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

Amazon has acquired Rivr, a Zurich-based autonomous robot startup known for its stair-climbing delivery robot, in a deal that signals the e-commerce giant’s interest in doorstep delivery. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rivr co-founder and CEO Marko Bellonek, who once described the four-wheeled robot to TechCrunch as a “snowboarding dog,” shared news of the acquisition on LinkedIn. Information was first to report the deal.

Belonek said in his LinkedIn post that the acquisition “will accelerate our vision of building AGI through doorstep delivery, bringing robotics and AI closer to real-world deployment at scale,” which means, in plain terms, that Amazon’s resources should help Rivr get its robots to more doorsteps, faster.

Last year, Rivr launched a pilot program in Austin with package delivery company Veho. Belonek said, at the time, that he hoped to learn from the partnership with Veho and eventually expand to 100 robots by 2026. It is unclear whether the company will be able to reach that milestone.

TechCrunch has reached out to Rivr for comment.

Rivr has received attention from Amazon long before its beta program. Amazon’s 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 raised a total of $25 million, was valued at $100 million.