Kiwibot

Kiwibot is an autonomous delivery droid developer that mainly operates on university campuses. Its robots are capable of Level 4 autonomous navigation (i.e., capable of navigating without human interventions in specific conditions or environments). Its latest version “Kiwibot 4.0” comes with onboard cameras, lights, speakers, sensors, and AI. The new features allow the robot to interact with humans, detect traffic lights and obstacles, and plan its course. The droids can reportedly operate in different weather conditions and can deliver items within a distance of one mile.

Kiwibot’s delivery trials have taken place in several cities, including San Jose, Los Angeles, Santa Monica (California), Miami (Florida), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), and Detroit (Michigan) in the US. It also has a presence in other geographies such as Medellín (Colombia) and Dubai. As of February 2023, Kiwibot has reportedly conducted more than 250,000 food deliveries and operated a fleet of 500+ droids.

One unique feature is the company’s involvement in student communities, such as robotic clubs and student groups that run the day-to-day delivery operations, including monitoring robot units. The company offers its services on a subscription basis to university students—its main clientele. Students can also opt to pay per delivery, which would consist of a delivery fee and a service charge.

In April 2024, Kiwibot acquired Auto Mobility Solutions, a Taipei-based manufacturer of chips for robotics and autonomous driving, to complement its product.

Key customers and partnerships

Kiwibot has deployed its droids at 25+ universities in the US, mostly conducted in partnership with foodservice providers Sodexo (February 2022) and Grubhub (December 2022), Other deployment partners in the US included Shopify, Ordermark, Piestro, Chick-fil-A, and Knight Foundation. The deployments in Colombia were conducted in partnership with Rappi and in Dubai in partnership with Careem and Aramex.

Funding and financials

In February 2023, Kiwibot secured USD 10 million through a financing partnership with Switzerland-based asset financing group, Kineo Finance to manufacture and scale its fleet of delivery droids.