If you haven't seen an autonomous delivery robot yet, you probably will soon.
Kiwibot will massively scale its fleet of last-mile delivery robots after entering a $10 million financing partnership with Kineo Finance, an asset financing group headquartered in Switzerland. The Miami startup, which currently has 540 robots, aims to manufacture thousands more over the next 18 months, said founder and CEO Felipe Chávez.
"[The deal] allows us to be focused on the operational side of the business, and gives us the leverage to keep enlarging our footprint without needing dilutive capital," he told Miami Inno.
Founded in 2017, Kiwibot's autonomous robots delivers restaurant meals at 28 college campuses across the U.S. The robots use GPS technology, camera sensors and artificial intelligence to generate optimal routes and avoid obstacles on its path.
"If the zone is safe for pedestrians, our robots would roll around effectively," Chávez said.
Kiwibot reports its delivery service, already available on apps like Grubhub and Sodexo's Everyday, can reduce delivery costs by as much as 65% for customers.
It's also a more environmentally friendly option than receiving deliveries from gas-powered vehicles, Chávez said. Kiwibot's small, electric-powered robots have carried out 200,000 zero-emission deliveries, avoiding more than 53,000 miles of car trips and unnecessary traffic congestion.
“This partnership will take our operations to the next level. We’ll be closer to becoming the standard solution for smart cities that leverage sustainable technology to enhance people’s quality of life," he added.
Kiwibot doesn't want to limit itself to university campuses. In 2021, the company partnered with the Knight Foundation to bring its delivery service to locations in Miami, Pittsburgh, Detroit and San Jose, California. At the time, Kiwibot said the pilot project would help those cities collect sidewalk infrastructure data and determine how to best deploy automated robots.
Expanding into residential zones is a focus for Kiwibot moving forward, Chåvez said. The startup could also enter international markets and is currently considering opportunities in Japan and Spain.
The deal represents Kineo's first foray into the delivery-as-a-service sector, which tripled in value between 2017 and 2021. Delivery service exploded at restaurants during the Covid-19 pandemic and the demand for that convenience has not subsided.
“Kiwibot’s solution is in high demand in the U.S. and has become indispensable for people leading fast-paced lives," said Charles Sellman, president of Kineo. "This partnership is the financial push they need to propel their startup into wider markets."
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