SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Serve Robotics,
the leading autonomous sidewalk delivery company, today announced
the closing of a $13 million expanded
seed funding round, with participation from strategic investors
Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER); Delivery Hero (FRA:
DHER) backed DX Ventures; 7-Eleven Inc.'s corporate venture
arm, 7-Ventures, LLC; and Wavemaker Partners'
food automation focused venture studio Wavemaker Labs. The
new round extends Serve's previous seed funding and includes
participation by existing seed investors Neo, Western Technology
Investment, and Scott
Banister among others. The capital will be used to
accelerate the company's path to commercial scale, driving its
fleet expansion, geographic growth, and continued product
development.
Serve Robotics is shaping the future of sustainable,
self-driving delivery. Founded in 2017 as the robotics division of
Postmates, Serve is now an independent company on a mission to make
delivery more affordable, sustainable and accessible for everyone.
The company's self-driving robots have completed tens of thousands
of contactless deliveries in major U.S. cities.
"Serve Robotics is pleased to have the backing of strong
strategic partners able to support our intention to provide
sustainable, self-driving delivery at scale," said Dr.
Ali Kashani, Co-founder and CEO of
Serve Robotics. "This initial round of financial and strategic
support will allow us to continue advancing our technology, growing
our team, and expanding our partnership platform."
"Uber and Serve share a commitment to convenience and
reliability," said Sarfraz
Maredia, Vice President and Head of Uber Eats in
North America. "As a Serve
investor, we're excited to help shape self-driving delivery
technology that can meet changing consumer and merchant needs."
"Serve Robotics has brought self-driving delivery to major U.S.
cities and is leading the field of robotics with its cutting-edge
autonomous technology," said Brendon
Blacker, Partner at DX Ventures. "This game-changing
technology has the potential to reshape the future of delivery and
we are investing in Ali's vision and the world-class team he has
assembled."
"Our vision at 7-Eleven is to be the first choice for
convenience – anytime, anywhere. We are redefining convenience by
delivering innovative shopping solutions to our customers," said
Raghu Mahadevan, 7-Eleven SVP and
Chief Digital Officer. "This collaboration will allow us to
continue our 94-year legacy of innovation and expand our last mile
delivery capabilities to make 7NOW more affordable, sustainable and
accessible for everyone."
"Serve Robotics has built a highly advanced, self-driving
delivery robot that delivers safely and reliably for merchants,"
said Buck Jordan, Founder and CEO
at Wavemaker Labs. "We look forward to using autonomous
delivery to elevate the customer experience and improve the unit
economics of our food automation brands."
This new capital, combined with Serve's recent success in major
U.S. markets, further establishes Serve Robotics' position as the
leader in autonomous sidewalk delivery and is a milestone on the
company's path to national and global scale.
To learn more about Serve Robotics visit ServeRobotics.com.
About Serve Robotics
Serve Robotics is shaping the
future of sustainable, self-driving delivery. The company designs,
develops and operates zero-emissions rovers that serve people in
public spaces, starting with food delivery. Founded in 2017 as the
robotics division of Postmates, Serve set out to build a robotic
delivery experience that delights customers, improves reliability
for merchants, and reduces vehicle emissions to zero. Four years
later, the company's self-driving rovers have successfully
completed tens of thousands of contactless deliveries in
Los Angeles and San Francisco. Spun off as an independent
company in February 2021, Serve is
backed by Uber and other world-class investors. Serve has several
established commercial partnerships and continues to expand its
partner platform. Find out more at www.serverobotics.com, follow us
on social media via Twitter and Instagram, or apply to join our
team on LinkedIn.
About Uber
Uber's mission is to create opportunity
through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how
do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 25
billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer
to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things
move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to
new possibilities.
About DX Ventures
DX Ventures' mission is to support
the next generation of founder-led companies that are disrupting
some of the most rapidly changing industries around the world. The
investment philosophy is centered on building long-term
partnerships with founders to provide support throughout the
lifecycle and actively create value. To learn more, visit
www.dxventures.vc.
About 7-Eleven, Inc. and 7-Ventures, LLC
7–Eleven,
Inc. is the premier name in the convenience-retailing industry.
Based in Irving, Texas, 7–Eleven
operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 77,000 stores in 19
countries and regions, including 16,000 in North America. Known for its iconic brands
such as Slurpee®, Big Bite® and Big Gulp®, 7-Eleven, Inc. also
operates Speedway®, Stripes®, Laredo Taco Company® and Raise the
Roost® Chicken and Biscuits locations.
7-Ventures, LLC, is an investment firm which operates as the
venture capital arm of 7-Eleven®. The firm invests primarily in
companies with consumer-focused technologies and services as well
as disruptive CPG products that complement 7-Eleven's legacy of
innovation. To learn more, visit www.7-ventures.co.
About Wavemaker Partners and Wavemaker Labs
Wavemaker
Labs is a food automation focused venture studio that builds
disruptive technologies alongside corporate partners. Its lead
investor, Wavemaker Partners, is a global venture capital fund
with over $600 million of assets
under management. Specializing in food and agriculture, Wavemaker
Labs' goal is to help its partners think and execute like
start-ups, and ultimately bring disruptive technology to market
that advances their industry and business. Wavemaker has incubated
and launched several robotics brands including Miso
Robotics, Piestro, Bobacino and others. To learn more,
visit https://www.wavemakerlabs.com.
Contact
Aduke Thelwell
Head of Communications
Serve Robotics
aduke.thelwell@serverobotics.com
347-464-8510
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SOURCE Serve Robotics Inc.