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

Amazon has acquired Rivr, a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup known for its stair-climbing delivery robot, underscoring Amazon's growing interest in enhancing doorstep delivery capabilities. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Rivr’s co-founder and CEO, Marko Bjelonic, highlighted that the deal would accelerate their vision of deploying robotics and AI at scale for real-world applications, particularly in doorstep delivery. This suggests Amazon aims to leverage its resources to expand Rivr’s robot deployment more rapidly. Rivr had previously launched a pilot program in Austin in partnership with package delivery company Veho, with ambitions to scale to 100 robots by 2026, though it remains unclear if this target was met. Amazon’s interest in Rivr dates back to a $22.2 million seed funding round in 2024, which included investments from the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Bezos Expeditions. Prior to the acquisition, Rivr had raised a total of $25 million and was valued at $100