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RIVR develops autonomous legged robots designed for efficient, safe, and scalable last-mile and last-100-yard doorstep delivery. The company engineers General Physical AI, a system combining advanced artificial neural networks with innovative wheeled-leg robot hardware. By maintaining control over the entire technology stack, from software to physical design, RIVR ensures robust performance and cost-effectiveness. Their approach integrates large-scale reinforcement learning in simulated environments with real-world self-supervised learning, driven by data collected from each delivery to continually improve their AI capabilities.
The company was founded by Marko Bjelonic, Lorenz Wellhausen, Giorgio Valsecchi, and Alexander Reske. Originating as Swiss-Mile, the team transitioned to RIVR to better articulate its focus on pioneering intelligent robotics and physical AI. Their foundational insight centered on addressing the inefficiencies and scalability challenges inherent in traditional last-mile delivery, leveraging their expertise to create a new paradigm for robotic mobility and autonomy.
RIVR serves a diverse set of delivery markets, including parcel, grocery, instant food, and convenience store sectors. The company envisions a future powered by millions of robots, unlocking a continuous data flywheel that propels the evolution of General Physical AI. Its long-term mission is to enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and scalability of logistics, transforming how goods reach consumers' doors.
RIVR has raised $24.6M across 2 funding rounds.
RIVR has raised $24.6M in total across 2 funding rounds.
RIVR is a Swiss robotics company developing Physical AI-powered wheeled-legged robots to revolutionize last-mile and last-100-yard delivery, enabling one human to manage the output of 1,000 robots.[1][2][3][4] It builds autonomous robots like RIVR ONE, which navigate urban obstacles such as stairs and curbs using wheels for efficiency and legs for versatility, serving logistics providers for parcels, groceries, and instant food delivery while solving scalability, sustainability, and doorstep access challenges in e-commerce.[1][3][4][5] Recent partnerships with Swiss Post, Migros Online, and Just Eat Takeaway.com signal strong growth momentum, with field testing underway and a new funding round closing to accelerate deployment.[1][3][4]
RIVR originated as Swiss-Mile, a Zurich-based startup emerging from university research, before rebranding to RIVR in 2025 to align with its expanded vision of scaling to hundreds of thousands of intelligent robots.[1][2][3] The founding team includes CEO and Co-Founder Marko Bjelonic, CTO Software and Co-Founder Lorenz Wellhausen, CTO Hardware and Co-Founder Giorgio Valsecchi, and COO and Co-Founder Alexander Reske, who pioneered wheeled quadruped designs integrated with artificial neural networks.[1][2] The idea stemmed from addressing last-mile delivery inefficiencies, achieving product-market fit through collaborations with major logistics players, marking a pivot from proof-of-concept to commercial scaling.[3]
RIVR rides the Physical AI and embodied intelligence wave, targeting explosive e-commerce growth and urban delivery demands where human labor falls short.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with 2025 advancements in neural networks and simulation-trained robotics, fueled by market forces like labor shortages, sustainability mandates, and last-mile costs comprising 50%+ of logistics expenses.[3][5] By unlocking data flywheels from real-world deployments, RIVR influences the ecosystem, accelerating General Physical AI development and enabling partners like Swiss Post to deploy greener, scalable fleets across Europe.[1][3]
RIVR is poised for explosive scaling with ongoing funding, field tests, and partnerships driving initial deployments in 2025.[1][3][4] Trends like AI data loops, multimodal robotics, and autonomous logistics will propel it toward mass production, potentially dominating urban delivery as costs drop and reliability hits human levels.[3][5] Its influence could evolve from niche innovator to ecosystem leader, powering 1M+ robots and redefining Physical AI—transforming one human into the force of 1,000, as its mission promises.[1][2]
RIVR has raised $24.6M in total across 2 funding rounds.
RIVR's investors include GreenSky Ventures, Chrysalix Venture Capital, IBX, JIMCO, Tobias Lutke.
RIVR has raised $24.6M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.6M Seed in July 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2025 | $2.6M Seed | GreenSky Ventures | — | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2024 | $22M Seed | — | Chrysalix Venture Capital, IBX, JIMCO, Tobias Lutke | Announced |
