in a deal that signals the e-commerce giant's interest in doorstep delivery. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Rivr co-founder and CEO Marko Bjelonic, who once described the four-legged wheeled robot to TechCrunch as a "dog on roller skates," shared the acquisition news on LinkedIn. The Information was first to report the deal. Bjelonic said in his LinkedIn post that the acquisition will "accelerate our vision of building General Physical AI through doorstep delivery, bringing robotics and AI closer to real-world deployment at scale." Last year, Rivr launched a pilot program in Austin with Veho, package delivery company. Bjelonic said, at the time, he hoped to learn from the partnership with Veho and eventually scale to 100 bots by 2026. It's unclear if the company was ever able to reach that milestone. TechCrunch has reached out to Rivr for comment. Rivr got the attention of Amazon long before its pilot program. The Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Bezos Expeditions invested in Rivr as part of a $22.2 million seed round that closed in 2024, according to Pitchbook. The startup, which had raised a total of $25 million, was last valued at $100 million.

Amazon acquires Swiss robotics firm test for 'doorstep delivery'

Amazon said Rivr's technology will allow it to help delivery associates "carry packages from delivery vehicles to customer doorsteps". Amazon has acquired the Swiss robotics company Rivr, which develops four-legged machines for "doorstep delivery," as the tech giant invests heavily in automating its warehouse operations. Amazon laid off 16,000 white-collar workers in January and also cut 100 jobs in March in its robotics division, as the company pursues artificial intelligence "in virtually every corner of the company," according to CEO Andy Jassy. Amazon did not publicise the Rivr acquisition but announced the deal sent to third-party delivery contractors, according to CNBC. The Information was the first to report on the deal. "We want to share that we've recently acquired RIVR, a company focused on technology that can help with doorstep delivery," Amazon wrote in a notice to third-party delivery contractors, which CNBC viewed. "We believe this technology, when working alongside your [delivery associates], has the potential to further improve safety outcomes and the overall customer experience, particularly in the last steps of the delivery process," it added. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the deal "reflects our commitment to a continued investment in research" and efforts to improve safety for its delivery employees. Amazon uses a network of thousands of third-party contractors that deliver packages exclusively for Amazon from the company's warehouses to the customer. Amazon said Rivr's technology will allow it to help delivery associates "carry packages from delivery vehicles to customer doorsteps," according to CNBC.

A rolling, stair-climbing Amazon robot could deliver your future parcels

Rivr's four-legged delivery bots could help Amazon tackle the hardest part of getting parcels to your door The next time you order one of the best headphones from Amazon, there's a non-zero chance that it'll be delivered to your door by a stair-climbing robot. That prediction comes courtesy of the news (via Engadget) that Amazon has just snapped up Rivr - a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup building delivery robots. No price has been disclosed, but you can bet a fair amount of cash exchanged hands, given Rivr's $110 million valuation back in 2024. As for the robots themselves, they use a mix of wheels and legs, letting them roll along normally while the legs kick into action to climb stairs when needed. Rivr has already been testing the idea in the real world, including a pilot in Austin with delivery firm Veho, and recently showed off a second-generation version of the robot. Investing in robots is nothing new for Jeff Bezos' retail behemoth. The company has been steadily pushing automation across its business for years, and announced that it deployed its millionth warehouse robot last summer. But a robot delivery service that can overcome a Dalek's original weakness will take things to a whole new level. In a LinkedIn post, Rivr CEO and cofounder Marko Bjelonic stated that "This step will accelerate our vision of building General Physical AI through doorstep delivery, bringing robotics and AI closer to real-world deployment at scale." Corpspeak aside, it's hard to tell exactly when - or indeed, if - Amazon robot deliveries will kick off. But consider this an early heads up, just in case.

Amazon Buys Robot Maker RIVR to Win Last-Mile Delivery Race | PYMNTS.com

RIVR CEO and Co-Founder Marko Bjelonic announced the acquisition in a Thursday (March 19) post on LinkedIn, and several media reports said an Amazon spokesperson confirmed the deal. "This step will accelerate our vision of building General Physical AI through doorstep delivery, bringing robotics and AI closer to real-world deployment at scale," Bjelonic said in his post. Bjelonic added: "I'm incredibly proud of what RIVR built, and even more excited about what we will accomplish next at Amazon." The Information reported Thursday that an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that Amazon acquired RIVR. RIVR is based in Switzerland and was formerly known as Swiss-Mile, according to the report. CNBC reported Thursday that Amazon confirmed the acquisition of RIVR and that the company made the purchase this week but didn't publicize it. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the move "reflects our commitment to a continued investment in research" and efforts to improve safety for the company's delivery personnel, per the report. PYMNTS reported in August 2024, when RIVR was known as Swiss-Mile, that Swiss-Mile raised $22 million in a seed round and that the investors included Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Bezos Expeditions. The company now known as RIVR was incorporated in 2023. It said in an August 2024 press release that it developed wheel-legged robots with autonomy that's driven by AI and that in its first year it "achieved early successes with pilot deployments among key customers, including last-mile delivery in smart cities and security for critical infrastructure." The company rebranded to RIVR in March 2025 as it prepared to launch field testing of its delivery robots in partnership with major logistics carriers. RIVR said in a May 2025 press release that it launched in the United States through a partnership with alternative parcel delivery platform Veho. It said the companies had already introduced RIVR's wheel-legged robots in Austin, where they would deliver eCommerce parcels. "With the exponential rise in eCommerce, the last mile has become the most critical -- and complex -- link in the logistics chain," Bjelonic said in the release.