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Originally founded in 2017 as part of Postmates' robotic division, Serve was spun off as an independent start-up in 2021 following Uber’s acquisition of Postmates. Serve develops autonomous robotic vehicles for food and goods delivery in an urban environment and has served households in Los Angeles and San Francisco. While higher-level automation has struggled with cars, the delivery robotic offers a more flexible platform that can navigate sidewalks and make deliveries in a sustainable and contactless way. Serve's revenue is generated through partnerships with delivery services like Uber Eats.
Serve Robotics was founded in 2017 by CEO Ali Kashani when it was known as "Postmates X." The company began commercial service in 2020 with its robotics delivery platform completing tens of thousands of contactless deliveries from over one hundred merchants in Los Angeles and San Francisco prior to the company's spin-out of Postmates in 2021.
Serve Robotics took itself public in August 2023 after raising a $30 million venture round. Prior to going public, the funding round gave the company the financing necessary to enter new markets outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company went public through a reverse merger with Patricia Acquisition Corp completed in August 2023. Patricia Acquisition Corp is a blank-check company and special acquisition company intended to help bring companies public.
Upon the closure of the merger, the stakes in Serve Robotics, according to regulatory filings, saw Uber hold 16.2 percent and NVIDIA 11 percent. In the same filings, it was revealed that Serve Robotics had a fleet, in 2023, of over one hundred robots with platform-level integrations with Uber Eats and 7-Eleven, as well as conducting a pilot program for Walmart and a major pizza restaurant.
A Serve delivery robot on the sidewalk.
Serve Robotics platform is a Level 4 autonomous vehicle delivery platform capable of navigating and operating fully autonomously in designated areas. The robots are equipped with an array of technologies to ensure the safety of the robots and individuals around them, including multiple layers of redundant systems for critical functions.
The sensor modalities include active sensors such as lidar and ultrasonics with passive sensors such as cameras to navigate city sidewalks safely. Other capabilities include automatic emergency braking, vehicle collision avoidance, and fail-safe mechanical braking. And the robots are capable of carrying up to 50 pounds (18.7 kilograms) with a range of 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) on a single charge. The items carried in the robot are in a secured compartment unlocked with a phone app or passcode the recipient has.
The sensors and capabilities use the NVIDIA Jetson platform, which powers the AI computing necessary for autonomous machines and helps the Serve robots to understand their environment in real time. Serve Robotics also has a partnership with the Uber Eats platform, with customers in specific areas receiving their food orders from a Serve robot.
