The early-stage funding round was led by Uber Technologies, 7-Ventures, Delivery Hero backed DX Ventures, and Wavemaker Labs
Serve Robotics is an autonomous sidewalk delivery company. (Credit: Serve Robotics Inc.)
Serve Robotics, an autonomous sidewalk delivery company that was spun off from US-based food delivery service Postmates, has closed a seed funding round, raising a total amount of $13m.
The early-stage funding round was led by Uber Technologies, Delivery Hero backed DX Ventures, 7-Ventures, and Wavemaker Labs.
It extends the previous seed funding of the robotics start-up and includes participation by existing seed investors Neo, Scott Banister, Western Technology Investment, and others.
Serve Robotics plans to use the proceeds from the funding round to expedite its path to commercial scale, expand its fleet, drive its geographic growth, and continue product development.
Serve Robotics co-founder and CEO Ali Kashani said: “Serve Robotics is pleased to have the backing of strong strategic partners able to support our intention to provide sustainable, self-driving delivery at scale.
“This initial round of financial and strategic support will allow us to continue advancing our technology, growing our team, and expanding our partnership platform.”
Founded as Postmates’ robotics division in 2017, Serve Robotics is claimed to have completed tens of thousands of contactless deliveries across major US cities with its self-driving robots.
It was spun off as an independent firm earlier this year following the $2.65bn acquisition of Postmates by Uber Technologies in December 2020.
Uber Eats North America vice president and head Sarfraz Maredia said: “Uber and Serve share a commitment to convenience and reliability.
“As a Serve investor, we’re excited to help shape self-driving delivery technology that can meet changing consumer and merchant needs.”
Last month, Serve Robotics entered into a partnership with Uber Technologies under which its on-demand robotic delivery service will be available to Uber Eats customers. The service will begin in Los Angeles in early 2022.